Costs: Tariffs OK, Minimum Wage OMG!

As we have seen all along…President Trump’s tariff driven trade war is creating havoc around the country. Small businesses are paying higher costs for essential raw supplies. Farmers have lost overseas markets for their agricultural products and are going out of business in record numbers. Consumers will start seeing price…

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So Is The Economy Robust Or Not?

That might be a little confusing if all you are working with is the president’s tweets. Last week the economy was roaring because of the president…great employment rate…record Dow…you know stuff like that. He managed to intimidate the Fed into lowering their benchmark rate. Bigly robust economy. And then? Any…

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I am tired of winning the trade war

just sayin’…after China devalued their currency over the weekend…the Dow took a 700 point tumble today. Thanks Trump!

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Wisconsin, Trump, And Manufacturing!

There was a fair amount of newsworthy commentary about the economy and Wisconsin buried in the last half of an article announcing President Trump’s impending visit to Milwaukee. But I just want to bring this statement up for the moment: A central theme of Trump’s successful campaign in Wisconsin was…

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Are Trump’s Actions Killing Harley-Davidson

Over that past few years, Harley-Davidson has struggled as the market for their heavy duty road motorcycles has languished…because their American audience is aging out. And as they’ve slowly started to restructure…offer new motorcycles that appeal to a younger audience…their marketing efforts are style falling short of the mark. And…

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Unintended Consequences From The Trump Tariffs:

This little snippet appeared in today’s print edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel but was originally published in the Green Bay Press Gazette: Tariff trouble: Brown County businesses face challenges as more tariffs loom. [side not to MJS: if you are going to print it you should share it on…

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Sen Johnson sez US becoming Soviet-type economy!

They are ice skating in hell today…I agree with US Senator Ron Johnson (R- WI) for the most part. Senator Johnson has some issues with the president’s tariffs and their effects on the American farmer and the cockamamie fix proposed by the White House: Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson ripped…

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Attention Donald Trump: Harley: An Immigrant Story!

This appeared in the Ideals Lab section of the print edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Sunday July 8, 2018. Since MJS no longer posts letters to the editor on their JSOnline website, I can neither link to it nor cut and paste it here. But I think this…

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Where is Grover Norquist’s Opposition to Tariffs?

No, really, this is a good question. Tariff’s are taxes…they are just taxes on very particular economic activities…in this case the import of goods. So why isn’t Mr. NO TAX Norquist out in opposition to President Donald Trump’s ludicrous tariffs? Right now he is too busy moaning about the Canadian…

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Where Is Governor Walker On Tariffs And International Trade?

While the White House spins out tariffs and threatening rhetoric against our allies and other trading partners, some Wisconsinites are going to be hard hit by the retaliatory tariffs and actions from our aggrieved partners. But meanwhile back at the state that is open for business, we have actual businesses…

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