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The very act of Presidential pardon - of anybody, by any President - undermines the whole concept of justice and makes a mockery of the US's self-appointed 'beacon of democracy' tag.
In other news, can anyone explain to me how Trump thinks tariffs work? I'm not sure if he thinks they work how they actually do.
Very good point about the pardons. Ultimately, they are 100% legal from both Presidents and so, unless the law is changed, they are what they are.Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePieWhoCameIn
The Trump tariff argument seems to be a contentious point for many. However for the few, it seems really easy to understand.
I'll explain it how I explained it to someone over here.
I want to buy a sports car and my wife is 100% against it. I say to my wife that if I spend 100 thousand quid on a second-hand Aston Martin, my mid-life crisis will be sated and I'll be a happy man.
My wife says no way, that's too much money, but she says I could have a car for 50 thousand pounds.
So I go out and buy a second hand Porsche 718 for 50 thousand and get the car that I really wanted in the first place.
Happy wife, happy mid-life crisis gift for me.
Trump threatens Tariffs and it's a case of who blinks first. Normally it's not Trump - maybe because of too much Botox.
Listen to the story that Ben Shapiro was told by Trump about when Trump and Putin talked about Russia's 'expansion' plans. It sums up his MO in a snapshot.
Peace through strength.
I don't defend Biden pardoning anyone. Like most non-americans I think the idea of a presidential pardon subverts the role of the courts and democracy itself and should definitely be done away with.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lullapie
But the notion that Biden's pardons somehow benefit Biden (what evidence do you have which makes you believe this?) while Trumps don't is utterly ridiculous. The Jan 6 crowd Trump has pardoned tried to stop the guy that beat Trump last election getting certified as president. It was an incompetent attempt, sure, but a coup attempt nonetheless. You can't join the dots and see how Trump pardoning these people might embolden like-minded folk to do it again in the future? Seriously? This hasn't crossed your mind at all?
You mention TDS... you have it. You are a huge victim of TDS. You see him acting in his self interests and ascribe these actions somehow to altruism. You see him acting out of ignorance (tariffs) and ascribe this to some master strategy for which there is zero evidence and doesn't make sense. Tariffs will hurt the US more than anyone else. Trump is threatening self-harm. The rest of the world is looking on in wonder at his stupidity, not quaking in their boots.
You mention a mandate... well, he promised tariffs and is already walking it back. Trump doesn't care about mandates. His mandates last time were "lock her up!" (didn't even try) and "build that wall" (no wall was built) "and make Mexico pay for it" (Mexico did not, in fact, pay for it). All he achieved last time was stacking the supreme court and giving the wealthiest people a huge tax cut. Great achievements from a certain point of view, but not what he ran on.
So Trump is set to ignore an international, arrest, warrant.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78xzlxl3vjo
Sadly the USA is not a member of the ICC.Quote:
Originally Posted by Med Pie
"The US is not a state party to the Rome Statute. The US participated in the negotiations that led to the creation of the court. However, in 1998 the US was one of only seven countries - along with China, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Qatar, and Yemen - that voted against the Rome Statute."
I don't agree with a Presidential pardon because I believe only the Judiciary should be contemplating any pardons after due process.
Agree with that. Amidst all the usual nonsense and whataboutery admitting that people who would agree with him voted to release violent criminals isnt the great argument lullapie thinks it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jampie
It's not contentious to me, he can do what he likes. I'm just curious as to how he thinks they work.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lullapie
Your description is of tariffs as a threat in a negotiation. But what's he trying to achieve? He's mentioned it before as a revenue raising tool, to be able to cut other taxes. Where does he think that revenue comes from?
And what concession is he expecting from the state of Canada in the next 2 days that he can demonstrate as a reason for not implementing tarrifs? Realistically? Baffling.
Don't take it personally, I meant generally.Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePieWhoCameIn
You mention Canada. Canada is one of the hardest trading markets to get into in the OECD. They have a high level of protectionism for their industries and products. However, the US is Canada's largest trading partner and so buys many Canadian goods. Most of those goods enter the US without any barriers. Goods sold by the US to Canada attract large tariffs.
Funny........how people only mention tariffs that Trump is discussing, when many of the countries that he is threatening them with, have been putting additional taxes on US products for years.
New Zealand are currently in a battle with Canada about illegal tariffs that Canada placed on New Zealand products. There was a free trade agreement signed by multiple dairy producing countries but Canada, after signing it, are refusing to remove the taxes. The US and Australia are also involved in the battle to bring Canada in line.
https://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/rur...-dairy-dispute
Many believe that the ICC is a just a self-fulfilling entity. Seriously, what good does it do? It's another one of those 'one world' ideas that seemed a good idea in the late 1980s and early 1990s because of wars that were happening around the world, but very few of those that they charge and convict get taken into custody.Quote:
Originally Posted by SwalePie
They had a bit of success with the Yugoslavian conflict and I believe that was about it.
More wasted taxpayer money to fund those on the gravy train.