CardinalBacker

Here’s the problem. We’ve got the second highest deficit recorded ever for the first half of fiscal year 2025. [Hidden Content] The only time our deficit spending for a similar time period was in the first half of fiscal year 2021… the pandemic. The payments made on our debt in this year window were $582 billion, up 10% from a year ago. Our cost to borrow has exploded at the same time our borrowing is exploding, too. We have to cut spending and raise taxes, period. Anything else is not going to work. And I have no idea why Trump is trying to play tough with China on trade when they OWN most of our debt. They sent us consumables and we gave them our treasure. Our greed required us to then borrow “our old money” back from them to survive, and now rates have gone up, as they were always prone to do. People don’t realize how badly we’re hooked at this point. It’s time for Americans to realize that the way things have been (borrowing to cover everyday expenditures on a federal level) wasn’t sustainable.

Well, he sure created it overnight, didn’t he?

Well… things were moving slowly when Trump took over, then he made tax cuts which exploded the debt, but heated up the economy. Then then it all went to hell in 2020… we were in worse shape when he left than when he took office. Biden took over and inflation ramped up, then eased… but the economy was in better shape when Biden left office than when he took office. Trump inherited a steady, but not hot economy this January, then destabilized everything with his haphazard approach to tariffs. There’s not forethought or strategy, he just picks who he’s mad at each morning. Inflation is up, oil prices are crashing, unemployment is headed up, the stock market is down… America and the rest of the world can’t make a rational decision about investing in the future because trump has proven that he doesn’t mind trimming 20% off of the value of our publicly held wealth if it gets him a few “attaboys” from his minions. It’s obvious to everyone but his devoted followers that he doesn’t know what he’s doing and it’s hurting all of us.

Ok… here’s my sarcasm-free perspective. Other countries charge tariffs for goods we export. Americans have preferred that tariffs NOT be charged on good into this country because we like cheap stuff. They send consumables our way and we send treasures back theirs. At the end of the day, we aren’t “paying” their tariffs on our goods. Their citizens cover those costs at the point of purchase. But by the same token, they aren’t going to be laying “our” new tariffs, either. Those costs will be passed on the American consumer by way of higher prices. They idea that we’re somehow “sticking it to China” with a 145% tariff collected on Chinese goods that you and I will pay at the cash register is laughable. I’m all for balancing the trade deficit. But that’s impossible unless Americans are willing to pay more to buy American goods. It sounds good on paper, but there’s a reason business moved their production overseas…. They couldn’t compete because Americans don’t care whether Nikes are made here or in the Philippines… We’ve been preaching “buy American since the 1970s and it hasn’t happened. And it won’t. Personally I’m in favor of a smaller trade deficit and I believe that tariffs are a decent way to try and even things out. But it’s hard to argue with a straight face that Trump’s approach has been anything but disastrous. All he’s proven is that trillions of dollars of wealth can disappear with a few stupid tweets, and it really looks like he doesn’t know what he’s doing-and that makes investors, lenders, businesses very, very bearish.

Biden rebuilt the economy. Trump destroyed it… twice.

Trump invokes tariffs. baddog: “this creates American jobs!” Trump revokes tariffs. baddog: “Art of the Deal!” Trump re-invokes tariffs. baddog: “this creates American jobs!” Trump revokes tariffs again. baddog: “Art of the Deal!” His haphazard approach to tariffs is wrecking faith in the economy. How does a business plan for anything when Trump might do something without notice that send the markets careening up or down. I’m fully expecting him to turn those B2s on Iran by Easter, just to wreak havoc. He can’t help himself.

Welp… I guess Trump learned a little bit about tariffs this week. Back to the drawing board.

It’s possible… it’s also just as likely he’ll do or say something tomorrow and give it all back.

Hey, now! You take that back!!!

I guess my thing is this… if some young lady who fancies herself a man is more comfortable in the boys room when she does her business, as opposed to using the girls room- it doesn’t bother me. Somebody bragging about sexually assaulting women? That’s a pig.

But you recognize the hypocrisy between having outrage over a tampon machine in the boys bathroom because of the message that it sends to the kids, while simultaneously supporting a man who teaches young men to grab women by the p-word, right? If morals and decency weren’t important then, why are they important now? The sad truth of the matter is this-if Donald Trump came out in a dress as the spokesperson for his new “Trumpons” for men, you’d be splayed out on the floor with a mirror trying to figure out the two-part applicator.

Aren’t you supposed to be doing your patriotic duty, aka gratefully watching your 401k balance disappear?

No… you have an egomaniac who’s all action, no plan destroying our economy.

Well, I came in here to say “you were right” but Trump ran off at his stupid mouth and we’re down again. He’s a moron.

Do you remember three weeks ago when all of the Trumpsters were excited about getting a $5000 DOGE check? 😂🤣😂

I don’t know about y’all, but my kids aren’t excited about working in a textile mill, either. We’re definitely gonna need more immigrants when they move all of those jobs back home… we’re too fat and lazy to work a swing shift assembling nikes and smart phones.

🙄

I just assumed I was the last thing he thought of after he went to sleep.

I’m mostly impressed that Russia didn’t get any tariff increases this week.

When Trump destroyed the economy last time, y’all said it wasn’t his fault-it was the pandemic. What excuse are you using now that he’s done it again?

How does getting laid off affect one’s 401k contributions?

Down 2000 points at the moment. Have fun working a little longer before you retire on a little less money.

“Tariffs don’t matter if you just buy American! MAGA!!!!” Fools.

Where do y’all plan to make cuts during the Trump Recession?

Cough-cough.