Liberal Forum

Blackvegetable » 16 minutes ago » wrote: ↑

16 minutes ago

U.S. economy shrank in early 2025 as tariffs sapped growth and imports surged

GDP contracted at an annual rate of 0.3 percent, a new report shows, as panic purchases ahead of tariffs fueled imports.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... y-tariffs/

Those familiar with The Master's timeless treatise "Econometrics - A Robust Heuristic for Analysing Performance of Presidential Administrations" will argue that an incoming administration can't be held responsible for GDP in the first quarter of their term.

Given the legislative process, it is nearly impossible to both pass, and see the effects of, major policy initiatives less than 3 months after inauguration.

Unless you're Bubble Boy - Unchained.

Yeah, when you're acting out the way Trump is, you own the results - even in the first quarter. I know that I, personally, have made purchases in advance that I would not have made ordinarily. I made these purchases specifically to avoid the tariffs. I have no illusions that I am the smartest mother **** in Murka and the ONLY SUMBITCH that thought of doing that. So... yeah. Trump owns the surge in imports. The rest of the argument is a wee hazier for me. 

I do not see the relationship between "panic purchases" (FTR, I was quite calm; I was scheming, not panicking) and GDP contraction. How does that bit work? Also, a "contraction" of three tenths of one hundredth? That is only a "contraction" in jackoff land. Three tenths of one percent is a rounding error. It's three one thousandths, to be mathematorically precise. On what planet would a "contraction" that small, in a measured object that big, be outside the margin of error? 

What you are really saying is that the economy was flat for Trumps first hundred days. To which I reply, okay. Thanks for the info.