Discussion
At least a discussion is happening here, not just flaming.
Perhaps I am "Dumb enough to be an American".
Some of us "dumb" Americans are tired of seeing ridiculous trade imbalances.
For example, Canada can ship us as much wood (timber) as it wants to because it has vast virginal forests and they don't necessarily have to replant those forest because it uses that newly cleared land for farming. OK, but then they block our dairy exports to them because they have to protect the "artisanal" dairy farmers who make homemade cheese. Artisanal cheese is nice and everything, but they block our yogurt producers and milk producers. They think it it's OK to ship us as much timber as they can cut down, but they can't take our milk because it might harm their milk and cheese producers. This is not how free trade is supposed to work.
Real world example: I produce honey (well, the bees do). It's a labor of love. Harvesting the honey from a colony of bees will produce (on a good harvesting, only two a year) 40 lbs of honey, which we can sell slowly for $8 per pound. Gross profit is $320. Deduct our time and supplies and it is a break even thing we do because we love nature.
But any honey imported from Central America can be adulterated by 20% and still be sold as 100% pure honey. This is hardly fair trade. And this is what people in the US are angry about. The trade agreements are hardly "fair". Yes, Trump can be an ass. But no one else is fighting for us, so we are willing to put up with an ass.
Just my two cents worth.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
