Lone Candle
Champion of Truth
Trump is moving the United States in an authoritarian direction and there is a real question as to whether authoritarianism will consolidate, or Democracy will survive.
There are post-truth authoritarian movements in the West, and it’s not clear which countries will survive as democracies.
Many politicians won’t act against Trump because they are afraid it will hurt their careers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoO3_EaoE6Y
Many private data sources rely on BLS data. BLS data is extremely important for knowing what’s happening in the economy. It needs more resources to improve its processes. Instead, it’s being politicized by Donald Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSnOSSP8lOE
“When asked why Harris has not distinguished herself by opposing these measures, Lincicome notes that supporting tariffs is just part of the “conventional wisdom in Washington today” even if polls may not completely support this assertion. “The view among the political experts is that elections are won or lost in a few places with a few votes,” and those critical “voters like tariffs.”
Given the IMF’s projections, bipartisan support for tariffs could lead to increased costs and slower economic growth for Americans regardless of who wins in November. ”
…
“former President Donald Trump floated a specific 60 percent tariff on Chinese goods alongside a 10 percent across-the-board tariff, which he recently increased to 20 percent. “It’s just what he thinks galvanized an audience,” Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics and Stiefel Trade Policy Center at the Cato Institute, tells Reason. “Let’s face it, none of this has any rigorous econometric modeling behind it, so it could be as simple as he thinks 20 percent sounds better.”
“Taking the candidates at their word, you would have to say that Trump’s tariffs would be orders of magnitude worse than what Kamala Harris might do, or say she will do,” Lincicome adds.”
https://reason.com/2024/10/29/increase-in-tariffs-would-trigger-global-economic-decline-study-finds/
“The solution to the national debt lies in reevaluating and cutting back on unnecessary and wasteful programs, reforming entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, and implementing a more efficient tax system that encourages economic growth.
But none of this can even begin to happen until politicians perceive a demand for it from the American people. Rising debt reduces investment and can slow economic growth, while increasing worries about inflation and the strength of the U.S. dollar. It reduces confidence in the social safety net and increases the risk of a fiscal crisis. Perhaps when these problems manifest, the voters will demand that politicians take the issue seriously. But by then, it may well be too late for the economic stability and growth we have taken for granted.”
https://reason.com/2024/07/01/numb-to-the-numbers/
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23513464/young-voters-gen-z-turnout-midterm-democrats-progressive