Sunday, February 09, 2025

πŸ’Ό πŸ”¨πŸ”¨πŸ”¨

When John Tyler was president, he worked hard to get Congress to admit Texas to the Union: as another slavery state. Trump has no idea how to admit Canada to the Union, and furthermore has no idea what it would mean:
Velshi went on to explain that Canada has 41 million people, "so if Canada were to become America, some changes would be in order. First of all, Congress would have to grow." 
"But here's problem," He continued. "Number one, this little thing called the Reapportionment Act of 1929 mandates that the U.S. House is no bigger than 435 members. So, if you did the math combining Canada's population with America's and dividing it by 435, Canada would net 47 seats, and those seats would be taken away from states all over the country. Who's going to tell all of those voters that Trump gave their congressional representation to a guy in Saskatchewan?" 
Regarding the Senate, "Trump is only offering that Canada become one state with two senators," but since each Canadian province would insist on being its own state, Canada wouldn't be the 51st state. it would be states 51 through 60 at the very least" meaning a possible 20 new members of the Senate. And that, said Velshi, would make for "the largest reorientation of political power in America since women were given the right to vote in 1920." 
Velshi concluded, "Expansion from Canada to the 'Gulf of America' might be a fun idea for Trump, until our nice neighbors up north kick his party out of office and install a liberal supermajority. We haven't even talked about what that's going to do to the supreme court. Now, of course, in typical Canadian politeness, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there's, quote, 'Not a snowball's chance in hell that Canada joins America,' but Canada, if I were you, maybe the chance to take over your noisy neighbor from inside isn't the worst idea in the world."
I know this is supposed to be another “brilliant” Trumpian distraction from things like this: But he has absolutely no idea what he’s doing, or what he’s talking about. That wasn’t a bill, it was an EO. He has no clue what a “trade deficit” is.
The most obvious benefit of a trade deficit is that it allows a country to consume more than it produces. In the short run, trade deficits can help nations to avoid shortages of goods and other economic problems. 
In some countries, trade deficits correct themselves over time. A trade deficit creates downward pressure on a country's currency under a floating exchange rate regime. With a cheaper domestic currency, imports become more expensive in the country with the trade deficit. Consumers react by reducing their consumption of imports and shifting toward domestically produced alternatives. Domestic currency depreciation also makes the country's exports less expensive and more competitive in foreign markets. 
Trade deficits can also occur because a country is a highly desirable destination for foreign investment. For example, the U.S. dollar's status as the world's reserve currency creates a strong demand for U.S. dollars. Foreigners must sell goods to Americans to obtain dollars. The stability of developed countries generally attracts capital, while less developed countries must worry about capital flight. 
Disadvantages of Trade Deficits 
Trade deficits can create substantial problems in the long run. The worst and most obvious problem is that trade deficits can facilitate a sort of economic colonization. If a country continually runs trade deficits, citizens of other countries acquire funds to buy up capital in that nation. . 
... 
While trade deficits are often viewed negatively, they can also have potential benefits for an economy. For example, a trade deficit may reflect strong domestic demand and economic growth, as well as access to a wider range of goods and services for consumers. Additionally, a trade deficit can be financed by foreign investment inflows, which can stimulate domestic investment and economic activity.
Trying to explain that to Trump would be like trying to pour a gallon of water into a thimble.

The man is dumber than a bag of hammers.

No comments:

Post a Comment