Canada, Greenland, Mexico, etc - USA Tariffs / Trade War commencing March 2025 #4

[Cryptic]

Who did they trade with then? The invisible man and his invisible government on behalf of the invisible citizens living there?

Probably..... not.

Likely the trade was conducted on the mainland by a company that somehow obtained letter head or a license under the authority of the Heard and Macdonald islands.

A few decades ago, there was a rush of Made in the USA labels regarding clothing made on Saipan (USA, but not USA in the full sense regarding safety enforcement and working conditions).

I would not be surprised if somebody, somehow saw a monetary advantage to obtaining say a "Heard Island" label / origin and then figured out a way to get one- even if nobody actually lives on the island. Must have been a neat trick.

 

[otto]

A valid question.

But, there is another equally valid question:

If other nations have such superior products, workers, manufacturing plants and entrepreneurs, why are they so worried about tariffs?

Superior products made under superior management and by superior workers will always sell- even at premium prices- errr..... right?

In the end, the issue probably goes deeper than your question and my question.

The problem with tariffs is that it adds a tax to a product to push the price higher than the normal cost of a quality product.

You and I each make a wooden box. Yours has higher quality materials and craftsmanship, so it's going to cost more. The price difference is evident in the end result. The government doubles the price of your wooden box with a hefty tax. Now reduce my income, increase the price of food, and, although I really want the better quality box, I need food more.

I'm stuck buying the Ford rather than the Toyota.

 

[Vern]

Think about it. Australia signed our Free Trade Agreement with the US on May 18, 2004. Why would Australia need to lie and pretend we produced machinery and electrical goods on remote Heard and McDonald Islands?

Somebody somewhere has their wires crossed, I think.

Because everyone's a liar. The whole entire world. Everyone in the world is 'picking on the USA'. Bigly!!

Just the normal Trump projectionism.

The only "truth" is The Donald's.

He's spouted his lies often enough that some actually believe him; some remain smarter than that.

IMO.

 

[Lyanna]

I read the link. So I looked at the World Bank list. The islands are not on the list.

United States Imports By Country

Trading Economics provides data for 20 million economic indicators from 196 countries including actual values, consensus figures, forecasts, historical time series and news. United States Imports By Country - was last updated on Thursday, April 3, 2025.

tradingeconomics.com

Not on the list of countries America imported from in 2024 either. Moo

 

[otto]

I have seen this idea shared by supporters of the tariffs but I don't know where it's coming from. They're saying that they expect "sweatshops" to be moved to the US to avoid tariffs, like factories that make fast fashion clothes. I was not under the impression that the goal (I use that word loosely) was to move all manufacturing here, but that's what it's sounding like. Or at least that's how they understand it. MOO.

There's still the problem of the tariff on materials that are imported to make the products in the USA. It's not a sound plan.

 

[SouthAussie]

I have seen this idea shared by supporters of the tariffs but I don't know where it's coming from. They're saying that they expect "sweatshops" to be moved to the US to avoid tariffs, like factories that make fast fashion clothes. I was not under the impression that the goal (I use that word loosely) was to move all manufacturing here, but that's what it's sounding like. Or at least that's how they understand it. MOO.

"Biden can plausibly argue his administration’s efforts to boost U.S. manufacturing made a tangible impact by creating an influx of foreign direct investment and a surge in factory construction. But the anticipated jobs may take a while to materialize in great numbers."

Biden Sparks A Surge In Factory Building. Will A Jobs Boom Follow?

U.S. factory construction is booming and foreign direct investment inflows are increasing, but manufacturing employment figures will take some time to catch up.

www.forbes.com

 

[Cryptic]

It's not about superior products though, is it? Americans (and Australians, and others) wanted cheaper prices. So manufacturing left our shores for countries that can and will produce and sell products at a lesser cost.

Yes, very true.

But that raises another question: Can a country remain economically viable long term with just a "service economy" and little to no manufacturing?

Trump seems to feel "no". His opponents seem to think "yes". And.... I have no idea.

 

[SouthAussie]

Yes, very true.

But that raises another question: Can a country remain economically viable long term with just a "service economy" and little to no manufacturing?

Trump seems to feel "no". His opponents seem to think "yes". And.... I have no idea.

I don't know either. But I do think that smart trade agreements help a lot.

I have beef, you have corn. Let's trade.
Oh, you don't have corn? How about you buy my beef and I buy corn from elsewhere? And round and round the smart trade goes.

Easily charted. Easy to work out which country's industries/services/products need protecting and which ones don't.

 

[musicaljoke]

Secretary of Commerce Lutnik says America is the greatest and the US growth rate will supercharge.

He says we will bring back 5 millions jobs in manufacturing and boost our economy, And then he says it will be with robotics.

ROBOTICS? So are the 5 million jobs going to be 5 million robots doing the jobs or 5 million human beings in the manufacturing plants that aren't yet budgeted, or planned, or zoned, or built. Heck, the products these manufacturing plants are ALWAYS going to be cheaper overseas. We always have huge differences in pay for jobs compared to overseas.

And let's be very clear - No one in the US Government has addressed providing healthcare, in an environment where medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and such will be increasing in cost, if there are not full-on shortages. Hitting Ireland, Switzerland, and India for pharmaceuticals is beyond short-sighted.

Lutnik is a pompom carrying cheerleader for Trump who is likely the one that Trump will blame when it all falls apart. His days in his $25 million Washington DC mansion are numbered.

Try taking a shopping trip through your shower and bathroom. This is what I found

Contact lenses - Made in Ireland (That's a huge surprise)
Contact lens solution: Distributed in US made of imported ingredients ( most likely from India)
Facial wipes from Costco: Made in Korea

Dental Floss - Made in Canada
Shampoo - Made in US of imported ingredients
Conditioner - Made in US of Canadian ingredients
Body wash - Made in US or Canada of Canadian ingredients
Another shampoo - Made in Germany
Another body wash - Made in France
Another cleanser - Distributed in US of imported ingredients

Vitamins - "Distributed in US" No mention of where manufactured
Nyquil - "Distributed in US" No mention of where manufactured.
Deodorant: "Distributed in US" No mention of where manufactured.

I'm very curious about where my medications were made. They are all generics from Costco, so it will take some digging to figure it out.

My Land's End pants are made in Bangladesh
My Land's End fleece top is made in Cambodia
My Patagonia Nano puff hoody is made in Vietnam
My Sketcher shoes are "Hecho in Vietnam"

My Toyota model is made only in Japan.
My vehicle tires from Les Schwab are either made in China or Mexico

My coffee pods are made in Switzerland

It's eye-opening, for sure.

Excellent work!

 

[musicaljoke]

Golden wouldn’t have proposed tariffs if he thought they were a bad idea. imo

What he thinks they are, and what they actually are, may be two different things. I don't know anything about Golden and am not aware of his economics knowledge, but it seems that the US is lacking accurate information from informed advisors on the matter of tariffs.

 

[Vern]

Euro and Canadian dollar making gains on the market. Not so the US dollar.

-

 

[musicaljoke]

It's not about superior products though, is it? Americans (and Australians, and others) wanted cheaper prices. So manufacturing left our shores for countries that can and will produce and sell products at a lesser cost.

People buy things, they use them then throw them out, then they buy new things. Consumerism has been driving the world economy for a long time now.

Companies (shareholders) don't profit 'enough' when they produce superior items that last and last and last.

Yes, that is true. Also, the US economy needs to receive their products at a low cost so that they can be sold in the US and a profit that sustains the business. Clothing stores need to receive T shirts from China that cost $2.00 so that they can be sold for $20.00 by the time they are delivered to the stores. Apart from some niche market availability, making T shirts in the US will never work because the cost of making them will be too high.

 

[SouthAussie]

Euro and Canadian dollar making gains on the market. Not so the US dollar.

-

It is a shame that travelling to the US is now so prohibitively dangerous. The lower US dollar would make spending there attractive to foreign travellers.

 

[Trooper]

May be- but then again, maybe not.

In either case, it could be a mistake for a country seeking to negotiate with Trump to operate under the logic of:

- I dont like Trump.
- People whom I dont like are dim wits.
- As I dont like Trump, he must be a dim wit.

Sometimes the above holds true, but sometimes it does not. I have no idea of whether it holds with Trump.

As a side note, American general MaCarthur had alot in common with Trump: Ego maniac, All or nothing, My way or the highway type attitudes. Alot of people in the US military did not like him.

But.... as the Imperial Japanese found out, he was also over all competent.

Not competent over all ,exactly.. he had big flaws and his my way or the highway didn't work out as much as possibly he himself had to admit... Over all, he was not considered as outstandingly competent outside the USA.. And as things eventuated, in side the USA he became to be regarded as a bit flakey and dicey..

Douglas MacArthur | Biography, Command, & Facts | Britannica

Douglas MacArthur, U.S. general who commanded the Southwest Pacific Theater in World War II, administered postwar Japan during the Allied occupation that followed, and led United Nations forces during the first nine months of the Korean War. Learn more about MacArthur’s life and career in this...

www.britannica.com

'His largest, costliest operations occurred during the seven-month Luzon campaign in 1945. That spring he also undertook the reconquest of the southern Philippines and Borneo. Meanwhile, he left the difficult mopping-up operations in New Guinea and the Solomons to the Australian Army. He was promoted to general of the army in December 1944 and was appointed commander of all U.S. army forces in the Pacific four months later. He was in charge of the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.'

'On April 11, 1951, Pres. Harry S. Truman relieved MacArthur of his commands because of the general’s insubordination and unwillingness to conduct a limited war. Returning to the United States for the first time since before World War II, MacArthur at first received widespread popular support; the excitement waned after a publicized Senate investigation of his dismissal.''

As the Japanese found, it wasn't MacArthur alone who defeated them.

 

[Vern]

Oh my ...

US industry-boosting program scrapped hours before Trump claimed to be savior of business

President Donald Trump's new "Liberation Day" tariffs on foreign goods from all over the world are being sold by the White House as a plan to shift the world economy back to American manufacturing — but just hours before the tariffs were announced, Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk defunded a program that's been boosting American manufacturers for decades, Wired reported.

How does that make sense?? I'd laugh at the stupidity of it all were it not for the seriousness of the negative consequences of all of these actions.

IMO.
-

 

[LoveyG]

And.....

Republicans found plenty of previous and former "A", "Bs" and "Cs" willing to say any number of things about Clinton's and Obama's ethics, intelligence and competency.

Those people must have been making unbiased and unspun statements- right?

There's also the audio recording of his sister admitting that she did his homework for him. I think it's in the same link.

 

[LoveyG]

Oh my ...

US industry-boosting program scrapped hours before Trump claimed to be savior of business



How does that make sense?? I'd laugh at the stupidity of it all were it not for the seriousness of the negative consequences of all of these actions.

IMO.
-

You are kinder than I. I will laugh for you.

 

[Cedars]

Yes, very true.

But that raises another question: Can a country remain economically viable long term with just a "service economy" and little to no manufacturing?

Trump seems to feel "no". His opponents seem to think "yes". And.... I have no idea.

JMO, but the US would do best to build up it's manufacturing in certain key areas where it could not just supply the domestic market, but also export those products.

All economists since Adam Smith argue that trade creates wealth, but that countries should focus on producing an excess of what they do well, and in exchange, buy products that are the specialty of other countries. The classic example is: .rather than both the UK and Portugual trying to produce both wool and wine, the UK should create lots of wool, which it has perfect conditions for, and use the wool they export to import fine wine. Then people in the UK benefit from expanding their woolen production, and enjoy their wine. It is foolish for the UK to invest in vinyards and wine production - the result will be crap.

ETA, the problem with China is they export so much, but import very little. It's the opposite of most Western countries.

JMO

 

[acutename]

It's Australian beef that is used in USA McDonalds hamburgers. Watch the price of a burger increase in USA.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/other-industries/donald-trumps-beef-tariff-set-to-smash-us-consumers-and-presidents-beloved-mcdonalds/news-story/9b498a54a84809df525acb9ec2a6a44a

they are already too high for most lower and middle class families to have dinner- a quick meal for one working person

 

[Trooper]

JMO, but the US would do best to build up it's manufacturing in certain key areas where it could not just supply the domestic market, but also export those products.

All economists since Adam Smith argue that trade creates wealth, but that countries should focus on producing an excess of what they do well, and in exchange, buy products that are the specialty of other countries. The classic example is: .rather than both the UK and Portugual trying to produce both wool and wine, the UK should create lots of wool, which it has perfect conditions for, and use the wool they export to import fine wine. Then people in the UK benefit from expanding their woolen production, and enjoy their wine. It is foolish for the UK to invest in vinyards and wine production - the result will be crap.

ETA, the problem with China is they export so much, but import very little. It's the opposite of most Western countries.

JMO

The Chinese import a great deal. particularly iron ore.. . . wheat wool, aluminium, rutile, ..natural gas... . they are a powerhouse of construction , currently, and they are, in fact, Australia's biggest and most reliable market, and the Chinese ALWAYS pay their bills on time and in full. Unlike one other nation that lags with the billpaying segment of trade.

China imported 219 billion dollars of goods from Australia, in 2024... heading to top that by at least another 30 billion this year.