Everyone of us is weird in some way to someone. I'd guess some thought that about you when you tried run your post count up by 100 alone on the alcohol thread. lol
Others might find it weird that people would post a lot on a trapping forum but really never give much indication they actually trap. I kind of find that weird about you.

Just because exceptionalism has created an environment where you don't learn about the world outside of your borders doesn't mean that applies to the rest of the world. You could explain this massive fold and prove me wrong or I'll just sit back like the rest of the world and laugh at the statement.

The US IS the most exceptional nation now or ever in the world bar none. While we are aware of other nations, when considering Canada your just not that big a deal and I doubt any nations leaders are laughing now.

I am patiently awaiting your point.

There is no point other than your statement of 5 times as much trade deficit with China in value is not accurate. It is almost 3 to 1.

Bryce

… Chinese… just sounds annoying

Ok.

He has always been this way

Chinese checkers

Lol. Yes it is... How about an on theme Haiku?

The World has screwed us
Time for us to make some cash
Yes, long overdue

At 3 to 1 as you say, Trump made a very equitable deal for both the US and China, did he not?

Let me get this correct if the price of Chinese products go up 30% in the U.S. the trade deficit will be reduced? Go price Chinese made products and compare them (if they exist) to similar American made products. I think you will find that most Chinese products are not 30 percent less expensive, but at least 100 percent cheaper. The U.S. consumer will still just buy the cheaper Chinese product that now is 30% more and the U.S. government will just collect the tax. This will help reduce the Federal budget deficit somewhat.

There is no deal as of yet, only discussion. Even the "deal" with the UK has as a final statement that this is NOT a legal binding document or decision. There may be finallized and signed documents down the road but there are none as of today out of all that have been ordered. Collection is taking place and that could be an interesting can of worms down the road if discussions break down or nations get bully.

Bryce

There is another side to this coin that rarely, if ever, gets mentioned. Especially not by those who believe that a trade deficit is so destructive.
The flip side of a trade deficit is a capital account surplus. The two things balance just like the accounting entries that they are.
When we buy three or five times as many Chinese imports as they do our exports.......we pay for those imports in dollars.

The Chinese now have to do something with those dollars to earn some sort of return. Over the last several decades they have been using those dollars to buy our debt and thus finance our national deficit. This strengthens our capital accounts balance which also encourages other countries and individuals to invest in the United States. Of course there are arguments to be made that China holding our debt is not a good thing........ but what other country in the world is going to step up and loan us the money every week to keep functioning ?
Congress could always reduce spending I guess

But a trade deficit is not the completely terrible thing that this administration wants to convince you that it is. We have run a trade deficit for decades while still growing our economy.

The problem is spending. That is no surprise to anyone here

Well if anything taught us that the reliance on china for goods it was Covid. I seriously believe that the us could make the majority of what we need and at a cost effective rate if we could scale our manufacturing up. Regulations and tax is what increases our price of American made goods, most will claim labor cost are the problem but with robotic automation we can and should be competitive.

I see no future in relying on a country who is actively trying to kill Americans, and undermining us at every opportunity.

I wish we didn't get guilted into feeding them in the seventies and they all starved, forcing China to break up.

Keith