Trade Wars

[trochetier]

The techniques to both improve quality and reduce costs were developed in the USA - look up Deming...
US manufacturers weren't interested... he took his work to Japan, and the car companies there, adopted it in full...
Within a few years, their quality went up dramatically, AND their costs went down.

The methods travelled to Europe, to Korea, and only started taking hold in the USA, in the 1990's....

Look at European factory workers, their wages aren't that far off from US worker wages, the cost of labour is not the only ingredient in the mix - and China is not the only point of comparison.

Good point Edward Deming, Japanese eagerly learned and adopted statistical methods in manufacturing. How sad here he was laughed off by Detroit when he tried to convince them to adopt the same.

In addition the Japanese sense of aesthetics has a lot to do with their product quality and fit and finish. This even trickles down to simple things like pharmaceutical tablet appearance. I worked for a quintessential Japanese company and my team was based in Japan all Japanese of course.

 

[trochetier]

Who is winning the trade war?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/30/elon-musk-starlink-bangladesh-tariffs/?utm_campaign=wp_week_in_ideas&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter

 

[GO-NAD!]

Who is winning the trade war?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/30/elon-musk-starlink-bangladesh-tariffs/?utm_campaign=wp_week_in_ideas&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter

Democratic senators call for investigation into Elon Musk’s foreign Starlink deals

In a letter Friday to President Donald Trump, several Democratic senators accused Musk of “the possibility of self-dealing” while in government.

www.nbcnews.com

Asking Trump to investigate Musk's self-dealing is beyond ironic.

 

[Trell]

Democratic senators call for investigation into Elon Musk’s foreign Starlink deals

In a letter Friday to President Donald Trump, several Democratic senators accused Musk of “the possibility of self-dealing” while in government.

www.nbcnews.com

Asking Trump to investigate Musk's self-dealing is beyond ironic.

As an example of my own motivated reasoning that could be laying the ground for investigations if/when the Democrats takes control of one of the Congressional houses, or the Presidency.

Also, I think that the Democrats should (quietly?) make clear that there are limits to quiescence/support of Trump and trespassing those limits will have consequences when they once again are in power.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Democratic senators call for investigation into Elon Musk’s foreign Starlink deals

In a letter Friday to President Donald Trump, several Democratic senators accused Musk of “the possibility of self-dealing” while in government.

www.nbcnews.com

Asking Trump to investigate Musk's self-dealing is beyond ironic.

That too.
Might be easier to get a senate committee to investigate?

 

[trochetier]

Musk wins more -

Trump Proposes Slashing Domestic Spending to the Lowest Level of the Modern Era

The president’s $1.7 trillion discretionary budget blueprint would cut $163 billion for the 2026 fiscal year, offering an outline of his vision for Washington and dramatically curtailing the role and reach of the federal government.

www.nytimes.com

Expand the first section to read details.
"....Some of Mr. Trump’s proposed military increases could benefit Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who has advised Mr. Trump on cost-cutting as part of the Department of Government Efficiency"

 

[Mr._Clark]

Trump said he had already made 200 trade deals in an interview with Time on April 22:

>>>Not one [trade deal] has been announced yet. When are you going to announce them?

I’ve made 200 deals.

You’ve made 200 deals?

100%.<<<

Read the Full Transcript of Trump’s ‘100 Days’ Interview

President Trump discussed his trade war and the economy, immigration, presidential power, and more

time.com

Trump today.

>>>“We don’t have to sign deals.”

“Everyone says ‘When, when, when are you going to sign deals?’” Mr. Trump said, at one point motioning toward Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary. “We don’t have to sign deals. We could sign 25 deals right now, Howard, if we wanted to. We don’t have to sign deals. They have to sign deals with us. They want our market. We don’t want a piece of their market. We don’t care about their market.” . . . Mr. Trump predicted the first deals could be signed this week. But administration officials also made that prediction the week before that, and the week before that.<<<

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/us/politics/trump-deals-tariffs.html

It's hard to believe (sarcasm alert), but it turns out Trump has been lying his *ss off about impending trade deals in an effort to prop up the markets.

 

[lovinthehd]

Trump said he had already made 200 trade deals in an interview with Time on April 22:

>>>Not one [trade deal] has been announced yet. When are you going to announce them?

I’ve made 200 deals.

You’ve made 200 deals?

100%.<<<

Read the Full Transcript of Trump’s ‘100 Days’ Interview

President Trump discussed his trade war and the economy, immigration, presidential power, and more

time.com

Trump today.

>>>“We don’t have to sign deals.”

“Everyone says ‘When, when, when are you going to sign deals?’” Mr. Trump said, at one point motioning toward Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary. “We don’t have to sign deals. We could sign 25 deals right now, Howard, if we wanted to. We don’t have to sign deals. They have to sign deals with us. They want our market. We don’t want a piece of their market. We don’t care about their market.” . . . Mr. Trump predicted the first deals could be signed this week. But administration officials also made that prediction the week before that, and the week before that.<<<

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/us/politics/trump-deals-tariffs.html

It's hard to believe (sarcasm alert), but it turns out Trump has been lying his *ss off about impending trade deals in an effort to prop up the markets.

He's vacillated among various numbers pulled out of his butthole.