patrick.net

Patrick says

Once an ailing, foreign-dependent economy, Russia is now independent, politically stable, economically self-sufficient, and —despite all expert predictions— stronger than ever.

The oligarchs, sure. Average citizens are probably getting smashed. It's not all that easy for a US citizen to get in so who knows if it's a lie. Also no one wants to go there unless they're paid for it.

I only know of two US citizens personally that have been to Russia. And they couldn't just roam where they wanted. They wall you in at the west end of Russia by the major cities. The quality of living from my understanding is shit outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Maybe some other small cities by the Black Sea.

It's no different than N Korea. If people or outsiders don't see it or record it, it's not happening the way they tell the story. A Russian can fly into America with minimal hassle and take a tour of the whole country. Russia hides their poverty is what I've been told.

We broadcast our homelessness globally whether it's Seattle, LA, Austin, NYC, etc. Put this way you can be middle class here on $100k, in Russia it would be like making $20k. Again this is from the two people I know that went. The cities are great they said, but get outside them and it's ghetto Russians.

Patrick says

Before the Proxy War, Russia’s economy was over-reliant on foreign investment. Biden’s sanctions made foreign investment impossible, and the unexpected result was a renaissance in Russia’s economy, as Russian billionaires —cut off from their London townhouses and Swiss banks— were forced to invest at home.

Wow!

This is an important and recent lesson for the USA.

If sanctions caused Russian Billionaires to reinvest in the Russia, imagine what tariffs will do for the reindustrialization of our economy!

It's almost as if the US, full of iron, coal, wheat, pork bellies, oil, etc. is in a similar position, with the added benefit that tariffs, unlike foreign-imposed sanctions, are under our control and we can tweak them as appropriate.

Field vs. Clark (1892), SCOTUS established the Congressional Authority to delegate to the President the power of tariffs.

We can just do things.

By the way, the Panic of 1893 was caused by reducing the Tariff by Demonrat Free Traders, who also introduced an income tax that was shot down by SCOTUS in 1894. It smashed the tin plate (stain resistant plating prior to mild and then stainless steel) and other industries leading to 25-35% unemployment rates by misguided economic policies.



Fortunately in 1897, McKinley the Great reimposed a high tariff rate, the Dingly Act, that recovered the Economy.

External Revenue Service Tax outsourcing and importing, not American Productivity.

Another great idea is a Navigation Act that requires at least 50% of imports be brought in on US owned, insured, flagged, and built ships/aircraft with US Crews. The USN is has the USNR

Renaissance with central bank interest rate at 20%, mortgages at 40% and all manufacturing basically working to crank out (or refurbish) stuff which will go to be destroyed in some Dumb Ass field.

With renaissances like that who needs malaise. 🤡

And no, I don't think anybody moved any money from London to Moscow. They are not THAT stupid. The KGB fucks are burning through (what's left of) theire National Wealth Fund.

What general benefits has Free Trade since the 1990s brought to the average American who owns little to no stock?

Mass high wage unemployment? Definitely not.
Cheap Housing? LOL.
Low Personal or Government Debt? Bwahahahaha. The US has never seen so much debt in it's history. Most of which happened in the past 20-25 years.
High Quality goods lasting years? You're lucky if Chinese crap lasts 3-4 years.
Lower Taxes? Hell no.
Less SNAP, Medicaid, EIC, other government programs? No way.
Less Corporate subsidies? LOL
Less Corporate Bailouts? The 1990-2024 period saw the greatest bailouts, both as percentages and raw dollars, of any period in US History, under mostly RINO Congresses.
More Democracy & Freedom in CHYna? Hahahahahaa
Reciprocal low tariff rates on things the US is good at (ie not pink plastic lawn flamingoes, but cars, chickens, dairy, aircraft)? Not at all.

Economic Reality-based Evidence Trumps Economic Theory on the Chalkboard. Free Trade has demonstrably failed.

But but but, how did China have tariffs on us?

I thought tariffs led to economic disaster, according to Wall Street?

I thought free trade was reciprocated, certainly given 30 years!

So how did China built such a massive industrial base with such GDP growth annually while charging evil, uneconomical tariffs and never reciprocating free trade in 3 decades? ;)

And the only prescription is more tariffs

MolotovCocktail says

Who is 'we'?

France, Britain, and if necessary if it goes beyond a tac here and there, the USA.