Originally Posted by
dawg80
You really are daft!
I can't find a reliable source that supports that $12.5 billion number. But, let's accept it for argument's sake. IT SHOULD BE MORE!!!!!!!!! You either really are that stupid, or are deliberately being deceitful. And it probably stems from your demented view that it is okay to win, just as long as you don't win too much, then it becomes unfair. A very socialist view point.
Back to your weak-azz argument. Again, accepting that $12.5 billion figure, the OVERALL score sheet of one nation's trade with another, does not account for real trade imbalances in given sectors/industries. Just to make up some numbers to illustrate the point, let's say trade looks this way:
The US has a $15.5 billion trade surplus in food products (with Canada), a $2 billion surplus in technology, and a $5 billion dollar trade deficit in steel.
+ 15.5
+ 2.0
- 5.0
= +12.5
So! what's the problem, eh! The problem is we should not have such a deficit in steel, it should be closer to zero, or maybe even a surplus. (and I just made up those numbers to make a point). But, that is the problem. That overall $500 billion loss of wealth annually, is not all to those nations who enjoy an overall trade surplus with us. And these losses are not because of some natural competitive advantage some nation enjoys over us, although there is some of that, of course. Which is NOT what Trump or any of us, are concerned about. It's the UNFAIR terms of trade agreements where we, the US, unilaterally gave away the farm...I guess to be "good" global neighbors.
So again, to try to be clear, I do NOT like the manner in which Trump approaches these things. I have posted before about his bombastic approach to "diplomacy," his adversarial (sp?) tendency to create opponents, where none existed, or to inflame such opponents. But, Trump is right in the details, as a "policy-wonk."
Our overall trade scoresheet with Canada is + $12.5 billion? If it should be a + $20 billion, and it's not solely because of some goofy trade agreement, then I support rewriting the agreement.