Trump administration 2024-2028

[Czech_pivo]

lol, our first cousins across the pond.

Even with all the piles of crap they are going through, their recent moves in with the Norwegians is brilliant.

 

[brihard]

Suddenly that Potash export terminal in Washington might get reconsidered.....

https://twitter.com/x/status/1998126698739708014

Amazingly, this is coming at the same time as he’s pledging to bail farmers out using… wait for it… Tariff money.

Trump unveils $12bn farm aid package amid global trade disputes - BBC News

The US agricultural sector has been hit hard by the Trump's administration's international trade wars.

www.bbc.com

The economic illiteracy on display here is staggering. He’s hurt farmers’ export markets by inviting reciprocal tariffs. Farmers are consequently suffering. And he’s gonna bail them out using the tax dollars from trade based levies on American consumers. But then he’s going to increase tariffs on one of their most essential inputs that cannot be produced domestically.

We have to follow the rules of the political subforum here, so I won’t opine on the intelligence of the act*ors*. But my God these are some profoundly stupid acts.

 

[IKnowNothing]

Amazingly, this is coming at the same time as he’s pledging to bail farmers out using… wait for it… Tariff money.

Trump unveils $12bn farm aid package amid global trade disputes - BBC News

The US agricultural sector has been hit hard by the Trump's administration's international trade wars.

www.bbc.com

The economic illiteracy on display here is staggering. He’s hurt farmers’ export markets by inviting reciprocal tariffs. Farmers are consequently suffering. And he’s gonna bail them out using the tax dollars from trade based levies on American consumers. But then he’s going to increase tariffs on one of their most essential inputs that cannot be produced domestically.

We have to follow the rules of the political subforum here, so I won’t opine on the intelligence of the act*ors*. But my God these are some profoundly stupid acts.

Not stupid. Dogmatic cognitive dissonance trying to reconcile doctrine with reality.

They really believe in the Miran playbook.

 

[QV]

Well... That's depressing.

The comments on that article are an interesting yet unsurprising mix.

 

[Eaglelord17]

Amazingly, this is coming at the same time as he’s pledging to bail farmers out using… wait for it… Tariff money.

Trump unveils $12bn farm aid package amid global trade disputes - BBC News

The US agricultural sector has been hit hard by the Trump's administration's international trade wars.

www.bbc.com

The economic illiteracy on display here is staggering. He’s hurt farmers’ export markets by inviting reciprocal tariffs. Farmers are consequently suffering. And he’s gonna bail them out using the tax dollars from trade based levies on American consumers. But then he’s going to increase tariffs on one of their most essential inputs that cannot be produced domestically.

We have to follow the rules of the political subforum here, so I won’t opine on the intelligence of the act*ors*. But my God these are some profoundly stupid acts.

Don’t forget cutting US foreign aid which a large part of it was spent on buying grain and such from, drum roll… US farmers.

 

[brihard]

Don’t forget cutting US foreign aid which a large part of it was spent on buying grain and such from, drum roll… US farmers.

Crazy talk.

 

[QV]

I’d just like to take this moment to reflect on something…. For 30 years working in defence I’ve lived the “do more with less”… the vast majority of my working life was in this atmosphere. A constant state of restraint and workarounds. Demoralizing and subduing to say the least. Despite agreements to meet 2%, years and years and several different POTUS engagements, regardless of dangerous emerging threats, no meaningful change, no urgency, just withering and rot.

Recently, I’ve never seen the kind of energy and engagement to push major projects, capability advancement and infra improvements through (defence related). All in the last few months. Though we are trying to restart from way behind, the energy is refreshing.

I’m stalwart in my belief that none of this would be occurring at this rate without the blunt force instrument that is Trump.

 

[Cloud Cover]

I’d just like to take this moment to reflect on something…. For 30 years working in defence I’ve lived the “do more with less”… the vast majority of my working life was in this atmosphere. A constant state of restraint and workarounds. Demoralizing and subduing to say the least. Despite agreements to meet 2%, years and years and several different POTUS engagements, regardless of dangerous emerging threats, no meaningful change, no urgency, just withering and rot.

Recently, I’ve never seen the kind of energy and engagement to push major projects, capability advancement and infra improvements through (defence related). All in the last few months. Though we are trying to restart from way behind, the energy is refreshing.

I’m stalwart in my belief that none of this would be occurring at this rate without the blunt force instrument that is Trump.

All true.

Just wait until the shewtin’ starts.

 

[brihard]

I’d just like to take this moment to reflect on something…. For 30 years working in defence I’ve lived the “do more with less”… the vast majority of my working life was in this atmosphere. A constant state of restraint and workarounds. Demoralizing and subduing to say the least. Despite agreements to meet 2%, years and years and several different POTUS engagements, regardless of dangerous emerging threats, no meaningful change, no urgency, just withering and rot.

Recently, I’ve never seen the kind of energy and engagement to push major projects, capability advancement and infra improvements through (defence related). All in the last few months. Though we are trying to restart from way behind, the energy is refreshing.

I’m stalwart in my belief that none of this would be occurring at this rate without the blunt force instrument that is Trump.

Indeed. It’s wold what an external threat will do to catalyze action.

 

[Halifax Tar]

I’d just like to take this moment to reflect on something…. For 30 years working in defence I’ve lived the “do more with less”… the vast majority of my working life was in this atmosphere. A constant state of restraint and workarounds. Demoralizing and subduing to say the least. Despite agreements to meet 2%, years and years and several different POTUS engagements, regardless of dangerous emerging threats, no meaningful change, no urgency, just withering and rot.

Recently, I’ve never seen the kind of energy and engagement to push major projects, capability advancement and infra improvements through (defence related). All in the last few months. Though we are trying to restart from way behind, the energy is refreshing.

I’m stalwart in my belief that none of this would be occurring at this rate without the blunt force instrument that is Trump.

Who ever Stuart Currie is seems to be onside with you, an I.



IMHO our problem is since the 1960s we have let Canada slide into being a welfare state. And part of the correction of this means changing that. Who is the willing political party to tackle that ? For Christ sakes we just created a federal school food program, day care and dental.

I am not sure Canadians are willing to walk away from the teat they are suckling from. Our in ability in getting Canadians to care more about what they can give the country than what the country can give them is probably our eventual downfall.

 

[lenaitch]

lol, good luck finding Potash somewhere else.
Christ the sheer number of bootlickers that surround him. Stalin and Hilter would be impressed.

According to the USGS, the US has about 220Mn tones of known reserves (and admittedly I get confused between 'ore' and 'recoverable product'). Apparently not all is profitably recoverable. Even at that, it seems if they could get at all of it tomorrow, it would only supply their demand for number of years.

From 'Real Agriculture':

"While the U.S. produced roughly 400,000 metric tons of potash in 2023, domestic potash consumption that year was approximately 5.3 million metric tons. No substitutes exist for potash as an essential plant nutrient," he explains.

 

[Altair]

US manufacturing stuck in doldrums as tariff headwinds persist

U.S. manufacturing contracted for the ninth straight month in November, with factories facing slumping orders and higher prices for inputs as the drag from import tariffs persisted.

www.reuters.com

U.S. manufacturing contracted for the ninth straight month in November, with factories facing slumping orders and higher prices for inputs as the drag from import tariffs persisted.
The Institute for Supply Management survey on Monday also showed some manufacturers in the transportation equipment industry linking layoffs to President Donald Trump's sweeping duties, saying they were "starting to institute more permanent changes due to the tariff environment." They added "this includes reduction of staff, new guidance to shareholders and development of additional offshore manufacturing that would have otherwise been for U.S. export."

Bullet, meet foot.

This was always the logical conclusion of the tariff policy. Increase input costs while doing nothing to increase domestic supply and you just tank your own manufacturing capacity.

And Americans voted for this.

 

[Czech_pivo]

According to the USGS, the US has about 220Mn tones of known reserves (and admittedly I get confused between 'ore' and 'recoverable product'). Apparently not all is profitably recoverable. Even at that, it seems if they could get at all of it tomorrow, it would only supply their demand for number of years.

From 'Real Agriculture':

Maybe we need to list Potash as a critical mineral on our side (if it hasn't been already) and we consider export limits or controls against it.

 

[daftandbarmy]

IMHO our problem is since the 1960s we have let Canada slide into being a welfare state. And part of the correction of this means changing that. Who is the willing political party to tackle that ? For Christ sakes we just created a federal school food program, day care and dental.

I am not sure Canadians are willing to walk away from the teat they are suckling from. Our in ability in getting Canadians to care more about what they can give the country than what the country can give them is probably our eventual downfall.

Meanwhile something seems to be going right, for some reason...

Productivity rebounds in the third quarter​

Labour productivity of Canadian businesses rebounded in the third quarter, increasing 0.9% after a 1.0% decline in the second quarter and no change in the first quarter. This was the sixth quarterly increase in eight quarters.

This upturn in productivity in the third quarter reflects the sharp recovery in business output, following a quarter of decline, while hours worked declined slightly.

Despite a context of persistent uncertainty related to international trade during the third quarter, real gross domestic product of businesses rebounded, rising 0.9%, after a 0.8% contraction in the second quarter.

Goods-producing businesses contribute the most to the overall growth in productivity​

In the third quarter, productivity rose in both goods-producing businesses (up 1.6% after a 1.3% decline in the previous quarter) and service-producing businesses (up 0.2% after a 0.3% decline in the previous quarter). Overall, productivity increased in 9 of the 16 main industry sectors in the third quarter.

Manufacturing and, to a lesser extent, the mining and oil and gas extraction sector, the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector, and the real estate and rental and leasing sector were the main industries that contributed to the productivity increase in the business sector during the third quarter. Construction as well as accommodation and food services also contributed to this increase. Meanwhile, utilities posted a significant decline for a second consecutive quarter.

The Daily — Labour productivity, hourly compensation and unit labour cost, third quarter 2025

Labour productivity of Canadian businesses rebounded in the third quarter, increasing 0.9% after a 1.0% decline in the second quarter and no change in the first quarter. This was the sixth quarterly increase in eight quarters.

www150.statcan.gc.ca

 

[The Bread Guy]

Who ever Stuart Currie is seems to be onside with you, an I.

View attachment 97135

I'll only quibble a bit with the characterization of Canada's support of Ukraine, which is pretty sizeable overall (although I know around these parts, the main attention is paid to the military bits of help) - more on that here.

Fact File: Canada a top contributor to Ukraine aid, but per capita claims exaggerated

Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Ukraine this past weekend where he outlined part of a $2 billion military aid package first announced at the G7 summit in Alberta in June.

www.thecanadianpressnews.ca

Funny about the "never trust you again" line. Matt Gurney at The Line (far from a woke commentator out of his depth on defence issues) was at the big Halifax security shindig not too long ago, and had this to share from a not-for-attribution session there in his latest piece (whole piece worth the read, including the bits on zero Pentagon folks being there) on how one former US General said things could get better in the relationship after mid-terms:

... I worry that I might have been a bit brash with my American dining companions that night. (If any of them are reading this and if I was, sorry. Lot goin’ on over here.) But before I could worry about it too much, a senior military officer from a major (non-American) allied nation drove a stake right through the heart of the matter.

America has blown 80 years of accumulated goodwill and trust among its allies, our American moderator was told. A rock-steady assumption of allied defence and security planning for literally generations has been that America would act in its own interests, sure, but that those interests would be rational, and would still generally value the institutions that America itself worked so hard to build after the Second World War. America’s recent actions have destroyed the ability of any ally to continue to have faith in America to act even within its own strategic self-interest, let alone that of any ally.

The officer then said that even a swift return of America to its former role won’t matter.

Because “we will never fucking trust you again.”

The Americans at the table seemed somewhat startled by the heat of that pronouncement. I agreed with it entirely. So, it seemed to me, did most of the non-Americans ...

We'll have to see how things go post-mid-terms, I guess.

... Our in ability in getting Canadians to care more about what they can give the country than what the country can give them is probably our eventual downfall.

Among too many, yes.

 

[QV]

Indeed. It’s wold what an external threat will do to catalyze action.

After decades of ignoring polite requests and diplomacy, I suppose the next step is the threat. Embarrassing it had to come to that with an ally we used to value and rely on so heavily.

 

[Czech_pivo]

After decades of ignoring polite requests and diplomacy, I suppose the next step is the threat. Embarrassing it had to come to that with an ally we used to value and rely on so heavily.

'Decades' implies 2 or more. I don't believe this to be the case.

If you had written 'for over a decade', I believe that this would be accurate and correct.

100% agree that its a total embarrassment, goes back to Stephen Harper and him letting us go below 1% of GDP on defense spending and sadly grew worse every year from there.

 

[QV]

'Decades' implies 2 or more. I don't believe this to be the case.

If you had written 'for over a decade', I believe that this would be accurate and correct.

100% agree that its a total embarrassment, goes back to Stephen Harper and him letting us go below 1% of GDP on defense spending and sadly grew worse every year from there.

It goes back much further than Harper. The decade of darkness was in the 90's, for example.

 

[Czech_pivo]

It goes back much further than Harper. The decade of darkness was in the 90's, for example.

Oh, your talking about the time period after the Cold War when every single country in NATO cut back defense spending, including the US?