American Politics

[Newton York]

Hah! The French are always insulting other countries and thinking they're better than everyone else, so how can they in their infinite wisdom allow a little tiny heat to kill off people? Puh lease. We're talking about Phoenix like weather, that's nothing! (I want you guys to imagine PePe Lepeu speaking now in his accent) Zee French should learn how to tolerate 110 degree heat a little better like us folks here in Arizona. Give me a break! Freaking 43 Celsius or 110 Fahrenheit ain't nothing for the South West baby! Bunch of cry baby euros.

[Tiny 12]

Yes, in France, we don t put AC everywhere, I never put on in my car, when lowering engine power and bad for health, catching cold. US Trump not caring about pollution, make heat going higher, more fire, more tornados, killing people, just a criminal, after war criminal who killed 150 young Iranian girls in a school. At least, true facts, for Trump and his pollution, competing with China. A American pollute almost double than a Western European I am.

Well, Ive recently read a couple of articles about children dying in cars from heat in France. Maybe the French need to get over the fear of pollution, climate change and catching cold, and leave their engines running and air conditioning on when kids are in the car. I realize that gasoline costs a lot more and the French make a lot less than we do. And if you leave your engine running with your kids inside in France, there's a good chance an immigrant will steal your car and kidnap your children. I guess there's no good solution.

[Newton York]

This is all I'm going to say. NFLX is at 52 week lows, a good company with decent valuation. Buy a bunch now, and in a coupla months when it hits 100 bucks, you'll thank me. That's assuming we're all still alive in a few months. This is a way better trade than they idiots buying MSTY. There's no future in AI! Also, Ebola is in France, while it's having its worst heat wave in decades, so France ain't shit either!

[EihTooms]

Nobody's going to fall for that Tooms.

Tell us more about your totally unfounded and unsubstantiated opinion that GDP has been "chugging along" despite Trump's Tariffs rather than declining.

[Tiny 12]

Attention actual USA Citizens qualified to register and vote in the USA; if you prefer the latter results in the above linked citation, vote Dem up and down the ballot in every election. If you prefer the former results, either don't bother to vote or, worse, vote for candidates other than Dems anywhere on your ballot.

Nobody's going to fall for that Tooms.

[Sirioja]

The climate virtue signaling in France has become so strong that people are dying. Instead of encouraging elderly and infirm French men and women to seek and install air conditioning the government encourages coping mechanisms, like wetting yourself with water and eating cold soup. If you have ac you should confine it to one room and set the thermostat to 79 degrees Fahrenheit. This is from today's WSJ. Meanwhile, the good people at the left-of-center Economist took a model developed by a French researcher and applied it to forecasted temperatures on June 24 to June 26. That indicates there will be 1500 excess deaths from heat in those 3 days in Paris alone! And the death rate should be up about 300%! I'm writing from my mobile phone and those are pay sites anyway, but if you have subscriptions you'll have no problem finding the articles.

Typical American thinking he knows, when just ignorant, believing everything written on internet, probably by stupid US AI. Since 2003 very high heat, all residences for old people must have a with AC room to refresh all old people living in the residence. For old people living in their home, employees from towns administration follow these old people situation, calling them reminding them to drink, asking them if they are fine. Reality in France where I live and get all true information. Of course, not healthy are at risk under high heat, same like obese. Many young also have problems, because not healthy from US foods they eat and thinking they are able to swim, but not really able and also ignorant, not knowing cold water can be dangerous when high heat. Yes, in France, we don t put AC everywhere, I never put on in my car, when lowering engine power and bad for health, catching cold. US Trump not caring about pollution, make heat going higher, more fire, more tornados, killing people, just a criminal, after war criminal who killed 150 young Iranian girls in a school. At least, true facts, for Trump and his pollution, competing with China. A American pollute almost double than a Western European I am.

[Tiny 12]

OK, maybe I misunderstood your position in the comment:

"However, if you believe the highest end of mankind is to raise revenues for all encompassing government, you're not going to be able to milk the rich for much more than the USA already is. The maximum tax rate (federal + state + local) on ordinary income is 40.8% to 54% and on long term capital gains 23.8% to 39%, depending on location. That's close to Western European levels. Total tax rates (income tax + sales tax + property tax) on middle income Americans are much lower than European levels. You can't raise anywhere close to what Progressives like AOC and Bernie Sanders want by upping taxes on the wealthy."

It seemed to me that you don't think that the US has any capacity to increase its tax take. Which is the reason I displayed the overall tax as a proportion of GDP rankings. While I don't think the European models of extreme taxation are right or feasible, that doesn't mean the status quo is sustainable. The bottom line is America has a huge and growing debt overhang and none of Trump's policies (if you can call them that) aren't fit for purpose or their counterproductive. How do you propose to manage this?

I'm glad that you're not making BS claims like some here that the tariffs have reduced trade deficits (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ge4yxwnlno)

From what you quoted: "Total tax rates (income tax + sales tax + property tax) on middle income Americans are much lower than European levels. " In an earlier reply to you I also said you'd have to impose a regressive value added tax to pay for what progressive Democrats want. Of course the USA has the ability to raise tax substantially on the less-than-wealthy and become like France. Progressive Democrat politicians refuse to admit they can't do that just by taxing people who make over $300,000 a year (Biden) or who are worth more than $100 million (Warren and Newsome). They're using class warfare to get votes.

As to tariffs I don't like them for the reasons you don't. However GDP growth has chugged along nicely despite them. When I get some time, I'll elaborate in a reply to Elvis who disagreed in another of his thought provoking (honestly) posts.

[EihTooms]

Tariffs are working

Tariffs are not only working to equalize the trade deficits but it is also bringing in hundreds of companies from several countries moving their manufacturing to USA. So far 42 Canadian companies have moved their manufacturing to Canada. Japan and South Korea have moved numerous companies to USA. GDP is increasing monthly and USA has finally evened to trade tariffs with most countries. Most people are smart enough to see this but sometimes their TDS just deteriorates their minds. USA is winning and it's fun to watch. What a difference from the Biden fiasco.

Joe Biden caused factory construction to increase. By American companies, for American companies, benefitting Americans and hiring American workers.

Behold the usual stark contrast between the economic policy and stewardship results of Dems like Joe Biden vs those of Repubs like Donald Trump:

Trump's tariffs are causing harm to American manufacturers instead of benefiting them.
March 18, 2026

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy...enefiting-them

Manufacturing jobs have declined during Trump's first year back

Trump's core rationale for tariffs has been that they would force more factories to open in the U.S. and would generate enough revenue to close federal budget deficits. But that hasn't materialized.

Factories continue to shed workers, with 98,000 manufacturing jobs lost during Trump's first full 12 months back in the White House. American companies that foot the bill for tariffs are now suing the Trump administration for more than $130 billion in tariff refunds. Meanwhile, the federal deficit is projected to climb over the next decade.
................
Construction is up but that's due to Biden's bill

Some of the bright spots in construction cited by the White House appear to be the result of programs launched by then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

Factory construction spending began to accelerate in 2022 with the anticipation of government support from Biden's CHIPS and Science Act, which included big subsidies for computer chip plants. The law was a primary contributor to a historic surge in the annualized rate of construction spending on manufacturing facilities, said Skanda Amarnath, executive director of the economic policy group Employ America.

Attention actual USA Citizens qualified to register and vote in the USA; if you prefer the latter results in the above linked citation, vote Dem up and down the ballot in every election. If you prefer the former results, either don't bother to vote or, worse, vote for candidates other than Dems anywhere on your ballot.

[Tiny 12]

The climate virtue signaling in France has become so strong that people are dying. Instead of encouraging elderly and infirm French men and women to seek and install air conditioning the government encourages coping mechanisms, like wetting yourself with water and eating cold soup. If you have ac you should confine it to one room and set the thermostat to 79 degrees Fahrenheit. This is from today's WSJ. Meanwhile, the good people at the left-of-center Economist took a model developed by a French researcher and applied it to forecasted temperatures on June 24 to June 26. That indicates there will be 1500 excess deaths from heat in those 3 days in Paris alone! And the death rate should be up about 300%! I'm writing from my mobile phone and those are pay sites anyway, but if you have subscriptions you'll have no problem finding the articles.

[EihTooms]

Tariffs are working

Tariffs are not only working to equalize the trade deficits but it is also bringing in hundreds of companies from several countries moving their manufacturing to USA. So far 42 Canadian companies have moved their manufacturing to Canada. Japan and South Korea have moved numerous companies to USA. GDP is increasing monthly and USA has finally evened to trade tariffs with most countries. Most people are smart enough to see this but sometimes their TDS just deteriorates their minds. USA is winning and it's fun to watch. What a difference from the Biden fiasco.

The A. I. Overviews:

Is manufacturing still losing jobs in the USA?
+3
Yes, the U.S. manufacturing sector is still losing jobs, despite a surge in factory construction spending and rising output. The industry has faced persistent job declines, with factory employment hitting a six-year low in recent surveys.

Key facts regarding the decline include:Massive Layoffs: Job cuts at U.S. factories recently reached their highest levels since the 20082009 financial crisis.Historical Context: The U.S. has lost roughly 4.5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000 as production shifted to countries with lower labor costs, such as India, Vietnam, and Mexico.Key Drivers: Economists point to a mix of heavy automation on the factory floor, high operating costs, and lingering uncertainties caused by global trade policies and tariffs.The Construction Paradox: While investment in building new manufacturing facilities (especially for electronics and semiconductors) has skyrocketed, these are temporary construction jobs. The resulting automated, high-tech factories require significantly fewer permanent workers to operate once built.If you want to understand this trend better, let me know:Which specific industries you are most interested in (e.g., autos, semiconductors, aerospace).Whether you want to focus on national policy impacts or regional labor trends.U.S. manufacturers are still shedding thousands of jobs, as workers ask White ...Mar 6, 2569 BE In the meantime, employment data shows American manufacturers are continuing to cut jobs, with the U.S. shedding 83,000 manufacturing jobs during Mr. Trump's fi...CBS NewsFactory job cuts in June neared financial crisis and Covid levels, S&P says - CNBCJun 23, 2569 BE Job cuts at U.S. factories ran near their highest levels since the end of the global financial crisis in 2009 and the Covid-19 pandemic as worries grew over glo...

Are more foreign companies moving manufacturing to the us under Trump?
+4

Yes, many foreign companies are expanding their manufacturing footprint in the U.S. to bypass sweeping trade tariffs. However, this "reshoring" effort hasn't translated into a broad domestic factory hiring boom, as total U.S. manufacturing employment has actually declined overall.Specific actions by foreign companies include:Pharmaceuticals: Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca committed to a $50 billion investment to expand U.S. production by 2030, while GSK is investing $30 billion.Automotive: Hyundai Motor Group is investing $21 billion in U.S. operations, and Honda moved production of its Civic hybrid from Mexico to Indiana.Consumer Goods: Italian coffee maker Lavazza is pushing to have 100% of its U.S.-sold products manufactured locally to avoid Reuters tariff fallout.Despite these high-profile capital investments from overseas, the Wall Street Journal reports that total U.S. manufacturing employment has declined by over 200,000 roles in recent years.

BTW, were you thinking that foreign companies moving manufacturing to the USA was going to cause prices of those products to decline for the American Consumer?

Uh. Nope.

Do products made by foreign companies in the usa cost more?
+8

Products manufactured by foreign companies on U.S. soil generally carry higher price tags. This is primarily driven by the higher cost of U.S. labor, stricter regulatory standards, and steep localized overhead. Additionally, many components for these items must still be imported, triggering supply-chain fees and import tariffs.The primary factors driving up costs include:Labor & Benefits: U.S. manufacturing wages and mandatory worker benefits (such as health insurance) are substantially higher than in manufacturing hubs like China or Vietnam.Compliance & Overhead: American factories must comply with strict environmental, labor, and safety regulations, which require significant capital to maintain.Imported Parts: Foreign companies often build "made-in-the-USA" assembly plants but still rely on globally sourced raw materials and electronic components

Good for GDP? Since when?

Trump Has Sent Americas GDP Into a Downward Spiral.
April 9, 2026

https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/ar...134836388.html

Between October and December, America's real gross domestic product fell from 4.4 percent to just 0.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday.

That figure is significantly less than the agency's second estimate of 0.7 percent growth, reported last month.

To recap:

Trump's Tariffs are "working" to increase prices for products the American Consumer wants or needs to buy while losing jobs for the American Working Men and Women and sending America's GDP into a downward spiral.

Oh, and the rate of inflation due to Trump's policies is increasing rather than decreasing, which Trump loves:

Trump says 'I love the inflation' as US prices rise at fastest rate in three years.
June 11, 2026

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0myzxjkw99o

Its Not Just High Gas Prices Inflation Is Now Spreading Through the U.S. Economy.
May 28, 2026

https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/ar...181248183.html

[Canada]

I have NEVER asserted the USA was a high tax country. A number of times in this thread I've said it was a low tax country, compared to other advanced economies. In fact, I said that in what you quoted.

I have said the USA has a very progressive tax system compared to most other countries. Try a search on user Tiny 12 and keyword Mankiw. Or here's a less scholarly, more recent piece. To be honest I haven't read the .pdf yet, rather just the summary.

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/stud...countries-oecd

As to what you pulled from Perplexity and Gemini, I already said the same thing, much more succinctly, in the post you quoted:

An interesting article. I hadn't seen it.

[HotDog666]

I have NEVER asserted the USA was a high tax country. A number of times in this thread I've said it was a low tax country, compared to other advanced economies. In fact, I said that in what you quoted.

I have said the USA has a very progressive tax system compared to most other countries. Try a search on user Tiny 12 and keyword Mankiw. Or here's a less scholarly, more recent piece. To be honest I haven't read the .pdf yet, rather just the summary.

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/stud...countries-oecd

As to what you pulled from Perplexity and Gemini, I already said the same thing, much more succinctly, in the post you quoted:

OK, maybe I misunderstood your position in the comment:

"However, if you believe the highest end of mankind is to raise revenues for all encompassing government, you're not going to be able to milk the rich for much more than the USA already is. The maximum tax rate (federal + state + local) on ordinary income is 40.8% to 54% and on long term capital gains 23.8% to 39%, depending on location. That's close to Western European levels. Total tax rates (income tax + sales tax + property tax) on middle income Americans are much lower than European levels. You can't raise anywhere close to what Progressives like AOC and Bernie Sanders want by upping taxes on the wealthy."

It seemed to me that you don't think that the US has any capacity to increase its tax take. Which is the reason I displayed the overall tax as a proportion of GDP rankings. While I don't think the European models of extreme taxation are right or feasible, that doesn't mean the status quo is sustainable. The bottom line is America has a huge and growing debt overhang and none of Trump's policies (if you can call them that) aren't fit for purpose or their counterproductive. How do you propose to manage this?

I'm glad that you're not making BS claims like some here that the tariffs have reduced trade deficits (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ge4yxwnlno)

[Tiny 12]

I'm not taking a dogmatic position on being a high tax rate nation- I was simply refuting your made up assertion that the US is a high tax rate country when it clearly isn't, and Trump's assertion that the US needed tariffs to pay down the national debt. That clearly wasn't his intent, and the fact is he didn't have any idea on what his intent was, he shaped shifted his way through the tariffs and why they were necessary (to pay down the debt; no it's because we're being raped by China; no it's because we need to bring back industry; no it's because.) and he didn't follow through with consistent policies on anything; and in fact carried out adverse and contradictory policies concurrently with the tariffs.

See, that's my real beef with you Tiny and Elvis. That you persist in bending yourselves out of shape to find some semblance of rationale or logic or consistency to this fool when there simply isn't any. You don't see the commonality in capricious shape shifting that he did on tariffs and that on the Iran debacle but I do because it's freaking undeniable.

Oh and I don't know where you carry on finding your facts from; I asked both Gemini and Perplexity whether your assertion about the TCJA was correct re providing relatively better cuts to the lesser off; the answer is with the exception of those on Generally no; I'll provide the full summary below. The reality is a lot more nuanced than you're presenting it.

Did the tcja reduce tax for lower income more than higher income people?

Generally, no: the TCJA did not cut taxes for lower-income households *more* than for higher-income households in dollar terms, and many analyses find the largest dollar benefits went to higher-income households. But on a percentage-of-tax or percentage-of-income basis, some low- and middle-income groups saw larger relative reductions, so the answer depends on how you measure "more. ".

How the effects differ.

Low- and middle-income households benefited from the larger standard deduction and expanded child tax credit, which helped many working families. Higher-income households benefited more from rate cuts and some provisions that were more valuable at the top of the income distribution, so their total dollar gains were often larger.

What this means.

If you mean "who got the biggest tax cut in dollars," the answer is usually higher-income households. If you mean "who got the biggest cut relative to what they paid," some lower-income groups did better, and one analysis found the bottom half saw a larger percentage reduction than the top 10 percent.

Plain-language takeaway.

So the fairest short answer is: the TCJA was not mainly a bigger tax cut for lower-income people overall, though it did provide meaningful relief to many of them. The distribution was mixed, with relative gains for some lower-income families but larger total benefits concentrated higher up the income scale.

URL's removed as these don't seem to go through.

I have NEVER asserted the USA was a high tax country. A number of times in this thread I've said it was a low tax country, compared to other advanced economies. In fact, I said that in what you quoted.

I have said the USA has a very progressive tax system compared to most other countries. Try a search on user Tiny 12 and keyword Mankiw. Or here's a less scholarly, more recent piece. To be honest I haven't read the .pdf yet, rather just the summary.

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/stud...countries-oecd

As to what you pulled from Perplexity and Gemini, I already said the same thing, much more succinctly, in the post you quoted:

Yes, in absolute dollar terms, the wealthiest benefited more. That's what happens when 1% of the population pays 40% of the income tax.

[Canada]

Well, you should move to France then. Sirioja likes it, although he doesn't want you there. Raise the tax take in the USA to the level of France and a couple of decades later America would be about 25% or 30% poorer than it would be otherwise. The private sector produces growth and jobs. Put more money in the hands of a wasteful federal government and the economy doesn't do as well.

I haven't looked at the correlation between tax revenues and GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power. But I have looked at the correlation with total government revenues and expenditures as a % of GDP. Kick out the petrostates like Norway and small places like Monaco and Luxembourg, and the most prosperous advanced economies in the world have historically been Singapore, Switzerland, Ireland and the USA. These countries also historically had lower government revenues and expenditures as a % of GDP, compared to other advanced economies.

As to your statement "he reduced the tax on the wealthiest," compare the 2017 tax tables to current tables. Tax rates would have reverted to 2017 levels without Trump's Big Beautiful Bill (BBB). You'll find that the TCJA (the Trump tax cuts) reduced tax rates in % terms (as a % of tax paid) more for lower income groups than higher income groups. In other words, the tax system would have become more regressive without the BBB. There are some people with pass through business entities that did benefit from the BBB. And I don't think those deductions, for so called "Qualified Business Income," should have been extended, or ever enacted. They qualify as pork IMO.

Totally agree. France along with numerous other high tax countries are failing. Even Sweden is making changes to be more a capitalist country. USA is still the best country to work and live in.

[Canada]

But with Trump and China, death will arrive fast for most, from heat from pollution. Check your lungs and heart performances. High heat will be a good test to know who will survive or not. Same like in savana, strong and weak. This will be new WW arriving soon. After trying to rob their petrol, I hope Trump will help Venezuela now, when he wants to give 300 billions to mollahs still leading Iran.

You may be the reason that they put directions on shampoo bottles.