Sounds accurate but overstated.
Like a reporter covering a storm. (Storms are real. Storms do real damage, and yet the media often tries to over play them.)
EG He spoke of shutting down autos. Well there are are cars made in the USA, Canada and Mexico and cars imported via the W coast. Those will be unaffected.
Moreover. current auto inventories are at/near record highs. Twice 222 levels and 1.5 times 2023 levels.
The biggest impact will probably be in produce. (Fruits and vegetables)
The US is an ag exporter but not in every product category.
A LOT of our produce is imported via Ft Lauderdale and NY harbors
and it does not keep well so there is not a lot of inventory.
Second biggest will be Christmas items.
Although only a small percent of them come in via the East Coast,
Besides toilet paper disappearing from the shelves, I don’t think a short strike would have a big impact on the economy. Like you said, he was exaggerating it a bit. He’s a big piece, but not the only game in town. A prolonged strike would be problematic.
Ports in Montreal will go on a 3 day strike starting on Monday. I think they’ve been working without a contract for some time now.
I hadn’t thought about toilet paper.
I think it comes mostly from Canadian paper stock but what do I know.
When Baltimore Harbor could no longer import European cars, (bridge collapse) most would not have noticed had it not been for stories in the media. (Ditto with most government shut downs)
When your supermarket runs completely out of entire categories of fresh produce, Moms and celebrity chefs and lots of other folks will see the impacts first hand. So yeah, it’s not the kind of event that we’d have to read about. It would be bigger than that.
Bread and circuses
I still have a year supply of toilette paper stashed in my basement from the COVID shortages.
It doesn’t matter where the TP actually comes from. It probably comes from the same place it did during Covid.
Once the media starts making this sound like Armageddon, that’s when we’ll see the usual stuff fly off the shelves. I don’t think they’re going to need to see it first hand.
This
Meanwhile a port strike will be like good exercise. It will strengthen our economic muscles.
Domestic producers and those retailers etc. who rely on them will benefit every bit as much as import-dependant ones will hurt
Why would shutting down the govt be the only option?
and you look over the thread and no solutions were offered by democrats…
Yet, they still vote democrat. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results…
That seems to be the far right’s go-to option. If not for DEM support, there would be a partial government shutdown beginning tomorrow. It would likely be lengthy, and Republicans would get the blame. Nothing would be gained other than bad publicity for the GOP.
Going into a presidential election, that wouldn’t provide good optics. But then again, those on the far right just can’t seem to help themselves.
“inflation goals” should only apply to certain parade floats…
I propose a compromise:
All US exports
can be loaded onto ships via automation
(quick cheapmand efficient.)
But when offloading imported goods
all cranes are to be operated by a human crane operator, plus one assitant,
and all the trucks onto which they are loaded must also have a crew of 2.
Sound good?
Meanwhile
Our recent GDP growth is an illusion.
For many years he was spending $50,000 and goiing less than $50,000 into debt Maybe his debts were too high, but at least he was positive most years.
(green bars below.)
Maxing out your credit cards to by perishable consumables vacations etc. is not a flex. It is a sign of trouble and more importantly it is a cause of trouble (red bars below)
Some of those years were necessary to recover from recessions? Okay. But still, recent years the healthy economy has been an illusion.
That’s a great idea. Because exports are where the lack of automation puts them at a competitive disadvantage. Not imports. But unfortunetly my name isn’t Harold Daggett.
