Tariffs...what to make of them.

[UtahJoe]

So your point is that accepting them and hearing their voice is as bad or worse than insulting, demeaning, and dismissing them as not worthy? That's absolutely wild.

Just to be sure I'm wasn't reading the original statement wrong, I asked 2 AIs (liberal leaning ones mind you, not GROK!) and here's what they thought:

View attachment 258621
View attachment 258622

Im not sure I understand your point.....Democrats call republicans names they don't like and vice versa? You are saying that this can cause undesired elections results? I mean welcome to America.

And you can read Trumps words anyway you like....personally I read them as...."I FUCKING love morons....I have lived off them my entire live...I am running ads on foxnews RIGHT now selling these fucking dopes watches, sneakers and all kids of other trinkets that directly benefit me...and THEY EAT IT UP!!!!! HAHAHAHA what a bunch of fucking idiots!"

 

[John the Plumber]

President Trump warned Monday that he would impose "additional tariffs on China of 50%" if Beijing "does not withdraw" the 34% tariffs it announced against the U.S. last week.

From the good people at foxnews

So if im mathing correctly, that would mean we would be up to 104% on China? I mean why not just send out the navy to sink all Chinese container ships lol.

AI told me the poorly educated and Republicans are more likely to believe fake news.
View attachment 258623

I really think you have to add Religion more than education. The Plumber only graduated high school and has a Masters in plumbing.
I think I will go down the rabbit hole which I shouldn't because not woke or politically correct.
Parting the Red Sea, the world was in 6 days, Noah Arch, no such things as dinosaurs, Virgin Birth and I could go on but I might hurt some feelings.
God Bless everyone.

 

[Mahnken]

I really think you have to add Religion more than education. The Plumber only graduated high school and has a Masters in plumbing.
I think I will go down the rabbit hole which I shouldn't because not woke or politically correct.
Parting the Red Sea, the world was in 6 days, Noah Arch, no such things as dinosaurs, Virgin Birth and I could go on but I might hurt some feelings.
God Bless everyone.

It should come as no surprise that a significant majority of home schooled kids are Christians. *NTTAWWT

 

[Bike N Gear]

I certainly have never gotten a break like that on any loans in the past!

That's because you're supposed to lie to the banks and provide false financial statements to get a better deal. Didn't you learn anything from trump?

 

[rjr44]

Im not sure I understand your point.....Democrats call republicans names they don't like and vice versa? You are saying that this can cause undesired elections results? I mean welcome to America.

And you can read Trumps words anyway you like....personally I read them as...."I FUCKING love morons....I have lived off them my entire live...I am running ads on foxnews RIGHT now selling these fucking dopes watches, sneakers and all kids of other trinkets that directly benefit me...and THEY EAT IT UP!!!!! HAHAHAHA what a bunch of fucking idiots!"

I have no freaking clue where you got that first sentence from anything I wrote.

As for the second sentence, I'm sticking to the words on the page, I don't have ESPN (deliberate dad joke) so I'm not going to inject my opinion onto someone else's words. You can feel free to if that makes you feel better about supporting a comment that if it was said about a minority liberal group you'd lose your absolute shite on.

Imagine if Trump said this about any of the numerous minority groups that lean liberal: "They love the poorly educated. The ones who cannot think critically, cannot fathom a world beyond their own lived reality. The lowest common denominator ... that's who has the wheel now."

You'd be OK with that? You'd defend it?

 

[rjr44]

Im not sure I understand your point.....Democrats call republicans names they don't like and vice versa? You are saying that this can cause undesired elections results? I mean welcome to America.

Ahh, my bad, I think I know what you mean by this? Because you can't look at Trump objectively, you assume he was insulting the poorly educated. My point was he was NOT insulting them, he was embracing & hearing them, whereas the poster I originally responded to completely demeaned them.

That was refuting your what-about-ism point that Trump (I guess in your view) insulted them. Sorry, I didn't take it that way. Looks like many others didn't either, including those dang liberal AI machines!!!!

"Donald Trump said "I love the poorly educated," but the context matters. This was during a speech in Nevada on February 23, 2016, after winning the Republican primary there. He was commenting on exit polls that showed he performed well across various voter demographics, including education levels. The full quote is: "We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated."

He wasn’t specifically targeting his base as "poorly educated" or mocking them; he was expressing enthusiasm for his broad appeal, including among voters with less formal education. The remark came off as spontaneous, not a calculated jab. Critics later spun it to paint him as dismissive or exploitative, while supporters saw it as an inclusive nod to all his voters. The clip’s available online if you want to check the tone yourself—context gets lost in headlines."

 

[scott62]

IQ tests are scored on a bell curve. Average is 100 IQ, for every 110 IQ person out there there is a 90 IQ person.

 

[w_b]

My company makes lots of disposable medical devices. Reusable too but mostly disposables. We use lots of springs. Some of these springs are made overseas. Some not. It doesn’t matter. Our biggest spring supplier has proactively raised all their prices 20% across the board, as compared to applying a tariff surcharge. This is truly making American Great Again.

Great Depression again, maybe.

 

[Mahnken]

My company makes lots of disposable medical devices. Reusable too but mostly disposables. We use lots of springs. Some of these springs are made overseas. Some not. It doesn’t matter. Our biggest spring supplier has proactively raised all their prices 20% across the board, as compared to applying a tariff surcharge. This is truly making American Great Again.

Great Depression again, maybe.

When COVID came my hospital dismantled the pension plan, stopped employer contributions to 401k, and paused raises for years.
At least this time there isn't a pandemic to deal with while they strip away whatever perks of employment that are left because they have to pay for your products. 🤣

 

[Norm]

Ok then.......let me borrow 100k from you, make minimal payments, once those add up to 100k you let me go on the rest?
I certainly have never gotten a break like that on any loans in the past!

I don't think this is entirely fair. Loan forgiveness starts after you've been paying 20-25 years. This isn't really minimal payment when you add it up across the years. Often times the amount paid far exceeds the amount borrowed. Many people simply cannot afford to pay more than the minimum.

Also let me state that:

1. I did not take student loans
2. I know of nobody who had loan forgiveness
3. I am not a big fan of student loan forgiveness
4. The price of college is criminal and is the real cause of the problem here

In your case, my case as well, nobody ever forgave a loan I took. But for me, I got a house. Yes, these kids at the time got a college education which, in many cases, was ultimately worth far less than what they paid.

I mean, the system is broken. I believe 2025 will see the first college tuition bill over $100k. This is like 3x what my parents paid for their house way back when.

 

[Mahnken]

I don't think this is entirely fair. Loan forgiveness starts after you've been paying 20-25 years. This isn't really minimal payment when you add it up across the years. Often times the amount paid far exceeds the amount borrowed. Many people simply cannot afford to pay more than the minimum.

Also let me state that:

1. I did not take student loans
2. I know of nobody who had loan forgiveness
3. I am not a big fan of student loan forgiveness
4. The price of college is criminal and is the real cause of the problem here

In your case, my case as well, nobody ever forgave a loan I took. But for me, I got a house. Yes, these kids at the time got a college education which, in many cases, was ultimately worth far less than what they paid.

I mean, the system is broken. I believe 2025 will see the first college tuition bill over $100k. This is like 3x what my parents paid for their house way back when.

I feel like they really ought to cap the interest rates for student loans. Maybe no more than 2%? It feels criminal to be charging up to 9% for federal loans. You're basically spending as much as you would on a house, can you imagine having a mortgage at 9%? Most of these kids have no clue they'll be paying back 4x what they borrowed.

 

[PRus]

I don't think this is entirely fair. Loan forgiveness starts after you've been paying 20-25 years. This isn't really minimal payment when you add it up across the years. Often times the amount paid far exceeds the amount borrowed. Many people simply cannot afford to pay more than the minimum.

Also let me state that:

1. I did not take student loans
2. I know of nobody who had loan forgiveness
3. I am not a big fan of student loan forgiveness
4. The price of college is criminal and is the real cause of the problem here

In your case, my case as well, nobody ever forgave a loan I took. But for me, I got a house. Yes, these kids at the time got a college education which, in many cases, was ultimately worth far less than what they paid.

I mean, the system is broken. I believe 2025 will see the first college tuition bill over $100k. This is like 3x what my parents paid for their house way back when.

I 100% agree that college cost is out of hand.
You can't tell me that majority of people that had been paying for 20-30 years could only pay the minimum!
None of them had for example a Netflix account, if they are cyclist paid for the premium Strava account instead settling for the free one, .......!
How about delaying some gratification instead of crying "poor me"!
Is it hard for young people today yes but it wasn't necessary for our parent easy either! I guess you can blame todays "i want it now" society but self-responsibility is lacking a lot!

 

[Norm]

I work with Ivy League grads who can’t hold a candle to some sharp minds I know—some who didn’t even finish high school, let alone didn't go to college.

This is in-line with saying that my grandmother smoked until she was 95 so smoking is ok.

No matter which metric of education you use, people with more vote liberal and people with less vote conservative. You must have seen the Oklahoma/Massachusetts comparison thing floating around. Honestly it's quite puzzling.

Also, having spent a good amount of time in Ohio in the last year, I think you're not really understanding what level of hate there is towards the Transgender Liberals. It is quite something. This may not be the gist of what you're saying. But this is how I read your stance as opposed to the reality I see out there.

 

[Mahnken]

I 100% agree that college cost is out of hand.
You can't tell me that majority of people that had been paying for 20-30 years could only pay the minimum!
None of them had for example a Netflix account, if they are cyclist paid for the premium Strava account instead settling for the free one, .......!
How about delaying some gratification instead of crying "poor me"!
Is it hard for young people today yes but it wasn't necessary for our parent easy either! I guess you can blame todays "i want it now" society but self-responsibility is lacking a lot!

This perception has always annoyed me. And it all stems from a billionaire saying you're an idiot if you're spending money at Starbucks for coffee. As if that's the reason they'll never be wealthy, because they spend money on coffee.
"I don't wanna hear about your student loans if you're paying $80 a year in Strava." As if putting that $80 a year into your student loans instead will magically pay them off 10 years faster, lol. You're lucky if that knocks a couple months off.
Keep pointing fingers at everyone the billionaires tell you to while they rob us all. God damn, like a parrot of Kevin O'Leary 🤣

 

[roc]

Because half of the country is stupid or uneducated???

I'm not sure about uneducated, I have 3 brothers and a sister and they all voted for Trump and they all have college degrees and one has a masters in finance or business. My mom is a college grad and she voted for him. Pretty much all of my friend's are college educated and many have their masters, and most of them voted for Trump. I think they if Jesus was a democrat, they wouldn't for him.

2 of them go to church regularly. I can't figure out how he duped them into voting for him. We are all pretty much republican, but I could not pull the lever for a guy who tried to stage a coup. I didn't vote for him in 2016 either, just because I've always thought he was a scumbag. I thought Biden, in 2016, would have been a better statesman for America.

I mean, he's a total scumbag, I don't think that's debatable.

 

[John the Plumber]

With Japan and China owning a lot of our treasury notes. What would happen if they decided to dump them at once?

 

[olegbabich]

Wow, I keep trying to escape this thread, but y'all keep dragging me back in. Do you realize this attitude is exactly why Trump won—twice? You’re dismissing these voters as “poorly educated,” implying they can’t think critically or see beyond their own lives, calling them the “lowest common denominator.” I’m guessing you picture them as white male MAGA types, right? Imagine applying that same description to any minority group—people would lose their minds over how offensive it is.

Just because you’re highly educated (I assume) and they might not be, you think they’re incapable of critical thought? Writing off an entire voting bloc as unworthy of a voice? That’s the kind of logic the left often accuses Trump and Elon of—ironic, isn’t it, considering the “racist dictator” comparisons?

They are not stupid, but, they are manipulated because of pre existing biases. Be it economical, social or racist.

Trump propaganda is approaching the quality that can rival Russia or China.

Imagine the outrage on Fox News if Obama or Biden started to dismantle Government Agencies without any oversight, banning Fox New from White House Press Briefings or going after Law Firms that represented Political Opposition.

 

[UtahJoe]

I 100% agree that college cost is out of hand.
You can't tell me that majority of people that had been paying for 20-30 years could only pay the minimum!
None of them had for example a Netflix account, if they are cyclist paid for the premium Strava account instead settling for the free one, .......!
How about delaying some gratification instead of crying "poor me"!
Is it hard for young people today yes but it wasn't necessary for our parent easy either! I guess you can blame todays "i want it now" society but self-responsibility is lacking a lot!

So while I do agree in principle.... For example I got excepted to Lehigh... Looked at the cost and was like wtf?? Then I went to NJIT instead.... College has become too much of an experience rather than a place to learn... Or a luxury resort for highly paid athletes to hang out.... the system is just broken as @Norm mentioned.

All that said.... There is a tremendous ROI that comes from and educated public.. we all benefit from smart people solving problems in all aspects of life.... On top of the fact that with some kind of skill comes a better ability to take care of one's self..... So I think it's in our best interest to make college and or trade schools, etc more accessible.

 

[Norm]

All that said.... There is a tremendous ROI that comes from and educated public.. we all benefit from smart people solving problems in all aspects of life.... On top of the fact that with some kind of skill comes a better ability to take care of one's self..... So I think it's in our best interest to make college and or trade schools, etc more accessible.

This hints at what my biggest concern is with the current trend in the government. As we clearly see, college educated people vote more liberal than conservative. From a political standpoint, the current trajectory is to reduce spending in education. As the educated class gets smaller, and perhaps moves out of the US, we get a legit brain drain going on. What happens when the combination of fewer problem solvers mixed with less budget in things like cybersecurity result in our country being legitimately hacked in significant ways? I have concerns that our infrastructure is at risk with this current trend.

IDK if this is something that will come to pass. But you know plenty of actors outside the US are trying to hack the shit out of the system at every turn.

 

[Santapez]

I feel like they really ought to cap the interest rates for student loans. Maybe no more than 2%? It feels criminal to be charging up to 9% for federal loans. You're basically spending as much as you would on a house, can you imagine having a mortgage at 9%? Most of these kids have no clue they'll be paying back 4x what they borrowed.

And someone has to pay that difference in interest rates. There's no economic free lunch. If it's the government they'd be currently borrowing at 4.5% and lending out at 2%.

The answer is to stop giving loans to people who shouldn't get them because their degree will never lead to paying it off. And to not have it so the kid can't even have the debt dismissed in bankruptcy.

In trying to get more people into higher education we created a system that dumped money in via loans to people who don't have the return on investment, and then the increased costs because it increased the amount of money colleges can get. Colleges have gone nuts with expenses because college is now paid for via loans over time.

Imagine you were an actual banker giving out loans. Person A walks in to get a Fine Arts Degree, Person B walks in to get a Chemical Engineering Degree. Who is the better risk?