By Mike Schroeder
Sedona, AZ — It is hard to read Mr. Howard’s perspective on this tariff issue. He obviously misses the big picture and some of the data is hard to swallow, especially when research is applied.
It is strange that he conveniently forgets that Trump did tariffs in 2017 during his first administration. There were tariffs that were put on China then, until Joe Biden’s handlers didn’t enforce them as Hunter and company were in China’s pocket. The Chinese manufacturers who are supported by the government absorbed most of those tariffs, so the American Consumer saw little change in China imports. Why does not Mr. Howard know these things?
He talks about all the cheap stuff we like to buy, which in turn gives China billions of dollars which they use to fund their military expansion. We’re paying for it. But what is a critical mistake in the post, is that in 2022 only 16% (goods AND services) of our GDP were imports – ALL imports. Hardly a catastrophe. But the trade imbalance has been about $1.9 trillion over time. The US has been a patsy since WWII, and like all good programs going unchecked, (aka Federal Departments that have been created over the years with good intentions) they become a serious problem as governments take advantage of the US and the bureaucracy expands out of control.
We are the strongest economy on the planet, which is Trump’s bargaining chip.
Cheap goods from China….well yes, as the Chinese government subsidizes much of that production, or manipulates it’s currency. Did not Mr. Howard see that either? And China, for some time has been setting up manufacturing or simply moving goods though freight forwarders in Cambodia and Vietnam to avoid tariffs. You think Trump is not aware of that? That has been going on for decades, and a lot of our issues with China you can lay on the lap of Bill Clinton who fought for China to be admitted into the WTO, (World Trade Organization). Ole Billy wanted to “help” China.
Let’s talk about agriculture. Besides national security what is government’s NUMBER ONE job for its citizens. MAKING SURE THERE IS FOOD ON THE TABLE. If the population can’t feed itself – you’re done. Whether it is big AG, or independent farmers. And a big issue that needs to go away, but the clowns in DC who have never gotten their hands dirty, do not realize their food comes from farmers. They need to get rid of the inheritance tax like most states have done. It is a killer for farmers and promotes Big AG. Reduces competition. Makes you wonder how much money is flowing into the politicians form Big AG. And billionaires and multimillions don’t pay inheritance tax anyway. So just another hollow talking point.
Mr. Howard apparently gets his tax talking points form MSNBC and MSM, all of which are losing viewers at a pace that looks like water coming out of a broken dam. In Trump’s first term, his tax cuts did not affect federal revenue. In fact, it went up a bit, like it historically always does. JFK knew that, Clinton knew that and so did Bush. But the working-class people who control the vast amount of assets in this county had more money in their pockets. Around $5,000, and inflation was running below 2 % annually, unlike what Biden’s people just did the last 4 years.
The bottom wage earners control about 2.5% of the nation’s wealth while the top 1% controls about 30%. The “middle class” holds the rest, just look at the farms, and the cities and all the houses and small businesses, holds 67%.
The “tax breaks” for Trump’s “rich friends” do not exist. And it is probably going to get worse under the new proposed bill. The Democrats and elites have ignored the middle class and working class for years and continue to do so.
Here is the deal (A Biden quote):
2013 to 2017, the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (don’t believe a bill title) increased the highest rate to 39.6%. The “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (Obamacare which was passed in the middle of the night after bribing some Democrat Senators with special deals for their states at the last minute to get their votes …but I digress)…which protected no patients and was not affordable – another story – added another 3.8% making the highest rate 43.4%. 2018 to 2025 Trump lowered the top rate to 37%, plus the 3.8% which grossed out to 40.8%, Where it is at today.
But who got the biggest cut – the Middle Class. And they felt it, well deserved. And what else did Trump do his first day, 2nd executive order in 2017. Got rid of the Obamacare penalty if you did not take Obamacare, which is now codified. And that’s another conversation unless you think men can have babies.
BUT—what REALLY happened to that top 1% that Mr. Howard conveniently leaves out. Trump’s tax plan reduced the MAXIMUM deduction for state income tax, and personal property tax combined to $10,000. (all State and Local taxes – SALT). So if I’m paying $70,000 in property tax, and $150,000 in state tax, that total is a $210,000 deduction off my federal income tax, now reduced to a $10,000 deduction. So the savings on Federal was $200,000 at 40.8% or $81,600….lost. Plus there were other limits placed on deductions. Trump’s tax cut was not a friend of the wealthy. In most cases federal taxes were the same or higher. Sorry Bernie – not buying the Democrat dance.
What group of the 1% got whacked the most? It is all the wealthy folks that elect to live in the most restrictive and high tax and spend states in the union where the property taxes and incomes are through the roof. They have been screaming ever since. Trump took their goodies away. They have been shedding their tax responsibilities to the rest of us while their state and local governments were soaking their pocketbooks. And imagine what states those are….all Democratic controlled states. Want a short list? Most of New England, especially NY, Pennsylvania, Illinois, California, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota and a few others. I do not know about you, but how do feel about supporting the state governments that YOU don’t live in because that WAS exactly what you were doing before Trump fixed it.
This is a Democrat shouting point, that the rich are getting a deal. This is propaganda because they count on the emotions of people who don’t know the tax system. The Federal tax code is incredibly complex, covers 6,871 pages. If you add the US Treasury’s official interpretation of the code to that, you would be up to 75,000 pages. Any wonder why the flat tax is popular, and the politicians hate simplicity?
You say that Trump is a “Lame Duck”. Wishful thinking. He went on the campaign trail and told America EXACTLY what he was going to do. And they voted overwhelmingly to support that, and the spread in the Electoral College really was a wakeup call. Now he is executing his promises. Imagine that, a person (he’s NOT a politician – he’s a pragmatist), doing what they promised with an amazing cabinet.
Regarding tariffs, if the rest of the world, the 94% (and I am not sure where that typo came from if we are only 4% of the world’s population according to Mr. Howard’s post), wants to trade amongst themselves – let them. Of course as long as the dollar is the world’s standard currency – and Trump knows it – (even though Biden did his best to destroy it with his $9 trillion added debt in 4 years) that is not going to happen, witness almost every country with tariffs that were announced, about 75 of them are running the US to do a deal, and he isolated China, brilliant. Their economy isn’t doing so hot either.
There was also a comment that we cannot run the country on tariffs alone. Although we had no income tax prior to 1913. Our tax system is way out of control (mentioned above), and has nothing to do with raising money if people haven’t figured that out yet.
We do not have to be careful of being the party of small government.
In 1900 Government was 5.5% GDP
In 1950 15.8%
Of course, it has grown ever since with the addition of more Departments and up to 2.3 million employees. Today it is substantially over 20% and impossible to control. The Bureaucrats are running the government….and we are changing that.
The interest on our debt in 2025 will be a tad under $1 Trillion, and by 2035 it is estimated to be 4.1% of GDP which is $1.55 Trillion. Unsustainable. Politicians don’t care, most will be out of office or dead.
Mr. Howard, it is not about how much we collect, it is about how much we spend, and we are discovering the waste in the open, for all to see, totally transparent what we all have known for decades. The federal government is too big, has too much money, can’t control itself and is lousy with incompetence, fraud and outright stealing. And since it is not their money – they have not cared…until now. Past president’s like Obama, and Clinton all said the same thing, we have the videos, but they did nothing. Today President Trump and his team are doing something and every American should be grateful that maybe we can start getting a handle on the monster that is getting in the way of our daily lives and the peace on this planet.
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16 Comments
For all those complaining about the tariff’s – why aren’t you complaining about the imbalance of trade and how other countries have been stealing us blind for year. Thank you for this insightful article.
Because it’s fiction that’s why. The US chose to go with the lowest bidders and Chyyner, Vietnamm and others got wealthy off of our ignorance and now we want to be ignorant again and impose tariffs that will decimate our economy and do little to theirs. Remember Asians and Eastern Europeans are accustomed to hard work and hardships, M’ericans are whiney babies who demand a never ending supply of every luxury imaginable. M’erica has screwed its trade partners whenever and wherever possible so don’t pretend we are innocent here. How about Free, Equal and Fair Trade for everyone? What? That won’t work? M’erica needs to remain the most obese nation on earth!
Excellent article – well thought out, researched and written. We need more voices like this to counter the lies and misguided agendas. Thank you, SedonaBiz for printing.
What lies and misguided agendas are there other than those of Donald J Trump?
An excellent article on the real deal as to what is happening with the tariffs. The arguments are clear and concise, as well as comprehensive. It’s heartening to see that our perspective, those of us with Conservative and patriotic values, were given the chance to share our views with the public in local media that is fair and balanced and not controlled by Democrats. I commend Sedona.biz for having the courage to allow us to have our say. I am sure you will be criticized for opening your pages to our beliefs and principles. Again, thank you.
Real deal my arse! That’s Trumps version of the lies that are FAILED TARIFFS! Not a single good thing will come of them except for Trump and his wealthy criminal lot!
Cmon, libbie, get a brain! You’re obviously from the UK, using the word arse! The UK is one of the worst socialist economies in the world, but you’re criticizing the US – the largest, most successful economy in the world. You’ve obviously been mind molded by MSNBC and the MSM, so you no longer think independently. You don’t have any idea about what you claim is a failure – you just spout mindless libbie rhetoric without being able to back it up with any facts whatsoever.
Just because people choose not to blindly support a fascist felonious draft dodging criminal insurrectionist does not make them Liberals! It makes them normal human beings! What’s your excuse for supporting a felonious criminal fascist insurrectionist?
I back every statement with links to the facts whenever possible and whenever asked. To do you have neither made true statements nor backed your lies and propaganda with links to back them with fact because that’s simply impossible for you to do isn’t it? Especially when you support a lieabetic POTUS CRIMINAL!
Here’s one statement that is 110% true-
Trump is a Felonious Treasonous Fascist Criminal! Prove me wrong!
See this is the problem with everything the “right” believes.
Your full of BS and change your minds all the time!
Republicans were never for tariffs, just ask lord god Reagan! You dont remember Bush 41 talking about the new world order? How its now a global economy?
Republicans were for Family values? What the hell happened? Remember personal responsibility? That happed with that? Fiscal conservatism? What went wrong? Remember the party of law and order? LOL, just words I guess? How about backing the military? Oh thats right losers and suckers are what they are!
Now you fall for ever vile remark from a piece of filth that goes by the name Trump! God you dont remember Bills BJ and the outrage? Yep that was fake also, because each of those GOP Senators were having affairs at the same time! Low lifes!
Democrats have always been at aimed focused tariffs, not this will nilly dumb as a box of rock blanket on things!
Hell we wanted Tariffs in the 60s and 70s as we lost the electronics industry!
Wanted them with the invasion of Japanese cars during the “energy crises”! Give time for American companies to catch up!
Should we talk about when the steel markets were flooded? How about backing solar?
Se you are in a cult, because no matter what stupid boneheaded thing Trump does or says, your all in!
Im sick of all your phony outrage, more worried about dividing people who are different!
Face it Republican policies have always sucked. We are where we are now because of Reganomics! Outsourcing good paying middle class jobs! No more unions….No good pay…Little to no health insurance…No pensions….lucky if you get a matching 401k!
None of these things were brought to you by Democrats, but every time its the democrats fixing all the GOQP screws up!
So may I suggest that you go back, read history, so you dont make such a jackass out of yourself. Here or in public! Because those of us who are old enough, remember the lies…We remember all the BS, the GOP said they were for!
Now we are stuck with the dumbest man on the planet, just screwing up, everything he touches!
Get back to me in just a few months. You though Biden inflation was bad? Just you wait, little uninformed one!
Finally someone who understands economics. These people who rail and scream on here the jbs and tj hall. Likely have zero dollars in the market and if they do they haven’t a clue on how it works. China is over without us and that’s a fact. They are still reeling from a major housing crisis and I’d this trade war goes on much longer, their dollar will be worthless. And before the crystal, weed smoking hippies scream their democratic talking points ask yourself a question. If I’m wrong about their currency, why is it not tradeable in the world market???? Because they manipulate it and any economic metric they report is a lie.
Patriotism (Really)
The underexamined aspect of American history is the nation’s pattern of leveraging its economic and military power to advance strategic interests, often at the expense of other nations’ sovereignty and development. What Happened:
In 1953, the CIA and British intelligence orchestrated a coup to overthrow Mohammad Mossadegh, Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister.
Mossadegh had moved to nationalize Iran’s oil industry, which had been controlled by the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now BP).
Western powers feared this shift in control and labeled it a step toward Soviet influence during the Cold War.
What the U.S. Did:
Funded propaganda campaigns, bribed officials, and deployed operatives to incite public unrest.
Restored the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, as an authoritarian ruler friendly to U.S. and British oil interests.
Why It Matters:
Sparked decades of Iranian resentment toward the U.S.
Helped fuel the 1979 Islamic Revolution when the Shah was overthrown.
Poisoned U.S.–Iran relations ever since.
Underlying Theme:
Control of resources (oil), wrapped in Cold War justifications like “stopping communism.”
Manifest Destiny and the Theft of Native American Lands
What Was Manifest Destiny?
A 19th-century belief that the U.S. was destined—by God or fate—to expand westward across the North American continent.
Popularized in the 1840s to morally justify the conquest of Native lands, war with Mexico, and expansion into Oregon Territory.
What It Enabled:
Systematic displacement, warfare, and genocide of Native peoples.
Government policies like the Indian Removal Act (1830) led to the Trail of Tears.
Broken treaties, forced assimilation, and the establishment of reservations.
Seizure of valuable land and resources—especially after gold, oil, or timber was found on Native territories.
Examples of Resource Theft:
Black Hills (South Dakota): Sacred to the Lakota Sioux—seized after discovering gold.
Oklahoma Land Rush (1889): Opened “unassigned” Native land to white settlers overnight.
Oil-rich lands under the Osage Nation: Led to the “Osage Murders” in the 1920s—white settlers conspired to kill Osage citizens to inherit their mineral rights.
Cloak strategic interests in ideological justifications (freedom, democracy, divine right).
Exploit natural resources by undermining or removing indigenous/local control.
Suppress resistance through military, legal, or covert means—whether the CIA abroad or cavalry regiments at home.
The unspoken goal?
Access and control over land, oil, minerals, and political influence—regardless of the cost to people already living there.
Foreign Interventions and Regime Changes
Throughout the 20th century, the United States engaged in numerous interventions in Latin America and Africa, often justified by anti-communist rhetoric during the Cold War but frequently driven by economic interests. Notable examples include:
Guatemala (1954)
The CIA orchestrated a coup to depose democratically elected President Jacobo Árbenz after he initiated land reforms that threatened the interests of the U.S.-based United Fruit Company.
Congo (1960s):
The U.S. supported the assassination of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba and backed the authoritarian regime of Mobutu Sese Seko to maintain access to the region’s mineral wealth.
Nicaragua (1980s)
Under the Reagan Doctrine, the U.S. funded the Contras, a rebel group opposing the Sandinista government, despite widespread reports of human rights abuses. These actions often resulted in prolonged conflicts, political instability, and economic hardship for the affected nations. **Financial Policies and Debt Diplomacy** Beyond direct interventions, the U.S. has employed economic policies that have had detrimental effects on developing countries:
Structural Adjustment Programs
Through institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the U.S. advocated for neoliberal policies—collectively known as the Washington Consensus—emphasizing deregulation, privatization, and trade liberalization. While intended to spur economic growth, these policies often increased poverty and inequality in developing nations. – Agricultural Subsidies:
U.S. subsidies for domestic agriculture have allowed American farmers to export products at artificially low prices, undermining local farmers in countries like Haiti, where cheap imported rice has devastated local agriculture. Debt Diplomacy:
The U.S. has extended loans to developing countries, sometimes leading to debt traps that grant the U.S. significant political leverage over debtor nations. Contemporary Practices** Recent policies continue this trend:
Tariff Policies
: Imposing tariffs on goods from developing countries has disrupted local economies and strained diplomatic relations. The United Nations has urged the U.S. to exempt the poorest countries from such tariffs, highlighting the disproportionate impact on their economies.
Resource Agreements:
Deals, such as the one between the U.S. and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mining rights are exchanged for military support, echo colonial-era exploitation and raise concerns about neocolonial dynamics. These examples underscore a pattern in which U.S. policies, under the guise of promoting democracy or economic development, often prioritize American interests, sometimes to the detriment of other nations’ sovereignty and well-being. America needs to recognize its current challenges, and it is not necessarily China. It is the consumerism embodied by corporations like Walmart and Americans’ desire for “stuff.” In the past, America benefited from using China to fill the manufacturing gap. Now, China is adopting its version of the “Silk Road,” which was conceptualized initially by America. With a long-term view, China is poised to surpass the U.S. in raw production within the next few years. America and the capitalist system are not eternal truths, and our dominance is fading. It’s time to shift our focus towards collaboration with other countries rather than attacking them or creating scapegoats to rile the far-right factions of the former Republican Party. The era of 1980s corporate leaders like Jack Welch of General Electric is over; Americans will not reclaim their former economic dominance. It’s important to remember that no one forces American businesses to relocate to low-cost suppliers. This is how capitalism operates. The pragmatic answer is for America to adopt a European model of socialism that prioritizes people over shareholders. President Trump’s unorthodox approach may ultimately benefit America by dismantling the Republican Party, which appears to be on the path toward self-destruction.
Patriotism is a word used to cover past miss deads and is used only by fools. A book that may help you understand the larger picture of America and its self-serving ways: Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: Perkins, John
The Man Who Broke Capitalism: Jack Welch
Mr Segner
! Shame on every single one of them and their lame assed excuses for their criminal false idol!
great post regarding Patriotism or the illusion of it. I served in the military 15 years and subsequently as a civilian government officer. Though boot camp may have brainwashed me into believing in my new found career, I never did the bullshit Hooooaah crap I felt was better suited for cheerleading. Never like Greenwoods M’erican Hero song either! That’s for REMF’s and Pogues to groove too while doing their “jobs” in the rear! No I was a quiet professional dedicated to doing my job. Never thought of myself as a “patriot” rather, just a soldier doing a job. Problem in M’erica is that half of M’erican’s feel the Native Americans were not and are not civilized despite having established major cities in North M’erica, Civil War and Confederacy were just, the Holocaust never happened and Hitler was Great not Bigly Evil like he was and forever shall remain!
Then the “patriot” militia domestic terrorist were spawn due to the Turner Diaries, Aryan Nations, KKK and numerous other anti M’erican hate groups. Then we had Ruby Ridge where the DEA and ATF botched a legal and justified raid, WACCO and 9/11 and the M’erican extreme right went insane and decided the bestest way to achieve their goals of hate and elimination of brown and black people from the land they stole from M’erica’s rightful owners! They weaseled their hatefilled selves into government office, the military and law enforcement. They even managed to elect a Criminal Draft Dodging Treasonous Insurrectionist Commie Lover not once but twice and hope to make him King Nothing for life!
What is Patriotism? I feel it is serving your country and community with honesty and dignity not paying to evade the draft, not raping groping and molesting women, not creating an illegal violent treasonous insurrection, not denying people housing, exaggerating property values, evading taxes, lying under oath, committing adultery or befriending a serial pedophile who runs a rape island. It’s also not strapping on a weapon an shooting fellow M’ericans because you don’t agree with them.
Butt very sadly M’erica and M’erican’s have become the new NOTsee Germany led by a hate filled Orange ill Douche wannabe and a cabinet of circus clowns with Goebel and Himmler hate in their hearts!
America is DEAD so Patriotism is also dead! Anyone calling themselves a Patriot who supports ill Douche is nothing more than a blackshirt thug scumbag! What we have is a Sectarian Fascist Country that forgot where it was in the eyes of the world! There is NO more US Government or Military! They are Dump’s now and he has rigged them so they can and will commit crimes and atrocities with the very same immunity from being charged for their crimes that he enjoys thanks to a bought and paid for corrupt lying under oath bench of Fascist SCOTUS so called judges who have their greedy Dumpian fingers on the scales of Justice
Hopefully I am wrong and there is some sort of God and these criminals somehow see justice. But since they have destroyed all that was and all that should have been there is nobody here to hold them responsible anymore other than history which they are on the wrong side of!
“l, weed smoking hippies scream their democratic talking points“
Joe Christmas Shroeder- your slip is showing
Wrong decade, Wrong Generation and Wrong Criminal President! We know you live in the past but geesh see a shrink or something. I’d rather deal with a door smoking hippie than a bud lite drinking opioid addicted fascist any day!
Putting Mr. Schroeder’s perspective in perspective.
This “Bear Howard” criticism makes a lot of noise—but not a lot of sense. This rebuttal is less a fact-check and more a grab bag of MAGA talking points, dated economic arguments, and revisionist history. Mr, Schroeder defends Trump-era tariffs and tax policy with selective facts while glossing over the broader economic fallout: rising consumer prices, trade wars that hurt U.S. farmers, and a tax law that did overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy, as multiple nonpartisan studies confirmed.
The idea that Trump “hurt the rich” with his SALT cap is a red herring—because the rest of the tax law more than made up for it through corporate rate cuts and estate tax giveaways. As for tariffs “not hurting consumers”? Tell that to American businesses and families hit with price hikes during the 2018–2020 trade war.
And let’s not forget: Debt soared under Trump, and his so-called “pragmatism” left the U.S. isolated on the world stage, with a weakened alliance system and erratic economic policy that alienated both trading partners and economists.
Mr. Schroeder may have nostalgia for 1900s America—but today’s reality is a globally integrated economy where simplistic throwbacks like tariff-only funding and flat taxes don’t cut it. The rest of us are living in 2025, not a Fox News fever dream.
And yes, I made a boo-boo it was 96%, not. 94% I used in my article on tariffs. It was a reference to the percentage of the world population that is not “American.”
Roughly 96% of the world’s population and 75% of its economy are not American—and they are increasingly negotiating with each other, not with us. In an era of multipolar trade and technology ecosystems, that means the U.S. no longer sits at the head of every table.
Countries across Asia, Europe, and Latin America are building trade alliances, tech standards, payment systems, and manufacturing capacity that don’t depend on the U.S.—or are designed to bypass it. From China’s Belt and Road Initiative to EU data privacy laws and non-dollar energy transactions, much of the world is, in fact, actively finding ways to do business without relying on American products, platforms, or policies.
This isn’t just diplomacy. It’s strategic decoupling—and the U.S. can either respond with global engagement, or retreat into a fantasy of 20th-century dominance that no longer exists.
The tariffs were implemented like a sucker punch.
Then they were off and on again for 30 to 90 days because the offending countries said we will negotiate
This was after the damage was done to our country and the world was done
Jim Cramer said the misguided math used and implementation was the perfect storm to destroy the American economy
The right way to do the extreme new tariffs would have been to notify the countries and say this is what it will be if you do not talk to us in the next 90 days
Let us quit blaming former President Biden for our economy. He did a great job considering the disruption to the world caused by Covid-19 and later the war Russia started with Ukraine.