Feeling the Burn

 A friend showed me the Facebook feed of an old buddy of his, someone who's all in for Trump. On that feed was a cartoon to the effect that Democrats' only plan involves hoping for bad things to happen to the country.

As I write this, we're enduring the first day of Trump II's Mexico and Canada tariffs. Trump has made it plain that he's immovably convinced that such tariffs will make life better for Americans. Dozens of people have--in public, before cameras--attempted to walk him through why this isn't so. 

Jeff Tiedrich quotes one such exchange from Feb 27:

reporter: “tariffs don’t hurt other countries — they’re paid by American businesses and consumers.”

[Trump]: “no, no. China pays. other countries pay. it’s a beautiful thing.”

reporter: “then why did farmers need billions in bailout money when tariffs crushed exports?”

Donny: “we took care of farmers! they love me. the best farmers.”

 Even Trump fan Ben Shapiro is baffled:

 I still am unclear as to what the actual demand is against Mexico or Canada that would get rid of the tariffs. If the idea of the tariffs is that they are inherently a good for the United States, that is not true. The tariffs are in fact a tax on American consumers. They drive up the prices.

And sure enough, markets have taken a dive. Target announces price hikes on food. Gas is likely to go up. Cars will cost thousands more.

All of this pain was predictable--was predicted, loudly, time and time again by Democrats and practically everyone else, even many Republicans. The framing of "Democrats hope for the country to fail" makes as much sense as saying parents "hope" their child gets burned if they touch a hot stove. Murc's Law strikes again: Only Democrats have agency. Here's how it goes:

1.  Trump and the entirely quiescent GOP run on plans that will harm the country. 
2. Democrats point this out. 
3. Trump and GOP initiate those plans. 
4. Country is harmed. 
5. Democrats: "We warned you!" 
6. GOP: "Those sadistic Democrats, hoping for the worst!"

 For what it's worth--no, I don't want the country harmed. I don't want people to lose jobs and healthcare. I don't want people to suffer and die here or abroad from preventable diseases. I don't want us to lose standing with the international community. I don't want billionaires to further enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. I don't want democratic norms further eroded by a reckless autocrat wannabe. 

I want none of these things. Does that mean I hope for bad results from Trump's policies? Of course not! It's not up to me, is it? The bad results aren't punishments I'm inflicting. They're natural--predictable--consequences of bad choices. If a kid chooses to touch a hot stove despite all warnings, the best the parent can hope for is that the burn isn't too bad--and that the kid learns not to touch hot stoves. 

Unfortunately, we're all in this together. We're all gonna feel the burn. I hope it's not too bad, and I hope we (meaning they) learn.