I think there has been 47 years of sanctions against Iran. Are they working yet? I think every American should just ignore the government and begin to replace it with something new and better. Bessent is as big a bumbling buffoon as El Trumpo.
Regarding your Aug 27 toilet paper article: Dean Blundell got it right. The impending US toilet paper shortage has a cascade: 1) The US imports from Canada 2 million tons of the type of pulp used to make TP and paper towels. 2) That pulp is made from Canada’s sawmill waste. 3) Trump imposed a 50% import tariff on Canadian wood. 4) Sawmills reduce output in response to lower US demand. 5) Less sawdust = less pulp for TP and paper towels. 6) There is no import or export tariff on pulp, but Canada will preferentially direct its reduced output to their own TP and paper towel manufacturers. 7) The US is shit out of luck in getting the pulp it needs from Canada. Canada also shipped $328 million in actual finished TP into the US in 2024. Canada’s finished paper goods are ripe for an export tariff if Trump keeps up his snit.
That's why I said in my article the one way that TRUMP's tariffs, not Canada's retaliatory tariffs, can raise the price of toilet paper for Americans is the extent to which they apply to Canadian timber, which would include timber byproducts, such as sawdust and chips. Trump's tariffs just make our own ingredients more expensive. We, of course, use a huge amount of American timber to make pulp for paper. So, I'm not sure what percentage is imported Canadian logs, etc., but to the extent that we are using the Canadian timber products, we'll be paying more for our toilet paper. US tariffs are ALWAYS a tax on US citizens. (And Canadian tariffs are always a tax on Canadian citizens.)
Like you say, export tariffs from Canada, which tax Canadian businesses selling into America, often get added to the bill paid by the American buyer, so they may be more impactful against America. Canadian businesses can't force American businesses to reduce their prices enough to offset Canadian import tariffs that get added to American products as the pass through the border, but they can certainly add the cost of Canadian export tariffs to the bill on the Canadian products they ship out. It's unusual, however, for any country to place export tariffs on its own products because it either just taxes Canadian businesses who pay the full tariff, or the tariff gets passed through in the bill to American buyers, making the Canadian product more expensive for Americans (as you suggest), but that results in the true goal of export tariffs, which is to reduce exports. They are usually only used when a nation needs to ration resources and keep more within the county for its own people. Such as, the US could put an export tariff on fuel in order to keep more fuel in the country for US citizens and to keep the price of fuel down for Americans..
We got off easy the first time. The day America elected Donald Trump a second time, it essentially signed its death warrant. How could an electorate be so stupid!
By electing Trump a second time, after it should have become obvious what a liar he is and how he failed to carry out many of his campaign pledges, which I regularly enumerated, the country made itself clearly responsible for everything Trump is doing. The electorate clearly said, "This is the kind of guy we WANT." So be it. That's what we got, and other nations are right to blame the majority of American citizens for foisting Trump upon the world because it really was not that hard to see what he was made of.
What happens here really is that Trump knows how to play off the anger and resentment people are feeling for a long dysfunctional country; but Trump was never the positive answer to that. He's just PLAYING it to get votes. Make people angry by stirring their anger to capture the huge anger vote, and then do whatever you think aggrandizes yourself. His "Lock her up" campaign against Hillary was a prime example. He pumped up the venom all he could to capture the vote of those who hate Hillary, then he did NOTHING that he had led them to believe he would do with Hillary. He's just feeding the rage and using it for personal power.
“as if Trump has the right to tell other sovereign nation whom they can trade with.”
Trump tried the same thing with Canada: “The United States demanded a say in Canada’s trade relationships with the rest of the planet.” There are other poison pills the Trump folks tried to sneak in, like a “snapback” provision where Trump could unilaterally cancel or change the deal at will. Carney caught them and walked away.
Dean Blundell is a prolific writer (12 Substack posts since Monday!), writing from a rah-rah Canada point of view, who currently has a bee in his bonnet over the U.S-Canada trade deal. Might be a good addition to your massive information base, David.
“[Iran] may not have nukes, but it has chemical and biological weapons”
And they also have enriched uranium, which is the “dirty” in dirty bombs. They don’t have to smuggle a dirty bomb into New York harbor, they can ship the “dirty” part in anywhere. I’m sure major ports have radiation detectors, but local ports probably don’t. A couple of local (to me) possibilities: Tampa is where big shipments of bananas arrive from Central America. Are banana boats scanned for radiation? Port Canaveral and Port Miami host Carnival Cruise Lines and several other smaller passenger cruise lines. How hard would it be for “passengers” to pick up a couple of lead-lined suitcases or bottles of “duty-free liquor” filled with uranium in a Bahamas port and carry it back into the U.S.? They could smuggle in a kilo or two at a time, add it to an ANFO bomb (like the Oklahoma City bomb), and drive it into downtown Manhattan. The ultimate “October surprise”!
I’m sure this possibility is not unknown to Homeland Security, and it probably keeps them up at night. America is a big country, and it’s impossible to monitor and protect every square inch. We were on heightened alert for follow-up attacks in the years after the Muslims brought down the twin towers; we should be just as vigilant against Iranian Muslims today.
Right on, Randy. I'm surprised it hasn't happened already, and I think the possibilities are so obvious, we don't have to worry that you are giving them any ideas. I think it strangely speaks of some level of integrity in Iran that they don't want to make war directly on the American people IF they can prevail by fighting the American government. So, they are holding off on the worse they can do until they don't see any other alternative.
Who is going to want any of us after inflicting warmonger/tariff-terrorist Trump on the world? He's upsetting every economy on earth while clearly accomplishing NOTHING for America's languishing economy. And he's picking fights with nations every time he turns around. He lies multiple times a day, and then many American give him a free hand to repeat the exact same like the next day ... and the next ... and the next. He runs way outside the constitution in order to do all of that.
Great summary of what will go down in history as the US's self-inflicted downfall. Most on the Planet have no idea what's comig their way and for how long. Iran will not bend or relent.
A very scary time. I'm certain Iran will cause major infrastructure damage within the US. Water, power, bridges, airports! What they've done thus far as you've stated is minor. I'm thinking a 9/11 type disaster is likely. Thanks for some great reporting
I think there has been 47 years of sanctions against Iran. Are they working yet? I think every American should just ignore the government and begin to replace it with something new and better. Bessent is as big a bumbling buffoon as El Trumpo.
For sure. Sanctions seem to be nothing if not extremely ineffective against governments, but damaging to the everyday person.
Regarding your Aug 27 toilet paper article: Dean Blundell got it right. The impending US toilet paper shortage has a cascade: 1) The US imports from Canada 2 million tons of the type of pulp used to make TP and paper towels. 2) That pulp is made from Canada’s sawmill waste. 3) Trump imposed a 50% import tariff on Canadian wood. 4) Sawmills reduce output in response to lower US demand. 5) Less sawdust = less pulp for TP and paper towels. 6) There is no import or export tariff on pulp, but Canada will preferentially direct its reduced output to their own TP and paper towel manufacturers. 7) The US is shit out of luck in getting the pulp it needs from Canada. Canada also shipped $328 million in actual finished TP into the US in 2024. Canada’s finished paper goods are ripe for an export tariff if Trump keeps up his snit.
https://deanblundell.substack.com/i/212848529/how-canada-ended-up-in-your-bathroom
That's why I said in my article the one way that TRUMP's tariffs, not Canada's retaliatory tariffs, can raise the price of toilet paper for Americans is the extent to which they apply to Canadian timber, which would include timber byproducts, such as sawdust and chips. Trump's tariffs just make our own ingredients more expensive. We, of course, use a huge amount of American timber to make pulp for paper. So, I'm not sure what percentage is imported Canadian logs, etc., but to the extent that we are using the Canadian timber products, we'll be paying more for our toilet paper. US tariffs are ALWAYS a tax on US citizens. (And Canadian tariffs are always a tax on Canadian citizens.)
Like you say, export tariffs from Canada, which tax Canadian businesses selling into America, often get added to the bill paid by the American buyer, so they may be more impactful against America. Canadian businesses can't force American businesses to reduce their prices enough to offset Canadian import tariffs that get added to American products as the pass through the border, but they can certainly add the cost of Canadian export tariffs to the bill on the Canadian products they ship out. It's unusual, however, for any country to place export tariffs on its own products because it either just taxes Canadian businesses who pay the full tariff, or the tariff gets passed through in the bill to American buyers, making the Canadian product more expensive for Americans (as you suggest), but that results in the true goal of export tariffs, which is to reduce exports. They are usually only used when a nation needs to ration resources and keep more within the county for its own people. Such as, the US could put an export tariff on fuel in order to keep more fuel in the country for US citizens and to keep the price of fuel down for Americans..
Trump is placating billionaires to become them. Millionaires are placating Trump to become them.
We got off easy the first time. The day America elected Donald Trump a second time, it essentially signed its death warrant. How could an electorate be so stupid!
By electing Trump a second time, after it should have become obvious what a liar he is and how he failed to carry out many of his campaign pledges, which I regularly enumerated, the country made itself clearly responsible for everything Trump is doing. The electorate clearly said, "This is the kind of guy we WANT." So be it. That's what we got, and other nations are right to blame the majority of American citizens for foisting Trump upon the world because it really was not that hard to see what he was made of.
What happens here really is that Trump knows how to play off the anger and resentment people are feeling for a long dysfunctional country; but Trump was never the positive answer to that. He's just PLAYING it to get votes. Make people angry by stirring their anger to capture the huge anger vote, and then do whatever you think aggrandizes yourself. His "Lock her up" campaign against Hillary was a prime example. He pumped up the venom all he could to capture the vote of those who hate Hillary, then he did NOTHING that he had led them to believe he would do with Hillary. He's just feeding the rage and using it for personal power.
“as if Trump has the right to tell other sovereign nation whom they can trade with.”
Trump tried the same thing with Canada: “The United States demanded a say in Canada’s trade relationships with the rest of the planet.” There are other poison pills the Trump folks tried to sneak in, like a “snapback” provision where Trump could unilaterally cancel or change the deal at will. Carney caught them and walked away.
https://deanblundell.substack.com/p/breaking-the-annexation-papers-what
Dean Blundell is a prolific writer (12 Substack posts since Monday!), writing from a rah-rah Canada point of view, who currently has a bee in his bonnet over the U.S-Canada trade deal. Might be a good addition to your massive information base, David.
Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out. He's got the right bee under his bonnet.
“[Iran] may not have nukes, but it has chemical and biological weapons”
And they also have enriched uranium, which is the “dirty” in dirty bombs. They don’t have to smuggle a dirty bomb into New York harbor, they can ship the “dirty” part in anywhere. I’m sure major ports have radiation detectors, but local ports probably don’t. A couple of local (to me) possibilities: Tampa is where big shipments of bananas arrive from Central America. Are banana boats scanned for radiation? Port Canaveral and Port Miami host Carnival Cruise Lines and several other smaller passenger cruise lines. How hard would it be for “passengers” to pick up a couple of lead-lined suitcases or bottles of “duty-free liquor” filled with uranium in a Bahamas port and carry it back into the U.S.? They could smuggle in a kilo or two at a time, add it to an ANFO bomb (like the Oklahoma City bomb), and drive it into downtown Manhattan. The ultimate “October surprise”!
I’m sure this possibility is not unknown to Homeland Security, and it probably keeps them up at night. America is a big country, and it’s impossible to monitor and protect every square inch. We were on heightened alert for follow-up attacks in the years after the Muslims brought down the twin towers; we should be just as vigilant against Iranian Muslims today.
Right on, Randy. I'm surprised it hasn't happened already, and I think the possibilities are so obvious, we don't have to worry that you are giving them any ideas. I think it strangely speaks of some level of integrity in Iran that they don't want to make war directly on the American people IF they can prevail by fighting the American government. So, they are holding off on the worse they can do until they don't see any other alternative.
But, but, despite the swoon earlier this year my mining portfolio is +47% YTD and +151% past 12 months.
And gold and silver are looking like they are ready to resume the bull market.
Copper made an all time high.
Uranium and platinum are waiting in the wings.
And cash is earning 4-5%.
Ok so the rest of everything is not going well.
Crazy times indeed.
Exactly! Oil stocks doing nicely, too.
Starting to feel like it's going to be too late to flee soon and we will be doomed to the 4th reich in America
Who is going to want any of us after inflicting warmonger/tariff-terrorist Trump on the world? He's upsetting every economy on earth while clearly accomplishing NOTHING for America's languishing economy. And he's picking fights with nations every time he turns around. He lies multiple times a day, and then many American give him a free hand to repeat the exact same like the next day ... and the next ... and the next. He runs way outside the constitution in order to do all of that.
Great summary of what will go down in history as the US's self-inflicted downfall. Most on the Planet have no idea what's comig their way and for how long. Iran will not bend or relent.
Thanks, Jan. It's going to be a long train wreck.
A very scary time. I'm certain Iran will cause major infrastructure damage within the US. Water, power, bridges, airports! What they've done thus far as you've stated is minor. I'm thinking a 9/11 type disaster is likely. Thanks for some great reporting
Thanks, Tom.
So far, Iran has played a pretty conservative hand compared to the things they could try to do.