- cross-posted to:
- politics@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- politics@beehaw.org
Summary
Trump announced that 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico will take effect on February 1, though a decision on including oil remains pending.
He justified the move by citing undocumented migration, fentanyl trafficking, and trade deficits.
Trump also hinted at new tariffs on China.
Canada and Mexico plan retaliatory measures while seeking to address U.S. concerns.
If oil imports are taxed, it could raise costs for businesses and consumers, potentially contradicting Trump’s pledge to reduce living expenses.
I’m sorry you’re getting the thoughts you didn’t vote, but I’ll admit I’m very much in the “Enjoy the collapse, losers!” territory so at least I’ll express mine, hopefully it helps make sense, and honestly, I appreciate your feeling to try to do better. If you figure out a way to move forward, fantastic. I just remember the top post of a comment when Trump won however and it so truly fits, “I’m tired, boss.”
I have been fighting to get people to vote for years, trying to keep them involved. Not trying to get to vote every 4 years, but every year, local stuff, this shit is important, people need to stay up on it. I’m considered a news hound amongst people I know… I listen to the morning news on the 30 minute commute to work, that’s how much time I put in to the news, that’s it. It’s not hard. Some days I say fuck it and listen to an audiobook.
People I’ve known who vote R, lets be honest, they went through the last Trump era and learned nothing. I remember back in the W. era people saying it should be illegal to speak against the president, who turned around and called Obama a muslim who should be deported. End of Trump era I knew republicans who were just starting to get it, maybe healthcare is fucked, maybe a lot of big corpo things are the problem… but immediately turned around and jumped right back in to Trumps circle the moment it came around “I couldn’t just vote for Kamala” just like “I just couldn’t vote for Hillary” and so on. Hell my state voted to repeal the strictest abortion ban and make abortion legal in the state, but still voted pretty much straight R despite a history of the party overturning ballot initiatives “Because the voters didn’t know what they were voting for.” So yes… after years of this, there’s the tribal “If you’re republican, you can go fuck yourself with a pineapple” especially as this collapse is coming.
On the non-voters. I’m sorry, I consider them just as culpable. In 2016 at least Trump was a… well anyone who paid fifteen minutes of attention knew what he was about but fuck it, I’ll give the people who said “Fuck it lets try something new” a bit of a pass. This time, there were no surprises on the table. You had Kamala, which yes was about as dead standard democrat as you got, and you got Project 2025 Trump back with a vengeance. Those that say “I didn’t vote for Trump” but by doing so stayed home gave their voice to “meh” and whatever happens they agreed to it. People I directly know who were in this, I know of one at least in a gay marriage, a few hispanic workers, and a trans individual, all who were “I’m just not interested in politics.” Well, suddenly they’re REALLY interested in politics. And many wanting to “rise up”, well I’m not going to trust someone who couldn’t be faffed to even do the basic fucking minimum to try to prevent things to watch my back when shit hits the fan.
So yes, we’re all hosed and anyone who didn’t see it coming had their heads so far up their own asses in the past 8 years they’ve proven they can’t be taught. I’m sitting in the fire too, I’m not going to like the collapse. But after years of the fighting and still witnessing the apathy, my empathy is dead. The tribalism is useful, these were the people who were willing to do the basic minimum to resist, so maybe we can actually help each other. I’ll help them as I can. The others I expressed about, no, I don’t want bad to happen… but at least the schadenfreude can be a little bit of light through some very dark times coming. Don’t weep for the stupid, you’ll be crying all day.