“Trump’s tariff plan is simple: impede free trade so that surviving industrial and craft enterprises can return to prosperity, while other firms both old and new are re-launched with better technology, allowing them to become global exporters while still paying good wages. True, global wealth is favoured by unlimited free trade. But, in the process, lower-income workers in developed countries are impoverished, even as higher income people everywhere get wealthier. While Clinton, the Bushes, and the lord of Martha’s Vineyard Obama supported free trade, as did the wealthy elite they hang out with, Trump is keen to reward his lower income supporters. Unsurprisingly, Wall Street Journal and Financial Times editorialists — free-trade worshippers all — are outraged.”

RTWT

The editorialists also include not a few supposedly conservative pundits.

(Not only is he in favor: he believes the move is long overdo.)

“Tariffs will awaken the American Dream;
“Trump must ignore the lords of Martha’s Vineyard”—
https://unherd.com/2025/04/tariffs-will-awaken-the-american-dream/
H/T Powerline blog.

Dogs and cats living together.

and

Oh, the humanity!

ArtDeco:

I couldn’t have said it better (than your link). 🙂

These are times that try men’s souls. But this is the first time it has been so?

when there are actual tragedies crimes and other serious matters they find a way to minimize them

I see a bright future for first time in the 21st century. A possible path that doesn’t end in rivers of blood.

Chinas admission into the WTO without conditions was a grave error,

as for our latter day Delian league members in the EU, they have not been keeping up their end of the bargain,

None of us want to entertain that possibility as we push it aside and desperately hold on to our still comfortable world. We want to believe that China’s belt and road initiative indicates a longer term plan of world economic and military leadership. We tell ourselves that they wouldn’t jump off a cliff and overnight become a pariah state. We want to believe the nonsense about Chinese patience and centuries long strategy.

What we don’t want to believe or face is our own weakness. Our societal disarray is at the tipping point of disintegration. We are broke economically. Our military, and specifically the Navy, is pathetic. Facing off against China in a direct confrontation over an island it considers historically and culturally theirs, from such a weak position, is not in our interest. But letting them humiliate us isn’t either.

This is my last comment for a while here at Neo’s site, again. If you have nothing positive to say, time for au revoir. Good luck and God bless you all.