Canada 2015-25 and Beyond: New Hope or Phantom Menace?

[GreenGoo]

I despise Tom Green. At least I used to. Is he still alive?

[Rumpy]

Yeah, he is, though he's much mellowed out and now living a farm life back in Canada. Like you, I despised his earlier crude attempt at humour, but he seems to be very different now.

[IceBear]

Today he harped on our lack of spending on defense again as to why we should be 51st State. All I know is, that since he essentially told Europe to take care of themselves, I hope our next government will spend on the military to protect ourselves. Heck, if we bought missile launchers and other US military supplies, we'd also tap down that trade deficit he's always on about.

[IceBear]

Well, that's new. This is with respect to the reciprocal tariffs

Trump sees Canada's general sales tax as a tariff, two senior Canadian government sources told Radio-Canada. The president raised the issue during one of his calls with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Feb. 3, to which Trudeau said there are several American states, including Florida, with sales taxes of their own.

Trump's issue is that Canada has a federal sales tax and the U.S. does not, a third source said.

[YellowKing]

to which Trudeau said there are several American states, including Florida, with sales taxes of their own.

Not just several. There are only 5 states that do not have a sales tax.

[GreenGoo]

Many people, smart people, have agreed with me that Federal and State sales taxes are different. One is a tariff, the other is helping me keep inflation up. I mean down. I mean they are bigly good.

[Holman]

Trump apparently floated the idea today that every country in the world with a VAT (which is the vast majority of them) is effectively levying a tariff.

Leaving aside that this is not how things actually work, what the hell does he think he is doing? Most probably, he's poking at taxes and tariffs towards the goal of eliminating the USA's income tax and replacing it with something much more regressive like a national consumption tax.

In other words: Canada, the target isn't you; it's us.

[stessier]

How is a consumption tax not a federal sales tax?

[Blackhawk]

...the goal of eliminating the USA's income tax and replacing it with something much more regressive like a national consumption tax.

That would be a hard blow for the disabled and many retired people - people who typically don't pay income taxes. We'd get all of the extra costs, but none of the extra income.

[Rumpy]

It's kind of interesting that he'd say that, given that Canada has always paid more in taxes for pretty much everything.

[Holman]

...the goal of eliminating the USA's income tax and replacing it with something much more regressive like a national consumption tax.

That would be a hard blow for the disabled and many retired people - people who typically don't pay income taxes. We'd get all of the extra costs, but none of the extra income.

Yep.

But won't you think of the m/b/trillionaires? What about *their* suffering?

[GreenGoo]

That would be a hard blow for the disabled and many retired people - people who typically don't pay income taxes. We'd get all of the extra costs, but none of the extra income.

Yes. That's a well known consequence. Working as expected.

[Max Peck]

A federal sales tax is obviously not the same as a tariff, given that it applies equally to domestically produced and imported goods. But I suppose you'd need to understand what tariffs are in order to understand that distinction, so it explains why Trump is confused by the issue.

[Rumpy]

Yep, economics 101. Meanwhile, it's like he's trying to re-invent economics to his level of understanding, which ain't much. Square peg, round hole. He can keep trying as much as he wants, but it will never work, and make a mess of things in the end.

[GreenGoo]

Meanwhile, it's like he's trying to re-invent economics to his level of understanding, which ain't much.

Lol. YES! That's exactly what's he's doing. He's "fixing" the economy, but doesn't understand what the economy is. I've seen this a thousand times in IT.

Hilarious and apt.

[IceBear]

WASHINGTON — Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey says it was “chilling” to hear a top White House adviser say U.S. President Donald Trump is serious about making Canada the 51st state.

All 13 premiers travelled to Washington this week for the first time in history for a joint mission to push back on Trump’s escalating tariff threats.

Speaking to CPAC Friday, Furey says he left the U.S. capital very aware that the president was launching an attack not just on Canada’s economy but on its sovereignty.

He says it’s time to revaluate the Team Canada strategy to ensure a firm response that draws a line in the sand.

The diplomatic push comes during a month-long pause on Trump’s threat to hit Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent across-the-board duties, with a lower 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy.

The president last week signed executive orders to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States, including Canadian products, starting March 12.

I think when he said that his voters would never need to vote again he meant it, and if so having Canada won't mess up future elections like people theorize as a reason why he isn't serious.

And they just found a pound of fentanyl in Seattle that came from Vancouver so there's that

[GreenGoo]

And they just found a pound of fentanyl in Seattle that came from Vancouver so there's that

They could find a thousand tons of injectable maple syrup and it would be just a meaningless. I know you've been watching, so haven't you noticed that the target is constantly moving?

He doesn't need justification for his bullcrap statements and will use the flimsiest of reasons that even a child can see through to attack.

It's NEVER about the rationale. So just let it go when some vaguely supportive piece of "evidence" is produced that lines up with his purported reasonings.

He's moved the goal posts several times since he's targeted Canada and you started noticing. So do your best to let go of the goal posts completely.

He's been doing this with his businesses for 50 years in order to get concessions from people. It's tired and it's old, and rational, serious people keep falling for it. It's maddening.

[Alefroth]

They could find a thousand tons of injectable maple syrup

Can you hook a brother up?

[GreenGoo]

They could find a thousand tons of injectable maple syrup

Can you hook a brother up?

Maybe.

[Holman]

I'm still convinced that all this 51st state talk is just bluster and distraction.

It's inconceivable that Trump could just order the military to invade Canada and take it. Trump is an unhinged narcissist, but we are not a culture of blind obedience. Generals, officers at all levels, and soldiers would resign or refuse in large numbers. The military would grind to a halt.

As bad as we are, there is no sense in which the volunteer US military would adopt an "obey the dictator or die" stance. Most soldiers etc are there to get money for college, and killing yesterday's allies for the POTUS's ambitions was never part of the deal.

[YellowKing]

Generals, officers at all levels, and soldiers would resign or refuse in large numbers. The military would grind to a halt.

This. I have a friend at a fairly high level in the military and he tells me this all the time. Most military brass hate Trump with a passion.

[Rumpy]

I'm still convinced that all this 51st state talk is just bluster and distraction.

It definitely is bluster. And should Trump even try anything, he'd be breaking a number of international laws and treaties and putting the U.S in an awkward situation.

[IceBear]

He doesn't care about laws. He's appealing all the court pushback on his EOs right now because he knows that he has stacked the Supreme Court in his favor. If they ever rule against him he'll drop all the pretense and just do whatever he wants.

[Blackhawk]

He doesn't care about laws, but those around him who control the money care about paying for a war while the US economy collapses and the rest of the world sanctions us and cuts us off. Those people would never allow Trump to actually follow through with this. He'd have a window-based slip-and-fall first.

[Holman]

And if you want to talk about DEI, someone pointed out recently that the US Army approached this year's recruiting goals only because of black women. And white male volunteers were rejected at higher rates than other categories because they couldn't pass the fitness tests.

[Kraken]

Generals, officers at all levels, and soldiers would resign or refuse in large numbers. The military would grind to a halt.

This. I have a friend at a fairly high level in the military and he tells me this all the time. Most military brass hate Trump with a passion.

The brass, yes. The rank and file, not so much. I wonder how many layers of rank he'd have to fire to take direct control.

[Rumpy]

He doesn't care about laws. He's appealing all the court pushback on his EOs right now because he knows that he has stacked the Supreme Court in his favor.

His laws. Not ours. Nothing he can do about laws that aren't from his Country.