Trade War Escalation

After Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum produced in the European Union, the EU retaliated by placing tariffs on American liquor and peanut butter, among other things.  Trump is now threatening to retaliate against that by imposing a whopping 20 percent tariff - up from 2.5 percent - on EU-built cars.  The European Union currently has a 10 percent tariff on U.S.-made cars, but that doesn't matter since American cars are about as popular in Europe as soccer is here.  in fact, I think soccer may even be more popular here than Chevrolets or Dodges are in the Old Country.  Since it sold Opel, GM has practically no presence there at all.

Well, as the owner of a European car - which is currently in the shop so my Volkswagen dealer can determine why it periodically stalls while idling - I'm not very happy about this.  I prefer European cars in general and German cars in particular because of their superior engineering, and one of the reasons I am a loyal Volkswagen customer is because it's the only inexpensive German brand available in the U.S.  (Of course, apart from Opel, there is no other inexpensive German brand, unless you count Ford of Europe.)  My 2012 Golf was in fact made in Wolfsburg.  Apart from the stalling problem I just mentioned, I haven't had a problem with it.  But even a VW that stalls is preferable to the best Ford or a Chevy, and Trump's tariffs are aimed at making European cars less available and less affordable.  I can't tolerate that.  His trade policy may force me to buy as my next car a car I don't really want.

And, before you make the inevitable point that many VW models sold in America are made in either Mexico or right here in the U.S., shut the hell up.  Not all VWs sold here are made on this continent, and what would I want with a Tennessee-built SUV or midsize sedan anyway?   And while the U.S. versions of the Golf and the Jetta are made in Mexico . . . watch out, Trump is getting ready to tear up NAFTA also.

If I have to give up my Golf for its stalling problem or for anything else, I might as well move to the city and take the subway.   

Driven To Distraction

With Robert Mueller possibly getting closer to finding out what really happened with regard to Russian influence in the 2016 election and a possible trade war with the Chinese, Donald Trump is getting desperate.  He tired to reconnect with his base by sending National Guard troops to the border to Mexico to stop illegal immigrants from crossing.  The Guardsmen won't have to do much . . . the flow of illegal immigrants over the southern border is currently at its lowest point since 1971.     

Tariffs against Chinese products?  I'm all for it, so long as it's done the right way.  But Trump is going about it in such a cavalier fashion that it might have the unintended consequence of making it impossibles for American farmers to sell grain and soybeans to China and cause a severe agricultural recession.  Most of the states and counties affected supported Trump in 2016.

The attempt to ignite the Republican base by highlighting illegal immigration may backfire on Trump and the GOP when they see Guardsmen lying about and doing nothing.  (You know what Republicans think of layabouts!)  But they might be distracted enough not to realize that teachers in reliably Republican states are striking for not only better pay but for more money for their schools, so they don't have to pay for their own supplies.  By the time these Republican voters, who think the education is bad or you, see that they're about to be hit with the biggest sh--storm since the Never Again anti-gun movement, it'll be too late.

Meanwhile, the FBI raided Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's office to investigate his alleged payment to Stormy Daniels.  And Trump, bemoaning the loss of attorney-client privilege (which isn't relevant in this case), wants to get back at the FBI for looking into this sex scandal by . . . firing Robert Mueller, an ex-FBI guy investigating Russian meddling in our elections?  That makes no sense at all . . .

I can't believe I just covered so much ground in such a short post . . ..