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Comment Re:That is going to be expensive... (Score 1) 73

That really only works for cars at least maybe 10-15 years old. Newer cars are packed so full of electronics and other complex hardware that can't be repaired that they're simply not going to last very long; once the manufacturer stops selling those parts, the car will be scrap once one of them breaks.

Comment Re:Higher Costs (Score 5, Insightful) 73

Tariffs are a bad thing from a pure economic perspective. They introduce inefficiencies, and make things more expensive. This is a basic concept of macroeconomics.

However, some things are more important than making the most money. Among them, national defense. In America, both parties have decided they don't want to work with China anymore, for varying reasons of ideology, ethics, and self defense. And they have decided that is more important to them than economic efficiencies.

Comment Higher Costs (Score 4, Informative) 73

Would you rather pay a tariff's cost or pay more for products produced domestically? We will see how every company deals with this.

Tariffs are often presented as a shield for domestic industries, but economically they are counterintuitive: by limiting foreign competition, they reduce the pressure on local companies to innovate, improve efficiency, or lower costs. Without that competitive drive, businesses can stagnate, producing inferior goods and services while charging higher prices. The irony is that the domestic consumers tariffs are meant to protect end up paying more for worse products, while the broader economy loses out on the dynamism and progress that open competition usually sparks.

Suddenly reshaping supply chains to respond to tariffs carries significant risks that ripple across the economy. Companies may be forced to abandon established, efficient networks in favor of hastily arranged alternatives, which often means higher costs, logistical bottlenecks, and reduced reliability. These abrupt shifts can disrupt production schedules, strain relationships with long-term suppliers, and erode quality control. Worse, the uncertainty discourages investment in long-term innovation, as firms divert resources to short-term survival.

When unemployment is already low, suddenly finding enough workers to reconfigure supply chains in response to tariffs becomes nearly impossible without driving up labor costs. Firms must compete for scarce talent, often retraining or relocating employees, which adds further expense and delays. At the same time, the abrupt shift discards sunk costs. Prior investments in established supplier relationships, infrastructure, and logistics are thrown out before they would have been depreciated. These wasted resources are replaced by new costs for recruitment, training, and building fresh networks, all of which inevitably flow into higher prices for consumers. In effect, tariffs don’t just disrupt trade; they force companies to burn past investments while layering on new inefficiencies that must show up in the prices of goods.

Comment Re:Regulatory control (Score 1) 79

I would say under-regulation, or more to the point, mal-regulation. Unregulated markets inevitably settle into a worst case scenario given time.

In the case of residential property (which is what your link refers to), I agree that some of the regulations there are bad and need to be revised or eliminated. But they have nothing to do with the commercial space falling into squalor.

Comment Re:US Crypto Acceptance (Score 2) 60

"Trump seems to like crypto - he's opened up the crypto market in the US, and so people are inevitably coming to make some money out of it."

The reason el Bunko did that was so that he could cash in. He doesn't give a flying rat's ass about anyone else. It also has foreign policy implications. Pakistan wanted tariff relief and turned to funding crypto-lobbyists because the knew el Bunko would "appreciate" their support of his scam.

Comment Re:The neighborhood is going to shit (Score 1) 65

There was an article on the WSJ about a week or so ago that said roughly 60 % (or it might be 40 %, memory fades) of wage earners had money in the stock market in various guises. They have been buying on the dips. That, according to this article, is what has been propping up the market. There is also froth from AI-Mania. I suspect the big boys have been feeding it thinking they are savvy enough to bail in time when it all goes pear shaped.

The small investors have been doing this for quite awhile, and as long as they continue to do this, they continue to be rewarded; at least that is their thinking. They also tend to be a resilient lot because they've weathered downturns and buying into them in the past. I cannot judge what kind stomach they will have if a real gale blows or if the article was weighing their contribution as more than it deserves.

Comment Re:Using an economic lens (Score 1) 79

I think they are holding out to sell the buildings at full price.

Never gonna happen. Full price was before 10 years of decay and rodent infestation + neighborhood gone to shit. Nevertheless, high supply, low demand is supposed to result in low prices.

What a nice idea! But then the commons are not only not commons, but they become properties and whatever herdsman gets the biggest herd will buy it all up and you get a monopoly.

One, how so if the agreement is ownership in common. And two, how is it worse than it all being owned by a (land)lord who rakes in the better part of the profit while considering herding animals to be beneath him?

Sounds like you drank the cool aid.

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