Buyer Beware... If you're non-American, think twice before purchasing from the US

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I agree that they are not getting subsidies. They are too small. What they grow is sold in the grocery stores here in the section for "locally grown". We (the townspeople) are just happy that they should be able to keep the farm going. When the grandfather died, it wasn't farmed for a few years until the grandkids started it up again. It's the last one in my town, although there are a lot of others in nearby towns and around the state. None are big though.

we have not done any kind of farm subssity in my country for a very long time, i would have been a very young teenager
it was hard but we have become better more efficant farmers without govt subsidies
NZ consumers also have to pay international market rates so when milk prices are up its good for the economy but it hurts in your grocery trolley

 

[Roselina]

I hope people are reading about the conditions of a trade agreement with the UK hinging on forcing another sovereign nation to change their laws to allow hate speech.

None of this was never about trade.

Disgusting. But still fans out there…

 

[missy]

I hope people are reading about the conditions of a trade agreement with the UK hinging on forcing another sovereign nation to change their laws to allow hate speech.

None of this was never about trade.

Interesting you care. I care very much but it seems many here are fine with hate speech against the Jewish people and Israel
I see a huge double standard here. Huge


I think what’s happening is wrong. No question about it. Hate speech is unacceptable

The Double Standard At The Heart of Anti-Zionism

While the boundaries of hate speech when it comes to most minority groups are clear, treatment of Jews is an unfortunate double standard.

stuyspec.com

Hate is never acceptable and all need protection against hate speech

 

[Roselina]

Interesting you care. I care very much but it seems many here are fine with hate speech against the Jewish people and Israel
I see a huge double standard here. Huge


I think what’s happening is wrong. No question about it. Hate speech is unacceptable

The Double Standard At The Heart of Anti-Zionism

While the boundaries of hate speech when it comes to most minority groups are clear, treatment of Jews is an unfortunate double standard.

stuyspec.com

Hate is never acceptable and all need protection against hate speech

Why is it interesting that she cares? And why are you assuming many here (in this forum?) are fine with hate speech against Jewish people?

 

[Rfisher]

Why is it interesting that she cares? And why are you assuming many here (in this forum?) are fine with hate speech against Jewish people?

Choosing to not be a single issue voter on this topic and ignoring the rest of the party’s platform I guess equates hate now?
I hope not.

 

[missy]

Why is it interesting that she cares? And why are you assuming many here (in this forum?) are fine with hate speech against Jewish people?

No I don’t assume anything but I read what is written here and my impression is yes there’s a double standard. I have observed the implementation of a different moral standard in various posts

 

[missy]

@Roselina I’d give specific examples but can’t due to the rules. I’m sorry about the extra work Ella has and am trying hard not to keep contributing to her load. But yeah feel free to read the Mahmoud thread for some examples.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Interesting you care. I care very much but it seems many here are fine with hate speech against the Jewish people and Israel
I see a huge double standard here. Huge


I think what’s happening is wrong. No question about it. Hate speech is unacceptable

The Double Standard At The Heart of Anti-Zionism

While the boundaries of hate speech when it comes to most minority groups are clear, treatment of Jews is an unfortunate double standard.

stuyspec.com

Hate is never acceptable and all need protection against hate speech

Well, it's quite hurtful you would assert and lump me in along with 'many here', that I have not seen, as some kind of antisemite for taking issue with government actions.

I have never espoused hate.

Interesting, indeed.

 

[missy]

Well, it's quite hurtful you would assert and lump me in along with 'many here', that I have not seen, as some kind of antisemite for taking issue with government actions.

I have never espoused hate.

Interesting, indeed.

No I’m sorry I didn’t mean to do that. I respect you. I was hurt reading some posts but never meant to say anything not nice about you. It’s a hot topic and I feel many misunderstand Israel and the Jews. It’s been that way for ages. But I have no bad feelings towards you at all. What I found particularly upsetting was when you quoted death statistics from the terrorist organization and then never acknowledged the correction and error of those stats. But maybe you didn’t see my tag. In any case I am sorry to have made you feel i meant anything negative towards you. I don’t feel that way

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

No I’m sorry I didn’t mean to do that. I respect you. I was hurt reading some posts but never meant to say anything not nice about you. It’s a hot topic and I feel many misunderstand Israel and the Jews. It’s been that way for ages. But I have no bad feelings towards you at all. What I found particularly upsetting was when you quoted death statistics from the terrorist organization and then never acknowledged the correction and error of those stats. But maybe you didn’t see my tag. In any case I am sorry to have made you feel i meant anything negative towards you. I don’t feel that way

I know.
I understand and accept, and that is why I responded to you.
We've been PS friends a long time. I value that. I value you, too.

 

[Roselina]

Choosing to not be a single issue voter on this topic and ignoring the rest of the party’s platform I guess equates hate now?
I hope not.

@Roselina I’d give specific examples but can’t due to the rules. I’m sorry about the extra work Ella has and am trying hard not to keep contributing to her load. But yeah feel free to read the Mahmoud thread for some examples.

I did indeed not read that one. I was rather surprised by your statement, since I have so far mostly experienced a respectful tone in this forum. I agree that there is double standard out there and it concerns many topics. As for criticising what is going on in the US and therefore coming back to the topic: I criticise the atmosphere of fear and threat created by a government to show how powerful someone is. This is no longer about making something ‘great again’, but about satisfying a desire for power. It is frightening to see that such a brutal approach, which is often far removed from any ethical standards, can take place in a democracy. In the end, it is not about a party programme - fortunately there are many different views on this - but about the behaviour. That‘s why I have a hard time accepting fans out there (as I called it).

 

[Texas Leaguer]

@Texas Leaguer I know you guys are talking about farms now but I swore I saw something from you about WF increasing pricing due to tariffs. If prices increasing + higher demand for lab diamonds result in a decrease in demand for natural diamonds, will WF’s in house inventory shrink?

And I apologize if this was discussed and I missed it. I saw that comment and rushed off to discuss an upgrade with my husband and then lost wherever I was on whatever thread that was on. I’m pretty certain it was this one.

Sorry, I did mention that price increases and other impacts are starting to hit us due to this tariff war. And I did mean to come back and clarity something I said earlier in the thread about that.

The indescriminate 10% tariff that the US has recently placed on virtually the entire global community, will clearly impact all of us and will no doubt fuel inflation which had be steadily coming down since the pandemic. Some countries such as China are now subject to absurd tariff rates. Most of the other new extreme rates, such as 27% on India have now been put on "pause". Where they go in a few months is anybody's guess.

I reported that Whiteflash would have to raise prices 9% on one line we carry due to the 27% India tariffs, and that was not entirely correct. That price increase from this particular jewelry supplier who manufactures in India is actually the result of the 10% tariff combined with the run-up in the price of gold. Both Whiteflash and the supplier are absorbing what we can to mitigate the impact on our customers. We have also been advised by another vendor of increased production times due to impacts of the trade war.

If sanity is not returned to the markets soon, we will see more of this, across not just the diamond and jewelry sector, but a wide swath of the economy. And the cumulative effect on the cost of living will be felt by everyone and will land hardest on the most vulnerable in our society.

 

[missy]

I did indeed not read that one. I was rather surprised by your statement, since I have so far mostly experienced a respectful tone in this forum. I agree that there is double standard out there and it concerns many topics. As for criticising what is going on in the US and therefore coming back to the topic: I criticise the atmosphere of fear and threat created by a government to show how powerful someone is. This is no longer about making something ‘great again’, but about satisfying a desire for power. It is frightening to see that such a brutal approach, which is often far removed from any ethical standards, can take place in a democracy. In the end, it is not about a party programme - fortunately there are many different views on this - but about the behaviour. That‘s why I have a hard time accepting fans out there (as I called it).

I agree there are troubling things about the current administration and we have to wait and see how it plays out.

 

[Old_Fossil]

We haven't recovered fully from the last time, we permanently lost a percentage and all of our tariff money went to farm subsidies. We lost the last trade war.
That share loss was a well deserved subtle warning.
We'll lose this one, too. Why? We need them for different things. Materially.
We need their vast array, they buy mostly food from us.
They can invest in other countries for that production. They did and they will.

Farmers aren't getting the subsidies this time. Our gov't cut most of them because they don't understand how they function and who materially benefits. It is 'welfare', but not for who most Americans think.

Martha Stewart went to prison for just the hint of insider trading on a much smaller scale.

The immediate and real danger is the weakening of our bond market. Our inflation ties to the ten yr yield. It's gone up.
In that graph, up is bad.

Almost 160 billion more is being spent on our budget than last administration. Guess where it's going? I would say surprising, but it isn't. It's our 85+yr pattern of failure. On steroids.
The Efficiency Dog didn't find. That dog don't hunt, but was able to dig up yet another 6 billion contract for the exploding rockets. Funny, that.
Americans and Lucy with the football.
But don't worry, that 3 million per weekend excursion cost is enough to have paid for Meals on Wheels that we cut, for almost a decade.

Other countries' gov'ts are smart enough to maneuver. Telling true? We aren't.

They keep talking chess, not realizing that we're the pigeon.

Tariffs and trade deals are complicated. They can disrupt the economy, but they also help protect industries here at home. Saying tariffs only paid for farm subsidies isn’t correct—those funds are spread across different areas of the federal budget.

As for concerns about the bond market and inflation, those ups and downs are tied to things like government policies, global trade, and investor decisions. It’s not quite as simple as it might seem. I sense and appreciate the frustration, but the emotion can lead to lack of nuance in the arguments.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Over 90% of the tariffs collected last time went to farm subsidies.
This time they are directly tied to the blanket tariffs as China is threatening to pull US bonds over blocking of US bank deals(but Hong Kong IPO) for 'national security' and new investment rules. China is not the only country retracting from the US market.
EDIT:
I know a little more than I let on, I had a parent in finance. I didn't want to get into the weeds decoupling doom scenarios leading to inflationary outcomes or currency softening/shifting.

We should be watching the bond market closely as that's the real foundational underpinning that our borrowing depends upon. The threats are serious. Countries are moving assets out of our markets.

 

[glitterata]

Over 90% of the tariffs collected last time went to farm subsidies.
This time they are directly tied to the blanket tariffs as China is threatening to pull US bonds over blocking of US bank deals(but Hong Kong IPO) for 'national security' and new investment rules. China is not the only country retracting from the US market.
EDIT:
I know a little more than I let on, I had a parent in finance. I didn't want to get into the weeds decoupling doom scenarios leading to inflationary outcomes or currency softening/shifting.

We should be watching the bond market closely as that's the real foundational underpinning that our borrowing depends upon. The threats are serious. Countries are moving assets out of our markets.

What will be the new reserve currency if the dollar collapses?

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

What will be the new reserve currency if the dollar collapses?

I honestly don't know.
I've been watching and reading the chatter of people who know much more than I do. It's mostly future casting of pros and cons at this point. It would be a foundational shift and obviously not without major problems.

It could be EU, Yuan or Yen. Some want a new asset based currency.
It's the 'nuclear option'.

 

[Calliecake]

We are screwed if the dollar collapses.

So much I would love to say!!!

Thank you for your posts here @ItsMainelyYou. I was very angry about a post directed at you Friday. You are so valued here. I hope you know that. You have never been anything but kind and respectful in your posts.

 

[Calliecake]

I’m so happy to see you here again more often @Demon!

 

[Demon]

I’m so happy to see you here again more often @Demon!

I often look in, but this post, and the one on Hangout really caught my eye. I don't dare actually post in them, but I sure do like some of the posts.

 

[Calliecake]

@Demon, There are some very intellegent well thought out posts in both threads. When someone just wants drama and chooses to ignore what is happening, it’s a losing proposition. We are all seeing in realtime how this is playing out. The we will have to wait and see what happens comments just seem insane to me. We are already seeing the damage being done and know who is doing it. I tend to believe what I see.

 

[Demon]

@Demon, There are some very intellegent well thought out posts in both threads. When someone just wants drama and chooses to ignore what is happening, it’s a losing proposition. We are all seeing in realtime how this is playing out. The we will have to wait and see what happens comments just seem insane to me. We are already seeing the damage being done and know who is doing it. I tend to believe what I see.

Oh I know - I think this is the worst time for this country, as least as long as I've been alive. I just don't think I can stay within the guidelines that this forum requires. I've been reading both threads all the way through, though.

 

[LightBright]

Thank you for providing that information, it's exactly as I was trying to portray. The small, (under 400 acres), family farm is falling by the wayside replaced by mega corporations overproducing, cheap labor, chemically induced crops taking over.

Ever wonder why certain foods taste different now? They have their "hybrided" flavors changed for shelf longevity, long cob of corn with biggest kernel's and hormone treated cows for top production, just to start. Strawberries are so blah tasting vs the treats of years ago. Younger generations have no idea what they are missing.

There is a reason many billionaires are putting their money in land.

Yes, and it’s happening all over Europe too.

It seems that Americans are being dis-informed about Corporate (Globalist) farming. It even is a huge issue in India. It is a huge issue in Ukraine. There’s a guy on Twitter talking about how our own Federal Farm Bureau in his area is facilitating the transfer of small farms/land to global corporate entities. I also follow a person doing American processed food testing. Heavy metals and Glyphosate are in everything in very high levels (have you ever heard of that? I think removing petroleum based food coloring is a red herring!). GMO crops are required because the spraying and heavy metals would normally kill unmodified plants. Etc.

Anyone who is curious can uncover what’s going on. No idea how to turn the hands of time back.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

There's an article on IBD(Investor's Business Daily) That is talking about the APO predictions on logistics coming out of China. Cancellation at 50%. It has the trigger name in the title or I would link directly. You can find it easily enough.

By early June, Slok forecasts there will be layoffs in the the domestic freight and retail industries with a recession hitting the U.S. this summer.
"But for booking in the weeks and months ahead, we are seeing falling demand and high cancellation rates rivaling those of the pandemic," Kleintop added.

If this was the only factor, this is the outcome. What I've been personally finding is it will likely surpass.
The next few weeks will be the determinant of severity.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

There's an article on IBD(Investor's Business Daily) That is talking about the APO predictions on logistics coming out of China. Cancellation at 50%. It has the trigger name in the title or I would link directly. You can find it easily enough.

By early June, Slok forecasts there will be layoffs in the the domestic freight and retail industries with a recession hitting the U.S. this summer.
"But for booking in the weeks and months ahead, we are seeing falling demand and high cancellation rates rivaling those of the pandemic," Kleintop added.

If this was the only factor, this is the outcome. What I've been personally finding is it will likely surpass.
The next few weeks will be the determinant of severity.

It appears that something similar is taking place regarding India, even though the additional 27% was "paused". Orders are being cancelled due to both the 10% tariff imposed and extreme uncertainty about whether tariffs will go even higher before an order can be completed and shipped. It's a gathering storm.

As diamonds already in the US are sold through, shortages will start to be felt throughout the market. Vendors relying solely on virtual inventories will be the first to be challenged.

Aparently some Indian manufacturers moved significant amounts of goods to the US proactively, so it remains to be seen how soon the problem becomes obvious to the market. The frequency of fulfillment complaints expressed in online forums will be an indicator.

In-stock diamonds that are guaranteed deliverable will find new appreciation in the market, especially for engagement rings that tend to be deadline driven.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I read something about how it takes time for the cargo ships to get here....the last we'll see arrived recently......means empty store shelves and hard times for the trucking industry....We really have not felt any of the effects yet.
I did notice something weird at BJ's the other day...I was looking for AA batteries....there were NO Duracell batteries in the store- at all......I was able to buy Energizers...so it didn't really affect me....but could be a harbinger of things to come

 

[JPie]

I read something about how it takes time for the cargo ships to get here....the last we'll see arrived recently......means empty store shelves and hard times for the trucking industry....We really have not felt any of the effects yet.
I did notice something weird at BJ's the other day...I was looking for AA batteries....there were NO Duracell batteries in the store- at all......I was able to buy Energizers...so it didn't really affect me....but could be a harbinger of things to come

Under normal circumstances, freighters get booked about 30 days in advance to ship from China to the West coast. Once the goods are loaded, allot 45 days at sea, give or take a week or two. From there, it could take another week to get things across the country by train.

Air freight is obviously faster and far more expensive.

I think this spells out a summer of shortages.

 

[Lookinagain]

I heard today on the news that something like 50% of the ships from China were cancelled.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Tanking the economy, creating a recession - through incompetence or intention. Does it really matter which?

Who's in charge? Hold them accountable. Let your Senators know if this is not OK with you. You have a voice. Use it.