"Trade Not Aid" -- The Answer For Trade War!

Source: Malulu

Last week, President Trump announced the financial bail out of $12 billion for farmers who are losing large profits to the trade war.  At first pass, a majority of Americans were expecting such a measure at the very least.  Especially, since the President himself is to blame for the new trade war between countries who used to have agreements prior to the inauguration of the President.  Not everyone is happy with the aid offered to the farmers negatively impacted by tariff set by President Trump.  In fact, the recipients of the trade relief have been chanting along with sending the message "Trade not Aid."



This slogan should come as no surprise to anyone who has received a large payout.  The money is great in the short run - until the money runs out.  That is, if all of the aid is spent on keeping up the farm output with no money coming in, then the money will run out quickly.  Which brings us to the current state of affairs highlighted in an excerpt by Politico Agriculture sent out via e-mail on Monday shown below:

TRUE TARIFF BAILOUT WOULD COST $39 BILLION: The full cost of a government aid package to help U.S. all manufacturers, farmers and fishermen negatively affected by President Donald Trump's new tariffs on steel and aluminum from around the world and a host of products from China could reach $39 billion, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports this morning. That works out to be another $27 billion on top of the $12 billion the Trump administration announced last week to help U.S. farmers.

"While America's agricultural industry has been hit extremely hard by escalating tariffs, it's not alone," Neil Bradley, U.S. Chamber executive vice president and chief policy officer, wrote in a blog post. "Thousands of U.S. companies - including manufacturers, input suppliers, fisherman, and businesses from numerous other industries - are finding it more difficult to sell American made products abroad amid the growing trade war."

Other sectors are feeling the pain: The business group estimates that U.S. automobile, motorcycle and parts manufacturers would need up to $7.6 billion in federal aid if the assistance promised for farmers is extended to other sectors. Chemical manufacturers would need $960 million; prepared food manufacturers, $884 million; fishermen and crabbers, $811 million; soap manufacturers, $725 million; beverage manufacturers, $765 million; shipbuilders, $632 million; and furniture makers, $567 million.

Last week, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told lawmakers at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing the administration had no plans "at this time" to extend its farmer aid package to other sectors.

Bradley, in the Chamber's blog post, made clear what the business group would really wants is for Trump to remove the tariffs and back off from the threat of imposing more. "The best way to protect American industries from the damaging consequences of a trade war is to avoid entering into a trade war in the first place," he said.

Steel needs help ... because of the steel tariffs?: Ironically, some of the biggest recipients of an expanded aid package could be two sectors, steel and aluminum, Trump set out to help with his tariffs. A number of countries have retaliated against U.S. steel and aluminum exports, so companies that produce steel and/or manufacture steel products could need $6.4 billion in federal aid and U.S. aluminum companies could need $2.4 billion, the Chamber said.

... AND MORE ON THE TARIFFS: USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue had been in Argentina since Friday, meeting with his fellow ag ministers from the Group of 20 nations. While there, he told Reuters that farmers shouldn't expect to be completely compensated for their losses. "Obviously this is not going to make farmers whole," Perdue said. He also said that about $7 billion to $8 billion of the aid will be in direct cash relief, while other money will go toward export promotion and buying up excess crops.

War of words, and worlds: Officials of the influential Koch network warned that President Donald Trump's tariffs could result in "long-term damage" to the country.

"When in order to win on an issue someone else has to lose, it makes it very difficult to unite people and solve the problems in this country. You see that on trade: In order to get to a good place on trade, convince the American people that trade is bad, " Brian Hooks, one of Charles Koch's top deputies, said this weekend during a briefing for reporters at the network's gathering in Colorado Springs, Colo., POLITICO's Maggie Severns reported.

Those comments prompted former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon to attack the network in turn. In an interview with POLITICO on Sunday, Bannon called the comments unhelpful. "We can have a theoretical discussion later, OK? This is why they don't know what it means to win, OK?"

The excerpt shown above illustrates the loss or potential loss to the deficit of either $12 billion or $39 billion regardless of who is correct.  Either way, the United States of America has officially opened an unlimited credit card account to "Make America Great Again" -- at least that is what is supposed to be happening.  The opposite seems to be unveiling in reality though.



What is surprising about the situation America finds itself in -- in regards to the 'trade war' is that even if the United States could recover or agree on trade agreements with countries based on the previous tariffs, our country would still lose out.  The trade agreements which the United States previously had with other countries had 'special provisions' attached to them.  The possibility of regaining these 'special provisions' is out the door heading into the future.



Which means that even if similar relations were recovered, the 'special provisions' would be gone.  "Free Trade" is based on certain deficits incurred by various countries.  While the United States appears to be 'a loser' on trade deals, as a country the United States has been a 'winner' in a large amount of situations.  I discussed briefly 'global free trade' in a previous post.  The United States is considered the 'major player' on the world stage -- at least as of 2 years ago.



This position has quite possibly changed over the last 2 years.  The current trade war has not helped us on the international stage.  As the excerpt above states: "When in order to win on an issue someone else has to lose, it makes it very difficult to unite people and solve the problems in this country. You see that on trade: In order to get to a good place on trade, convince the American people that trade is bad" -- The American people are now being convinced by politicians that being taken advantage of is a terrible cost of doing business on the world stage.  That is not necessarily the case.



Conclusion...



Bad news consists of recent events such as China telling shipping boats carrying up to 1.5 million shipping boxes of cherries to turn around.  Which is to say, over night, the demand for cherries all over China dropped to zero.  This results to a HUGE SURPLUS of cherries being dumped onto the United States produce market -- which will drive prices down.  In the short term, cost reduction seems great.  Although, in the long term, profits suffer -- farmers suffer -- then in return -- consumers suffer.  Not great.



Other commodities (products) will face similar fates.  Look for increases in prices for consumer goods as a result.  The Trump Administration has been handing out 'exemptions' to certain corporations which make them 'exempt' toward trade tariffs.  How does that help the United States in a trade war?  The answer appears to be that the exemptions amount to setting us further back as a trade negotiator on the world stage.  Which means in certain cases, the United States looks 'uncertain' or 'unstable' in trade negotiations.  Call your elected congressional leaders and demand that trade agreements be elevated to a top position for our nation.  Follow the farmers lead "Trade not Aid".



Related Blog Posts: 


How Many Cherries Are In 1.5 Million Shipping Boxes?

Parameters: Trade Tariffs Will Affect International Science


Parameters: Tariffs Affect Trade In Both Directions -- In And Out Of The USA


Parameters: Steel And Aluminum Tariffs Are Not Isolated - They Are Tied To Trading Of Other Vital Goods


Parameters: One Parameter Change In The Trade Machine Leads To A 'Re-Adjustment' Of Another

What Happened To Being Yourself Instead Of Ivanka Trump?

Living just outside Los Angeles (California), I am well aware of the cost of image.  Hollywood is adjacent to my community and I get a full 'whiff' of the need to conform to an unattainable image.  Furthermore, a majority of residents in my city drive to the mall just over a mile away (sometimes just a block away).  I ride my bicycle to the train station and take the train to work.  This lifestyle is counter intuitive to the majority of residents surrounding me.  Enough said.



What ever happened to being yourself?



In the brief post below, I talk about one of the most strangest revelations of the current election cycle.  The revelation revolves around a growing trend of women seeking out to look like one of the Presidential Candidate's Daughter.  A few women have been spending quite a bit of money to look like Ivanka Trump.  First, I will start with an experience close to home and then move onto Ivanka.

Face Lift?

I use the scientific term "against entropy" for a good reason.  Over the course of our lives, the shape of the human face becomes round.  For this reason, many people consult a plastic surgeon to alter the shape for a few years at most.



How do I know this?


A few years ago, my mother decided to get a face lift.  All of her life, she has wanted to get a face lift to remove the "turkey neck" -- the excess skin underneath a person's neck along with the sagging skin in her cheeks.  At least that is the reasoning that she gave me to have the procedure done.  On top of these reasons, my parents are divorced and both happily remarried.  My father is a surgeon -- who is very opposed to cosmetic surgery -- unless certain circumstances arise (burn victim, disfigurement, etc.).  Given his opinion on the matter, I could see why she had never had the procedure done before.



Upon getting the procedure done, there is a process of healing from having the muscles cut and stretched to be sewn back together.  The healing process requires lots of rest and recovery checkups with the plastic surgeon to ensure the healing process is going well.  Watching my mother go through this process left a sour taste in my mouth toward the procedure.   Overall, the process appears to be extremely painful for results that are eventually going to be reversed.  What?



Yes, eventually, the process will be reversed.  On top of the direction of aging dictated by the genes that each of us are given, I mentioned that each of our faces turn round -- as we age.  Remember, the first paragraph?  Therefore, the process is not good forever.  That is why plastic surgeons are wealthy on top of first time clients.   The length of time is years in between though -- not to worry.



Ironically, before finishing up this section, I must tell a short story.  During one of the follow-up check ups with my mother's plastic surgeon, I learned quite a bit.  First, that as we age our faces turn round.  Second, that my mother's plastic surgeon was trained by my father -- what?  Yes, after my mother's check up was finished, the physician, Dr. Robert Hardesty asked me how my father was doing?  I was taken back.



Turns out that my father trained him how to operate to perfection while working at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Loma Linda, California.  That was the reason why my mother trusted him so much.  He was trained by the best.  I guess he went onto do what my father did not want to do.  A year after my mother's surgery, I was engaged and had an engagement party.  Time had past since my parents divorce.  The party was at my mother's house.



Late to arrive as usual, my father greeted my mother -- but before my mother said to him "Hello, I am Mike's Mother, How do you know Mike?"  He replied, "Hello, I am Mike's father..." and suddenly, they both broke into laughter -- embarrassing to say the least.  My father had gained a few pounds along with obtaining a "rounded face" while my mother had had the "face lift".  They were married for 25 years before divorcing.



What does this have to do with women seeking to look like Ivanka Trump?



Hang on, I am getting to that part of the post.

I Want To Look Like Ivanka Trump!

Out of all of the outrageous news bites that have surfaced during this current election cycle, none is more strange than the following piece of news.  In a recent video, I found while surfing social media, a story on the YouTube channel for 'ABC News' titled "Women Get Surgery To Look Like Ivanka Trump" -- introducing the new trend of a few women seeking to look like Ivanka Trump.  Here is the video below (which is less than 7 minutes in length and definitely worth watching):

While watching the video in amazement, I am dumbfounded that the look these women are seeking is of Donald Trump's daughter.  She has a "rounded face" which is one of the most sought after 'attributes' after her breasts and lips.  Amazing.  If that is what makes them happy then so be it.



Why can't we be happy with ourselves?


Our genes are programmed to deliver what our ancestors had?


These are your origins?


Would you want to look like someone else's daughter?



Strange to say the least.  In fact, each of the women above will have the same features as Ivanka in a few years as they age -- according the advice from my mother's plastic surgeon.  Why speed up the process? 



I am amazed at the length that a person will go to seek the approval and looks of another person.  After seeing the video, I thought of another amazing story of a husband who sued his wife for $100,000 dollars for deceiving him and having ugly children.  What?  Yes, you heard it correctly.  The man then filed for divorce and won everything after the wife admitted to undergoing over a $120,000 worth of plastic surgery.  Here is the video below:

What a terrible man he is.  Although, one must ask themselves if they would have been honest with their husband in the same situation.



Should a male or female feel compelled to reveal any plastic surgery done prior to marriage?



One would think that each of them would have seen childhood pictures or high school pictures prior to marriage.  Maybe not.  Maybe they just rushed into marriage without inquiry.  Who knows?  Strange, isn't it?

Conclusion...

What can be learned from the stories so far?



How about following the advice of my father (a surgeon who trained a plastic surgeon):



Just be yourself and let your genes lead you to a happy life!



Being yourself will be cheaper, last longer because you are not fighting your genetic code and more refreshing.  Why?  Because being yourself is like being no other person.  You are unique -- promise!



Until next time, Have a great day!