What's true? That China holds all the cards, and that we're the BADGUYS here? I suppose if one chooses to marinate oneself in msnbc all day that would be the prevailing thought, wouldn't it?

China certainly doesn’t hold all the cards, but neither do we.

And squeezing China like we’re some Mafia mob boss is rife with the potential for unintended consequences….

Like- squeezing WalMart, Target, Lowes and thousands of small businesses here in the US even more than we squeeze China

Like…… the inflation that is about to increase here in proportion to the decrease in container ships arriving from China

Like…… the unemployment that will rise as small businesses collapse, trucking firms lay off drivers, and longshoremen have fewer ships to unload.

Like…… increasing the probability that China will strike trade deals with our allies in the Pacific


Like…… moving on their long term goal of taking Taiwan as a wag the dog effort to refocus the Chinese people away from concerns about their domestic economy.

And here’s another, happening right now in the fields around my house……


By this time, the fields in SE Michigan are usually sown with corn or soybeans, and the seedlings should be a couple of inches high. Not this year. They’re either lying fallow or are planted in cover crops- clover or grass for hay. Why is that, do you suppose? Not saying it’s everywhere, but it is certainly true in this area.

I usually play a guessing game with myself about this time of year…. Is this farmer planting soy beans, corn, or giving the land a rest?

This year- it’s all resting.

Probably in anticipation of a bail out from Trump. Or perhaps the farmers are just voicing a collective “F—- you”
Or maybe they’ve just given up.

Real dislocation, whose consequences will only gradually appear over the next few months.