Just figured out where these fake tariff rates come from. They didn't actually calculate tariff rates + non-tariff barriers, as they say they did. Instead, for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us.
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) April 2, 2025
So we… https://t.co/PBjF8xmcuv
For some years, James Surowiecki had a weekly column in The New Yorker about finance. I know nothing about finance, but I know about good writing. Surowiecki’s columns were models of well-reasoned argument — great for use in a college writing class. Kudos to him for figuring out what’s going on here.
comments: 5
from the article in the national review: "The new tariffs are economically illiterate, self-destructive, top-to-bottom nonsense, imposed with no sense of rhyme or reason, assembled by White House staffers who do not know which territories have serious trade relationships with the U.S. and which ones are inhabited entirely by penguins." see https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/trumps-totally-arbitrary-tariff-regime/. by the way if you do any baking, consider buying some real vanilla today. Madagascar is looking at over 90% tariff because they don't buy much from us. Simon Rosenberg interviewed Robert Shapiro today in a live chat -- catch if you are able. the proposed inflation numbers are truly scary.
k
ps of course the numbers are made up: the persons who could have helped them with it have been let go?
k
We have two little bottles of vanilla in the house. And we have enough Typhoo and Barry’s tea to supply hordes of protesters this coming Saturday.
I read about the islands without human presence and almost — almost — made a post titled “Merch of the penguins.” It’d be funny if it weren’t so frighteningly mad.
I am reminded of that old question, central to the Tim Burton version of "Alice in Wonderland": "Is it better to be feared or loved?" Trump manages both: loved by his base and feared by the republicans elected in Washington, producing a one-man government.
As for elected democrats, I am still decided whether for them Washington is the home of the brave. I wish they could ignore Trump "flooding the zone," and pick just one battle flag, then rally around it. But I guess if it was easy to choose, then some newspaper editor would have done so. Where's J. Jonah Jameson when we need him?
Maybe, in time, democrats will choose tariffs as their flag.
Feared and loved — exactly. Other tyrants come to mind, no?
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