02 Feb 2025 Reading time: 1 minute See the First List Here
See the Second List Here
Just like part 1 & 2 - these are all movies I have watched, that can really make you think - about all kinds of things and how they relate to society and even politics/similar things. I highly recommend each of them.
Revolves around a former secret agent who offers his investigative services in order to atone for his past sins. Based on the TV series by the same name.
Revolves around a former secret agent who offers his investigative services in order to atone for his past sins. Based on the TV series by the same name.
Adam (Jake Gyllenhaal) discovers his exact double and decides to track him down. Their lives become bizarrely and hauntingly intertwined. In the end, only one of them can survive. Go behind the scenes with Jake and Denis as they discuss the making of the film.
From the director of SUPERBAD comes a coming-of-age comedy of big dreams, hysterical consequences, and young love, set in a run-down amusement park.
01 Feb 2025 Reading time: 3 minutes This is Part 3 of a multiple part series.
In Part 2, I mentioned that I had a few points left over from Part 1 but I only covered one in Part 2. Here I will address another major set of thoughts with regard to tariffs and especially widespread application thereof.
Retaliation
With the imposition of tariffs against another nation, especially the broad application of them - comes the high probability of retaliation.
This retaliation comes in many forms, but taking Canada as just one example that has been public about the fact that they will retaliate if broad tariffs are imposed.
These are just some of the retaliatory measures Canada has openly discussed, which could significantly harm the U.S. and that is just one country.
When Canada applies retaliatory tariffs on us - that could affect almost half a trillion dollars in exports by US companies (exports from US to Canada were $427.7 billion in 2022 - Source). In total (imports and exports) - the U.S. and Canada do a total of about 1 trillion dollars in trade each year - this represents a large amount of goods that will instantly be more expensive for companies and consumers in both countries.
Trade wars hurt everyone, massively. While implementing broad scale tariffs on a nation or set of nations hurts people in your country — starting a trade war and getting retaliatory tariffs imposed on you makes this many times worse.
It is incredibly hard to estimate just how bad it will be with any concrete numbers - but what is clear is that imposing significant tariffs to multiple of our largest trading partners could cost our economy hundreds of thousands (or potentially 1 million+) jobs. Take a look at what the Tax Foundation thinks about estimating harm (they have numbers that estimate even before retaliation).
Buy what you need now, stock up on things.
Relations
Threatening a country with tariffs is hardly the way to ensure larger successes. You may be able to bully a few small things out of the other country - but the harm it does to trade, relations, and national security - is massive. If our neighbors and treaty partners can’t trust us on a trade agreement, what can they trust us with? Why not expand trade with China (or any of the BRICS countries) instead of the U.S.?
What happens when there is sensitive intelligence that could help the US protect itself? If that intelligence includes implicating a source or a spy operation - will that country be willing to share the details?
Bullying our allies with tariffs weakens the U.S. drastically—before even accounting for the devastating economic fallout of trade wars. These tactics specifically strengthen all of the nations who are competitors of ours in the world, in many ways. They are laughing and excited in Beijing.
31 Jan 2025 Reading time: 1 minute This is the second recap of my new mini project, where I post a quote by a Founding Father each day to this Bluesky account. All of these were posted recently - I had a small hiccup and this one is a bit bigger than normal!
“Among the natural rights of the Colonists are these: First, a right to life; secondly, to liberty; thirdly, to property.“
- Samuel Adams
“A well-instructed people alone can be permanently a free people...“
- James Madison
“Distrust naturally creates distrust, and by nothing is good will and kind conduct more speedily changed."
- John Jay
“Give me liberty, or give me death!”
- Patrick Henry
“Well done is better than well said.“
- Benjamin Franklin
“The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.“
- George Washington
“Facts are stubborn things.“
- John Adams
"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."
- James Madison
“Power must never be trusted without a check.“
- John Adams
“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.“
- George Washington
“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty.”
- Patrick Henry
