re: How did we get into this trade mess to start with?

"Can you educate me by citing an example of even one of these "shitty trade deals?""

I too am a simple man, but when I see things such as a 200% markup on milk products imported into Canada from the USA, it makes me sit back and take a look. Why do they do this? The real reason is to encourage the Canadiens to buy their own products rather than the milk products from the USA. Meanwhile, are similar tariffs executed on products that come from Canada? Not really. They are able to match or in some cases better their prices compared to the US goods that are on own own shelves. Things such as cheese or maple syrup.

Now look at Europe. They use a VAT on everything that is purchased there. A US product brought into the country will have a VAT tax plus added to it. Making it very unlikely for someone to buy from us unless they just have to have it. On the other hand items that are shipped out from them get the VAT removed. Making it less expensive for me to order my model kits from England and pay the postage than it is for me to get them here in my local store, despite the fact that they are both made in the same asian factory. I don't like the fact that we will get into a trade war with countries, but we have been taken advantage of for far too long.

You are 100% correct. Rand Paul called the very notion that there is a problem a fallacy. He is right.

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How did we get into this trade mess to start with?

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Dims decided the way to defeat the USA was from within.

Bring USA down by making business in the USA to expensive. They regulated the country to death to the point were it took years to even break ground and made it so expensive via rules and regulations that businesses went elsewhere.

That is it in a nutshell. Of course they did a lot more than just that to destroy us.

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I understand we had to help rebuild Europe after WWII via the Marshall Program. And we helped large parts of the Far East that were also devastated by the war in the Pacific. But that was 80 years ago. There’s been plenty of trade deals made in the decades since. How is it we have ended up with such shitty trade deals with virtually every country on the planet?

Who negotiated these deals?

And more importantly, what foreign money went to them to get them to sign off on these horrid trade deals?

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80 years of softening our opponents to become reliant on the United States citizens and their tax dollars.

Has any European nation had a meaningful war or battle since WWII?

No, we have been security. I dont care what you say, what you heard, not having any meaningful live round action time in 80 years is very bad. And dont give me this shite about Germany or France sending 1200 troops somewhere, frick that.

We literally have control or are close to in control of everything.

We always talk about tech and this and that catching up blah blah. What if at a certain point we knew we were X amount ahead so we then started anit-technology exercises to keep our enemies lagging far behind but presenting to the world that someone is always "almost" caught up.

Overall, we are rich. That is really the end of the story. Every poor person here is rich in a lot of other countries.

Uniglobal Superpower

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If other countries had tariffs on US goods, but going forward they won’t because of these new negotiations, will that increase or decrease demand for US manufactured goods?

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Increase.

The US is the #2 country in terms of global manufacturing. If all tariffs all over the world got eliminated and the enitire world was a free trade zone, we would all be better off.

However, I don't live in a fantasy land.

Trump has said trade deficits are unacceptable. We have the biggest economy in the world and more money than everyone else. It is impossible for us not to have trade deficits. Trump's goal is not feasible.

Trump also said he is "bringing back" American manufacturing. None of it will come back in your zero tariff fantasy land. Again, Trump's goal is not feasible.

Just because Trump says we’re getting ripped off doesn’t mean we’re getting ripped off. What he’s really talking about (on his big boy chart) is trade deficits. Trade deficits aren’t a bad thing; in fact they’re important/critical for growing economies.

For example: You have a massive trade deficit with your local liquor store. You give them money, they give you booze, but they don’t order shingles, legal consulting, insurance (or whatever you sell/do) from you. That’s a massive trade deficit!

Following Trumps logic, you should slap tariffs on the alcohol so you have to pay more for it (to stick it to the liquor store, right)

That’s literally how stupid this whole thing is. The liquor store is China or Viet Nam or Mexico and you are the fool cheering for tariffs.