USPS Blocking China

[Ken Culbertson]

The U.S. Postal Service will temporarily suspend accepting inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong until further notice, according to the agency's website.

So much for ChinaKote.

Ken

[Dave_Trible]

As mentioned in the other thread,  so goes spinners, wheels, hinges, props and also China produces around 1/4 of the world's Nitromethane.   India and Japan are the other producers.   I expect we will still be able to get the nitro but we should expect a price increase.   Dope and finishing products are made from oil bases.......

Dave

[realSteveSmith]

Already reversed.

[Paul Smith]

Until 1976 we did just fine with NOTHING from Red China.

[Ken Culbertson]

Already reversed.

Whew, I was about to start hording spinners.

Ken

[Dave_Trible]

Until 1976 we did just fine with NOTHING from Red China.

  I know a minor point in the totality of things but at least as far as the hobby stuff goes-In those days we had people making things here.  Now we really don't-and won't.  I spent my last 40 working years in retail store operations.   If you went into any Home Depot,  Lowes,   clothing or shoe store and very many others the shelves would be 75% empty if you removed things made in China and the far east.   If you went to the grocery store you would starve looking for anything to eat that was 100% American made or grown or processed.   That horse left the barn a long time ago and ain't coming back.   That's why I never worry much about anything major coming between the US and China.  The wealthy money interests on BOTH side will pull the politicians in by their collars and say no no amigo,   you aren't screwing up our money train...

Dave

[Dennis Leonhardi]

  I know a minor point in the totality of things but at least as far as the hobby stuff goes-In those days we had people making things here.  Now we really don't-and won't.  I spent my last 40 working years in retail store operations.   If you went into any Home Depot,  Lowes,   clothing or shoe store and very many others the shelves would be 75% empty if you removed things made in China and the far east.   If you went to the grocery store you would starve looking for anything to eat that was 100% American made or grown or processed.   That horse left the barn a long time ago and ain't coming back.   That's why I never worry much about anything major coming between the US and China.  The wealthy money interests on BOTH side will pull the politicians in by their collars and say no no amigo,   you aren't screwing up our money train...

Dave

That sounds a little bit like a President who told us manufacturing would never come back ...  I put more faith in the words of a much better President, John F. Kennedy. who said "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."

Stay tuned ...

Dennis

[Dave_Trible]

That sounds a little bit like a President who told us manufacturing would never come back ...  I put more faith in the words of a much better President, John F. Kennedy. who said "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."

Stay tuned ...

Dennis

AS far as the hobby stuff- the hobby itself would have to have a total re-birth to create a substantial customer base to make it worthwhile for anyone to invest much into a new hobby business.    A real dream but alas I'm afraid just that- a dream.   As far as the other stuff-  my philosopher side says the society would have to collapse and revert to an agrarian society before people and especially the young return to the farm and factory in any meaningful way.   Poverty would have to drive workers to seek the wages many of these jobs would pay to compete.    Maybe it will be the future.  I surely hope not.  Worse,   I'd hope nobody considers that a positive end goal.    Guess I'll just get back to my airplanes.....

Dave

[Paul Smith]

I view this temporary hold on individual USPS delivery as having NO effect on bulk shipments to US distributors. 

As with actions vis a vis Canada and Mexico, agreements will be settled and the threatened actions will never happen.  Such is the world of negotiation and compromise.  Unlike Biden, Trump does not always lose.

[John Rist]

I view this temporary hold on individual USPS delivery as having NO effect on bulk shipments to US distributors. 

As with actions vis a vis Canada and Mexico, agreements will be settled and the threatened actions will never happen.  Such is the world of negotiation and compromise.  Unlike Biden, Trump does not always lose.

            

[Paul Smith]

I heard a report today was about a previous policy that didn't bother to collect tariffs on "small" packages under $800.  The new policy is collect tariffs at some lower threshold.

In a country with unlimited cheap labor it would be easy enough break down shipments into small lots, thus beating the tariff.  Of course large products of over $800 unit price couldn't do this, be we're modelers, not industrialists.

It my belief that US prices include Social Security, Obama Care, local taxation, and mandatory benefits that drive the US cost of labor out of sight, without even mentioning wages.  We, the USA, needs to collect at least enough tariff money to cover the lost tax revenue.  Importers will easily pay this out of excess profits with zero cost to the end user.

[Dave_Trible]

"EVERY" cost is passed on to the consumer.    Business owners and stock holders don't consider themselves charities........the wealthy don't get that way or stay that way by giving their profits away......


Dave

[katana]

We, the USA, needs to collect at least enough tariff money to cover the lost tax revenue.
Importers *could* easily pay this out of excess profits with zero cost to the end user.

Ha Ha Ha! I've fixed your quote (in asterixis) But they won't, else they lose money - every increase they pay, either direct tax or tariff, will be passed on down the line!

End result is the consumer will pay! And in Trumpian economics where no one pays income tax, all Federal and state spending MUST be covered by Tariffs otherwise USA corp.
goes bust - either way, income tax or Tariff tax - consumer pays! Tariffs not only hurt US consumers due to increases, they force the USA to look inward and source from home
markets, which is great if USA Corp. produces what Joe Public wants at a price he can afford !

Unfortunately a cheap avacado or tomato from Mexico that may cost 30% more if sourced from California due to costs (labor etc.) and scarcity (volume of production lower)
sort of defeats a tariff! Nickel from Canada is a case in point - no where worldwide has Nickel in commercial quantities. It is vital for stainless steel, batteries, electronics
produced in the USA - if Canada said No to US exports, how long would these industries survive?
Same with Canadian Crude, Lumber and Electricity . . . . Wall St. functioning with no electricity - now there's a concept!

[Ken Culbertson]

Tariffs serve multiple purposes.  As a source of government revenue (the one originally intended to fund the government), a way to shape consumer behavior, a method of influencing producer behavior and as a negotiating tool.  In many ways it is no different than a VAT tax in that like all forms of revenue to a government short of direct selling of natural resources is ultimately paid by the consumer.  The only way the consumer pays less is that the government entity needs less.  Trump seems to understand all of this and is using Tariffs in multiple ways to level the playing field internationally and downsize the burden on the individual taxpayer.  The problem he will have will be convincing enough voters that what he is doing will reshape the country into one that is better than anything they have experienced.  I have my doubts that he will be able to pull it off in the two years he has been given before the midterms.  This is a ten-year project that requires having control of the government in order to downsize it and. the opposition owns the way we get our news and forms the opinions of a majority of voters.  I hope he prevails.  He will if enough of us come to understand that when the opposition says "it can't be done" what they are really saying is "I can't do it".

[Dennis Leonhardi]

Tariffs ...  I hope he prevails.  He will if enough of us come to understand that when the opposition says "it can't be done" what they are really saying is "I can't do it".

   Or, "I won't do it."  Many documentaries on WWII, for example, point out the difference between the Ability to accomplish something - winning the war in the Pacific, for example - and the Will to do it.

Dennis

[Steve Helmick]

You don't understand Trump or the art of negotiations. Start by saying 25% tariff and negotiate from there. You generally can't negotiate upwards. Home sales are the only example I can think of where people pay more than asking price.  Steve

[RC Storick]

Tariffs won't negatively impact prices for long. Let's make an example. You want to go to the beach, so you head to the dollar store. You are going to buy a beach ball and two towels. You only have 10 dollars. They have raised the beach ball price to 5.50. So you can not get the two towels that are 2.50 a piece, so you only get one. So now, instead of the store selling 10 dollars worth, they only sell 7.55. How long do you think that will last?

In the long run, this will only help AMERICA to bring back manufacturing.

[RC Storick]

https://econofact.org/factbrief/did-the-trump-tariffs-increase-us-manufacturing-jobs

Canadians are going to stop drinking Kentucky Bourbon.

More for us. And when we quit buying you carpet and furniture more work for the Amish

[Paul Smith]

Canadians drinking CSA whiskey?  What a joke!

North America's only source of whiskey is Hiram Walker in Windsor Ontario.

[Brett Buck]

Tariffs won't negatively impact prices for long.

   Particularly when they are never implemented. All that Trump wanted was cooperation on the border, which ostensibly Canadians would support, we have a promise for that and some action, assuming they cooperate, there won't be any tariffs. Which, of course, was the plan all along.

       Brett

[Ken Culbertson]

Canadians drinking CSA whiskey?  What a joke!

North America's only source of whiskey is Hiram Walker in Windsor Ontario.

Ever hear of Kentucky?

[RC Storick]

Ever hear of Kentucky?

or Lynchburg TN

[Arlan McKee]

Next to King Tut Musk/Trump are the most powerful children in history. Considering the amount of illegals/fentanyl coming in from Canada it is more likely that Trump wants to punish Canada because his wife and daughter think that Justin Trudeau is cute.

In the meantime Trump can do real important stuff regarding issues that keeps most Americans up at night like renaming the Gulf of Mexico or banning the "wasteful" penny.

That's one of the things we love about Trump. He drives wingnut leftists like you crazy and we get to read incredibly stupid comments like this one that you made here. Enjoy the next 4 years. I know I will.

[Dave Harmon]

That's one of the things we love about Trump. He drives wingnut leftists like you crazy and we get to read incredibly stupid comments like this one that you made here. Enjoy the next 4 years. I know I will.

Well said....I've been sitting on my hands for the past couple of days since the wingnut comments started....

[Gary Dowler]

Next to King Tut Musk/Trump are the most powerful children in history. Considering the amount of illegals/fentanyl coming in from Canada it is more likely that Trump wants to punish Canada because his wife and daughter think that Justin Trudeau is cute.

In the meantime Trump can do real important stuff regarding issues that keeps most Americans up at night like renaming the Gulf of Mexico or banning the "wasteful" penny.

You do realize that the top demand Trump had with Canada was an insistence that they do a lot more to secure their border to prevent such smuggling from happening, right?  Cutting down the highly unfair $45 BILLION dollar annual trade deficit with Canada a little wont hurt either....

Gary

[katana]

You do realize that the top demand Trump had with Canada was an insistence that they do a lot more to secure their border to prevent such smuggling from happening, right?  Cutting down the highly unfair $45 BILLION dollar annual trade deficit with Canada a little wont hurt either....

Gary

I don't understand this! According to the above, the US buys $45B more stuff from Canada than Canada buys from the US? . . . . . and thats 'unfair'! Maybe because Canada, whilst much larger than the USA in area has a much smaller population so needs less 'stuff'! The USA could always buy less to reduce the imbalance? Oh, I get it now - as the US buys raw materials for its industries from Canada - rare earth's, steel, Aluminium, Oil, power and by making them more expensive for US importers, they will automatically switch to US production . . . . . that doesn't actually exist? Good move!

[Dennis Moritz]

Take your complaints up with your president. He maneuvered the appointment of the current Postmaster General in 2020. The structure of the post office administration shielded him from being moved out.

https://x.com/savethepo/status/1340298707032547328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1340298707032547328%7Ctwgr%5E210668fbae9e24751c57835acbd65fa237479a0b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fstory%2F2021-02-09%2Flouis-dejoy-still-postmaster

[Gary Dowler]

I don't understand this! According to the above, the US buys $45B more stuff from Canada than Canada buys from the US? . . . . . and thats 'unfair'! Maybe because Canada, whilst much larger than the USA in area has a much smaller population so needs less 'stuff'! The USA could always buy less to reduce the imbalance? Oh, I get it now - as the US buys raw materials for its industries from Canada - rare earth's, steel, Aluminium, Oil, power and by making them more expensive for US importers, they will automatically switch to US production . . . . . that doesn't actually exist? Good move!

I did not say we would eliminate the trade deficit did I, but it should be reduced a fair bit.  $45 Billion is a lot of difference.  As to our oil and other resources, but especially the oil/gas, Trump had us to a point of energy independence for the first time in 75 years in his first term.  First thing that geriatric basket case Bumbles Bribe-Den did was to eliminate that.  Absolutely stupid move, and it hurt Canada too because a lot of the oil was going to come from Canada.  And it was not actually even Bumbles that did anything in his term, he was merely a puppet getting his strings pulled from behind the curtain.

Gary

[Paul Smith]

I can't understand why Canadian trade would be a problem.
Whenever I got to Canada stuff costs MORE and Canadians come to Michigan to buy stuff at US prices, which seem high to me but low to them.

[Paul Smith]

Later in my GM career, the car business went like this:

We built a car for $30,000  and sold it for $30,000 just to stay in business a little longer.  Both the UAW and management were simply hanging on for subsistence.

The Asians could build the same car and deliver it for $12,000.  They priced it at $28,000 so as to undercut us and maximize profit. 
If we had slapped a 100% tariff on them they could have paid the $12,000 and still sold the car $28,000, and made a $4,000 unit profit.

Tariff revenue does not necessarily get passed on to the end used because the importer still needs to undercut US production cost.

[Ken Culbertson]

Oh, I get it now - as the US buys raw materials for its industries from Canada - rare earth's, steel, Aluminium, Oil, power and by making them more expensive for US importers, they will automatically switch to US production . . . . . that doesn't actually exist? Good move!

No, I don't think you do.  Why does an American owned company buy imported raw materials?  Price, given equality in quality, that is about the only reason.  Why don't those raw material sources exist locally - cost.  It costs more to produce locally because of two things - the cost of labor and regulations.  Equalize that and the dormant raw materials industry will reemerge, and the choice will become reliability.  No business buys from overseas because they want to.  Would you order wheels from China if you could buy them from a LHS, assuming you could find one?  There are multiple cash flow cycles that exist in any large manufacturing entity.  The trick is to keep as many of them local as possible.  Trump understands this.  To someone that has not studied economic models what he is doing looks a bit narcistic and punitive.  He has a way of making it look that way that drives me crazy but underneath that act is exactly what we need.  You just need an MBA to understand it.

Reread Paul Smith's post.  What he illustrated is actually two of those cycles.

Ken

[katana]

No, I don't think you do.  Why does an American owned company buy imported raw materials?  Price, given equality in quality, that is about the only reason.  Why don't those raw material sources exist locally - cost.  It costs more to produce locally because of two things - the cost of labor and regulations.  Equalize that and the dormant raw materials industry will reemerge, and the choice will become reliability.  No business buys from overseas because they want to.  Would you order wheels from China if you could buy them from a LHS, assuming you could find one?  There are multiple cash flow cycles that exist in any large manufacturing entity.  The trick is to keep as many of them local as possible.  Trump understands this.  To someone that has not studied economic models what he is doing looks a bit narcistic and punitive.  He has a way of making it look that way that drives me crazy but underneath that act is exactly what we need.  You just need an MBA to understand it.

Reread Paul Smith's post.  What he illustrated is actually two of those cycles.

Ken

You can't re-ignite a production industry if a) it doesn't exist at scale required and b) you don't have the raw materials! The USA does not have commercial quantities of Iron Ore (steel), Bauxite (aluminium) or Uranium for example - doesn't have ANY Nickel. It has oil (sweet, light crude) which none of the existing refineries can deal with - you've used up all the sour heavy crude that Canada has in abundance. If you import these commodities a) because you don't have them or b) because they are cheaper, why would any sensible person a) want to make them more expensive and b) @#$% off the exporter that you source them from? That is a sure way of making the exporter look to alternative markets without tariffs so product is still cheap & saleable on the 'open' market! Worldwide tariffs make even less sense as while everyone else is buying & selling 25% cheaper than you can buying in . . . . . . who is losing here?

And as regards Pauls Car analogy - US car made for $30k, sold for $30k - Asian car made for $12k + $12k tariff (100%) = $28k so still cheaper than US and they still turn a profit as the bottom line hasn't changed for them! Remember it isn't the Asian manufacturer that pays the tariff - just the importer and then passed on to consumer! Industry either reduces its costs significantly to compete or accept a war that you can't win as there will always be someone who will undercut a home market produced, expensive product.

[Brett Buck]

You can't re-ignite a production industry if a) it doesn't exist at scale required and b) you don't have the raw materials! The USA does not have commercial quantities of Iron Ore (steel), Bauxite (aluminium) or Uranium for example - doesn't have ANY Nickel. It has oil (sweet, light crude) which none of the existing refineries can deal with - you've used up all the sour heavy crude that Canada has in abundance.

    Where to you get this nonsense? The USA has quite abundant iron, bauxite, and uranium, it's just that the cost of extraction (largely due to obstructionist regulation) wasn't viable. Get rid of that and there is absolutely no problem. Canada has more nickel, granted - but *there are no tariffs as long as Canada makes an honest effort at border control* - a request from us that the vast majority of Canadians would agree with and support.

  Honestly, I don't know where you get your information, but it is ludicrously wrong- CBC? BBC?

     Brett

[Dave Harmon]

You are better off sitting on your social security check. Elon has your number.

Good....that means that I am going to keep on getting the geetus regardless of your obviously deranged comments.

[Joseph Lijoi]

Good....that means that I am going to keep on getting the geetus regardless of your obviously deranged comments.

What is a geetus? Is that some kind of South African term?

[Dave Harmon]

What is a geetus? Is that some kind of South African term?

I thought you would understand it....that's why I used it.

[Joseph Lijoi]

a request from us that the vast majority of Canadians would agree with and support.


     Brett

You might want to talk to a few Canadians before you cite the vast majority.

43 pounds of fentanyl came across the border from Canada last year, mostly headed to Detroit This was declared a national emergency by Trump. For this he is calling for the annexation of Canada. I guess this is what is called "four dimensional chess" by Fox news.

Trump has a track record from his first term. His party holds the House, the Senate, and has a favorable majority in the Supreme court. He has managed to appoint unqualified synchophants to his cabinet, and congress is prepared to relinquish its power to an autocrat. If he succeeds then he deserves all of the credit. If he fails then he will blame someone else as he always does.

[Paul Smith]

The ski-and-golf towns in Colorado are not depleted mining towns.
The minerals are still there.  At the moment they are undercut by South America, Asia, and even Europe.  During the world wars and the cold war some of these mines were reactivated and they could be again if there was economic worthwhileness.

[Ken Culbertson]

43 pounds of fentanyl came across the border from Canada last year, mostly headed to Detroit

Enough to kill over 10 million people.

Ken

[Joseph Lijoi]

Enough to kill over 10 million people.

Ken

Versus 21,000 from Mexico. Same tariffs and Canada gets consideration for statehood. Like I said Trump has a track record. We will see what happens.

[Brett Buck]

You might want to talk to a few Canadians before you cite the vast majority.

43 pounds of fentanyl came across the border from Canada last year, mostly headed to Detroit

   Again, where do you get this nonsense? A huge part of the problem is that no one knows for sure how much there is, because there's almost no enforcement and next to no monitoring. I imagine you got this ridiculous "43 pounds" as how much was *interdicted*, not the total.

    You are just spouting random nonsense - again - because of your irrational knee-jerk response to Trump. We've heard it all before and no one cares any more.

      Brett

[Ken Culbertson]

That explains it. Trump has a bachelors degree.

I wasn't referring to Trump needing an MBA, I was commenting that you needed one to understand what he is doing.  Liberals are so invested in the "we can't do it" mentality that you can rest assures they never will.  They are always citing the "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results".  So along comes someone who wants to stop doing it the same way and you call him insane.  We do the same thing over and over expecting different results.  It is called the "Pattern".  Are we insane?  Perhaps but that was a rhetorical question, and in our case, we do get different results...at least we think we do.

All of the things that Trump is trying to do right now are things that need to be done, except maybe annexing Canada or renaming the Gulf of Mexico, but nobody is perfect.   He won an election by telling us he would do X,Y Z and wins by the largest land slide since Regan and takes both the House and Senate.  That is the definition of a mandate.  So now that he is doing X,Y,Z you progressive friends out there need to remember a quote from Barak Obama defining the role of the minority: “They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back.”

Ken

[Joseph Lijoi]

   Again, where do you get this nonsense? A huge part of the problem is that no one knows for sure how much there is, because there's almost no enforcement and next to no monitoring. I imagine you got this ridiculous "43 pounds" as how much was *interdicted*, not the total.

    You are just spouting random nonsense - again - because of your irrational knee-jerk response to Trump. We've heard it all before and no one cares any more.

      Brett

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/drug-seizure-statistics

Fentanyl seizures per US customs border patrol: As I stated 43 lbs. Northern Border,  21,100 lbs Southwest Border

My reaction to Trump might be irrational but it is hardly knee knee-jerk. I've considered Trump a corrupt incompetent con man since the days of Trump University. 

[John Rist]

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/drug-seizure-statistics

Fentanyl seizures per US customs border patrol: As I stated 43 lbs. Northern Border,  21,100 lbs Southwest Border

My reaction to Trump might be irrational but it is hardly knee knee-jerk. I've considered Trump a corrupts incompetent con man since the days of Trump University.

And I guess you think Biden could do no wrong?

[Joseph Lijoi]

I wasn't referring to Trump needing an MBA, I was commenting that you needed one to understand what he is doing.  Liberals are so invested in the "we can't do it" mentality that you can rest assures they never will.  They are always citing the "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results".  So along comes someone who wants to stop doing it the same way and you call him insane.  We do the same thing over and over expecting different results.  It is called the "Pattern".  Are we insane?  Perhaps but that was a rhetorical question, and in our case, we do get different results...at least we think we do.

All of the things that Trump is trying to do right now are things that need to be done, except maybe annexing Canada or renaming the Gulf of Mexico, but nobody is perfect.   He won an election by telling us he would do X,Y Z and wins by the largest land slide since Regan and takes both the House and Senate.  That is the definition of a mandate.  So now that he is doing X,Y,Z you progressive friends out there need to remember a quote from Barak Obama defining the role of the minority: “They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back.”

Ken

I was kidding about the bachelors degree. I thought it was funny at the time.

The comparison to Reagans landslide and Trumps victory (thereby giving him a mandate) is typical of Trumpian exaggeration. His victory by 1.5 percent is the smallest of any president since Nixon in 1968. He won the popular vote by 49.9 percent.

If you want to talk about insanity Trump had the third largest increase of the federal deficit in history.

I think Trump is morally bankrupt and intellectually lazy. I don't dismiss the idea of annexing Canada as "thinking outside of the box" or "a negotiating tactic". I think of the idea as short sighted and stupid. A lot of Reagan Republicans feel the same way. Its more about a show than an effective economic policy.

Trump is a liar and an insurrectionist. He has a track record and that is what the American people voted for. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/business/ford-trump-tariffs-electric-vehicles.html