Jim Fritz

Will Malignant Stupidity Kill the World Economy? Trump’s tariffs are a disaster. His policy process is worse.

I was wondering where the imposed tariff numbers came from….
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

Those trying to understand the tariffs as economic policy are dangerously naive.

No, the tariffs are a tool to collapse our democracy. A means to compel loyalty from every business that will need to petition Trump for relief.

1/ A 🧵 to explain his plan and how we fight back.

Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted… And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.
George Orwell, 1984

It’s nice to know that Winston Smith will keep his government job, taking care of the unwords and making sure newspeak remains doubleplusgood.

Lebensraum.

The Damage to Federal Medical Research Is Already Done Clinical trials may have to be scrapped, research applications will be pushed back, and unpaid researchers will quickly leave the sector—even if the Trump administration’s funding pause is only…

When Trump paused federal funding to all grants and loans, it plunged scientific research into chaos. Though the freeze was rescinded for some sectors, it's still in largely place for universities and research institutions. The damage will be lasting.

It Can't Happen Here - Wikipedia

Recommended reading. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Can%...

Stable federal funding of science is also critical to maintaining STEM talent. We’re undermining the skills we need for long term economic and military advantage. Thought it was fascinating that the infamous OMB memo came out the same day as DeepSeek hit the news.

How the Climate Crisis Became an Insurance Crisis Even in formerly low-risk areas, home insurers are raising premiums and ending coverage. The upheaval could push down home values and reverberate through the economy.

It was over 18 years ago that the Stern Report was released, with an estimate that 1% of GDP per annum was needed to address the causes of climate change, while inaction would result in a cost of 20% of GDP per annum. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/c...

Agrivoltaics can increase grape yield by up to 60% French agrivoltaics company Sun'Agri says that two of its facilities increased grape yields by 20% to 60% in 2024, compared to areas without solar panels. The PV modules helped regulate temperature fl...

Growing wine grapes under solar panels can increase yields by 60%.
That seems like the definition of unalloyed good news
www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/29/a...

Targeting efficiency is one thing, going after individuals you don’t know who are performing jobs you don’t understand is simply not ok.

Elon Musk publicized the names of government employees he wants to cut. It’s terrifying federal workers | CNN Business When President-elect Donald Trump said Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would recommend major cuts to the federal government in his administration, many public employees knew that their jobs could be on ...

Musk’s harassment of federal employees is despicable. He named the Chief Climate Officer from the DOE Loan Programs Office as unnecessary— the same DOE office that gave Tesla, Tesla! a half a nearly billion dollar lifeline loan to keep it operating in the 2010 recession. www.cnn.com/2024/11/27/b...

How China Became the World’s Largest Car Exporter Tariffs from the United States and other countries are unlikely to stop China’s auto export dominance.

Walking back U.S. commitments to clean energy, EVs, and climate related technologies seems like a surefire way to cement foreign dominance in strategically critical industries.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

My former DOE federal service colleagues were some of the most dedicated people I know, working for a fraction of what they could get paid in the private sector. Targeting efficiency is one thing, going after individuals you don’t know who are performing jobs you don’t understand is simply not ok.