25-50% tariffs

[just-jim]

.
From HCR column, today….

“Will Freeman of the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy, posted: “I can’t think of many *worse* strategic blunders for the U.S., as it competes w/ China, than going nuclear against its oldest strategic ally & last big country in S. America where it enjoys a trade advantage…. Trump certainly expects that b[ecause] 1/3 of Colombian exports go to the U.S. Petro will be forced to back down. But Petro seems to welcome the fight & has already signaled wishes to deepen ties w/ China. Colombia will lose partnership on security it badly needs. Only China stands to gain from this.”

https://open.substack.com/pub/heatherco ... ry-27-2025
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[just-jim]

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MC is right. Picking these petty fights is doing more harm than good.

I think it is entirely conceivable that at the end of the coming 4 years Sh*t Storm…..China will end up THE World leader.
China, not the US, will be seen as the better political and trading partner - as well as the ‘protector’ - of the ‘2nd world’ countries like Columbia.
.

[mister_coffee]

One of the foreign policy challenges we are inflicting upon ourselves right now is that in picking these pointless little fights, a lot of countries might decide they don't need to put up with our crap. We still need friends, allies, and partners and the world will be a much tougher place without them.

[Rideback]

Too late for your gouging, Trump has put a pause on the tariffs.

The WH press releases are lacking.
From ElTiempo.com
'A rundown of the crisis in relations between Colombia and the US. The Colombians point out that they have been the closest and most loyal ally of the US for decades, on military, commercial and diplomatic levels. They have consistently agreed to receive deportation flights, and did this time, too. Their only issue was Trump's sudden announcement that he was using military aircraft rather than commercial airliners, as was always the case in the past. Even then, Colombia volunteered itself to bear the cost of the transportation. Then they discover their conversations with Washington are fundamentally mischaracterized and falsely described in White House press accountings. President Petro says he has the tapes of the conversations and will release them. Colombian political leaders are demanding that the relationship with the US be fundamentally rethought in light of the insulting and dishonest treatment they have faced. China is obviously a better and more dependable ally. The conduct of the US government is described as "like the fascists."

[PAL]

Well said. And probably today, before a "tariff" is imposed, coffee prices have gone up. Glad I have a stockpile. Anyone wants some I will, let's see, charge you, umm $100/gram.

[Rideback]

Stonekettle Station:
'Trump's brilliant plan is to punish Colombians by making AMERICANS pay a huge tax on coffee.
And that's exactly what it is. A tax. On Americans. By the American government.
When you impose tariffs on foreign goods, the foreign nation doesn't get more money, the AMERICAN GOVERNMENT GETS MORE MONEY PAID BY AMERICANS.
Let me repeat that for the slow people in the crowd: the foreign nation doesn't get the money. The American government gets the money. The foreign nation doesn't pay the tariff. American importers pay the tariff and they then pass that increased cost down to consumers, i.e. YOU. Walmart pays the tariff. Costco pays the tariff. Amazon pays the tariff. Your grocery chain pays the tariff. And they pass that cost down to YOU because it sure as hell isn't coming out of Jeff Bezos pocket.
In the end, every time, Americans pay the tariff. Not Colombia. Not Canada. Not Mexico. Not China. Foreign nations don't pay the tariff. AMERICANS pay the penalty and that money goes to our government, that's how tariffs work.
Trump is mad at foreign governments so he's punishing them by taking money out of YOUR pocket.
What do you call that? It's a de facto TAX on every American. That's what it is.
Trump is taxing YOU, dumba**.'
But tell me again how you're mad over the price of eggs so you had to vote for Trump. Go ahead, I love that story.
People that dumb deserve to get taxed.'

It's a helluva way to recoup the revenue that Treasury has lost because the oligarchs and their corps are enjoying his tax breaks and paying next to nothing.

[mister_coffee]

Americans have a history of tolerance and reasonable reactions to leaders who tax our caffeine.

And MAGA boneheads are saying we should drink Italian Coffee. Italy doesn't grow coffee, and Italian Coffee is a way to prepare coffee.

[Rideback]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/26/politics ... index.html
The cost of the first two flights to Mexico where they were denied landing rights cost the taxpayers $825,000

In case you're wondering what Columbia exports to the US
https://www.statista.com/statistics/119 ... -colombia/