u/qyron — qyron

They created the perfect law.

"You are accessing and distributing ilegal material!"

"How as that been known by the authorities?"

"We have searched and investigated and thus determined it as such!"

"The law states that any one doing so is deemed as acting unlawfully."

"Throw everyone in jail! Including the jailer!"

Censorship. We can always count on it to handicap itself.

Practical example.

I know this winery that usually exports nearly 95% of their production to the US. The owner spent a few decades there and made some contacts.

Last year, they had some problem with the american market and were forced to search for other venues.

They dropped their prices, opted to sell to our national market and did pretty much the same revenue they would have done exporting.

Exporting to the US is often the thirst for easy profit. Products that sell here for cents can be sold at a premium in the US, as it is the de facto luxury hungry market. Doesn't really matter if it good; if is it expensive, it means it's good.

Portugal mostly exports food goods to the US. I think cork, some clothing and shoes and some other items make up the basket, but in way lower quantities.

I've seen cheese and wine that are considered run of the mill here sold for ten times more in the US market. Which I consider theft.

This entire situation gets uglier the deeper we dig.

France and Italy could export to other countries easily or transform their cheap wine into properly aged wines and liqcours, with actual market value and product quality. Downsizing the industry wouldn't be a bad idea, also.

Germany is already dwindling in their car industry. Could serve as a call to innovation an review of business practices.

I'm not great on economics but the concept of a tariff is that the entity importing something has to pay an extra levy in order to place in a market a given product.

This follows that an american importer of any trade goods of european origin will have to pay an extra thirty cents for each dollar such goods cost.

That extra cost will then be passed along the commercial chain, down to the final client.

So, prices go up for general public.

Meanwhile, nothing is stopping the country of origin of such products to divert their business to other countries, thus maintaining their normal activities.

Am I wrong or this whole thing is disastrous for the USA?

The EU is very strange. Yes, there is a global unifying policy but countries still have a wide autonomy.

Portugal has specific trade and travel agreements with individual countries, outside the wide EU policy. Other countries do this.

In this specific situation, we already know it will be the bloc handling as a whole the issue. Spain has already stated that all commercial tariffs must be addressed to Brussels, as it is part of the common external relations policy. But individual countries can add their twist to end.

Formal addressment.

It is an archaic way to address "officials" in public office, which ends up sounding as a preservation of royal/nobility occupation of positions, regardless living in a democratic regime.

It is argued as being a way to show respect and maintain dignity of institutions.

If want to write a letter to my municipal office, there is a template to be followed which starts with "To his/her Excelency, The President of the Municipality, Mr./Mrs. Dr. XXXXXXX". This is loosely translated, obvioulsy.

Democracy yet not equality nor accountability.

Brazil is an independent country. The guy is a bit over the horizon on this.

Under pressure for what?

It has already been stated that the import of food items, in detriment of the higher EU food standards, will not be negotiable.

Two simple examples: chicken and beef.

For beef, it would be as simple as stop pumping cattle with steroids and attest the origin of the animal, two things american rancher are unwilling and often unable to do. Argentina and Brasil sell meat to the EU. Isn't the US as capable?

Stop washing chicken with chemicals (likewise, eggs), treat the animals properly, with good sanitary conditions, no steroids, and it will be fine.

But the real issue is that the EU already produces enough beef and chicken indoors. And meat consumption has been in a sharp decline. No one will buy what they don't.

Besides these two, it would make a difference if the US stopped using artificial food colorings, with proven bad effects on health.

There are more issues.

Was that lamb properly cleaned? Sheep and goat have glands throughout the body that need to be removed in order to make the meat more palatable; it's still edible, just unpleaseant and smelly.

I personally prefer adult sheep or goat. The meat is very though and oily but slowly roasted, with strong herbs, it breaks down and becomes tender. The fat in the meat is superb to cook root vegetables in.

Nothing against horse; unusual nowadays but it helped a relative of mine to ward off a serious malnutrition, leading to low blood iron levels. Game meats are game meats. I personally enjoy boar but not being a hunter makes it hard to source such meats.

Nothing wrong, per se, just non sensical.

The animal does not have much to eat, the meat is though and very fatty and heavily scented. Also, unless it is "fat", it is not edible, leading to badgers in the area becoming leaner and more muscular.

Allso, it's a protected species.

People eat badgers in my country... stupid people will eat anything.

I do know they enjoy eating eggs from birds nests and other small animals are on the menu. But murderous?

Cute as these animals are, considering their invasive status, I expect culling efforts.

Very well.

Let's have all those people go back to the basic jobs: farming, hospitality, house cleaning, call centers, waste water management, garbage collection, recycling separation, etc, **and see if they are willing to do it**.

Then we can have a proper conversation.

Retirement pension maximum ceilling, fiscal reform to tax companies profits, raise minimum pension to equal minimum wage, incentivize savings. Oh, and tax people accordingly to their income.

My wallet as no place in this conversation. It is just a battered piece a leather that is currently struggling to hold two bank cards, some coins and a few receipts. And my identification cards.

Fight with your vote. Support smaller parties. Be politically active. Demand change.

You have my support!

Throw that guy into the sea. Tell him to swim back. Maybe the swim readjusts his attitude. Those guys are bad PR for us.

How are those guys? Friendly and caring folks? Or someone you should keep a distance from?

Only with more mustaches.