(NOTE: The Blog is back up after some technical problems last week: will leave this topic up a few extra days to allow for full comments and reaction. Special thanks to my technical friends C and H who knew how to give it life again! NEW blog topic Thursday Nov 27! )
The morning drive-thru line at my neighbourhood Florida Dunkin Donuts was unusually short: only two vehicles ahead of me, where usually there are five or six .. or more.
No wonder!
A large decaf coffee (nothing fancy) is now $3.29 US ($4.61 Cad) and a Boston Creme donut now costs $1.79 US ($2.51 Cad) … plus tax, for a $5.50 total US hit … an increase of about 18% from last Winter and clearly not something many working Americans are now willing to shell out each day.
Trump’s tariffs on coffee, cocoa (for chocolate) and who knows what else are taking a toll?
During the recent visit to my US condo (to take a “special” Caribbean cruise that was the real purpose behind this trip) many grocery prices were up; restaurant bills were higher; less people were eating out; and even Target and Walmart had fewer daytime shoppers in their aisles, and no long lines when cashing out.
Not even the “Dollar” store has escaped: that company was able to hold its price line at $1 for years and years, before last Winter finally raising many prices to $1.25: now, $1.50 price tags on many items are quite prevalent as well.
Americans are finally noticing the impact of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs … and they’re not buying his spin that foreign companies, not US consumers, end up paying the duties … or his latest claims that groceries are costing less.
Not!!!
“Record beef prices and coffee that costs $1 more per pound since May have shoppers cutting back on some foods, stockpiling others,” the Wall Street Journal reported a month ago.
(The only really “good” thing I still envied: gasoline was still as low as $2.69 a GALLON!)
But utility bills (electricity, gas, water) are up too … in some cases, way up!
And if coffee, donut and grocery prices are already presenting a challenge for America’s middle class … just imagine how they feel about rapidly rising housing prices, vehicle costs (new AND used), machinery costs … even aluminum beer cans … thanks to Trump’s tariffs on steel, aluminum and lumber.
“How can we make the housing crisis even worse? Donald Trump has a plan,” read UK Guardian newspaper headline this past week.
” The median American home price in January was $418,000, about a 45% increase from $289,000 five years ago, per Redfin data. Wages haven’t gone up at the same rate, and housing prices compared to income have reached an all-time high,” the newspaper reported.
“Canada accounts for roughly 85% of all U.S. softwood lumber imports and represents almost one-quarter of the supply in the U.S. The Commerce Department is currently imposing 14.5% tariffs on Canadian lumber and has signaled that it plans to more than double 14.5% tariff rate later this year to 34.5%,” the US National Association of Home Builders warned.
Trump’s solution: a 50-year mortgage … drew incredulity and ridicule.
Meanwhile, US job creation has slowed considerably and, in October, the US recorded the largest number of job cuts in two decades!
“The layoffs in October surged 175% from a year ago to 153,074. From the start of the year to October end, employers have announced 1,099,500 job cuts, a 65% rise from 664,839 in the same time period last year,” Reuters reported.
There’s no doubt the US is now paying a price for Trump’s economic policies, tariffs and constant instability … and the polls are showing Americans are reacting.
Numerous polls show the President’s “approval” rating has dropped from 43% in March to as low as 36% now.
“The decline is not limited to Democrats or independents; approval among Republican voters has also decreased, dropping from 91 per cent at his inauguration to around 68-79 per cent in recent polls. His standing among Hispanic adults and young voters has deteriorated considerably since the start of the year, with a significant majority of these groups now disapproving of his performance. The current polling data suggests a significant shift in public opinion, with the majority of Americans expressing disapproval of his performance across a range of issues,” the website FirstPost explained.
Hang in there, Canada!
The American people (apart from his dedicated, hard core MAGA base) have awakened to the realities surrounding Trump’s second term in office … and they showed it in the November elections … from coast to coast.
So this weekend, Trump backed down on his tariffs on coffee, bananas, beef and more than 100 other food products … in a stunning acknowledgement that it’s consumers … not foreign companies … who are paying for his tariffs with higher prices!
Surely, another reality … the NEED for Canadian lumber, steel and aluminum to make life more affordable for America’s own citizens … as the mid-terms approach … can’t be ignored much longer.
Even by Trump!
Harv Oberfeld
🇨🇦🇨🇦Buy Canadian!🇨🇦🇨🇦
(Follow @harveyoberfed on “X” for FREE First Alerts to new postings on this BC-based Blog.)
If I’ve learned anything about certain big American news media during the reign of their bully and demented President is that outlets like CNN are a bunch of cowards protecting their derreires by going down the middle when the middle is not the place to be right now when they have this attack against journalism and reporting. They have zero guts for standing up with even a little hard talk. I don’t expect going off neutrality in standard stuff but dealing with the serious stuff media and their democracy is facing they come off as cowards. I’m not talking about the fine journalists that risk their lives on front lines that send and bring in reports. It’s the TV presented stuff shows. It like all they care about sxan total entertainment value. On those shows like Abby Philips and other shows and their hosts is a complete freaking joke. Even Tapper and Cooper and Bash and most of them on TV just let the thugs and bullies walk all over them and keep the high ground. It’s all so disgusting. Now MSNBC is a totally different show with the likes of Laurence O’Donnell, Morning Joe, and Rachel Maddow and the rest of them are the true brave hard talkers who will go after any side or one if it is justified. It’s just something I picked up on of late. Of course FOX is a whole different creature with some propagandists for Trump and his thugs and bullies. Our media looks great compared to a Airhead CNN. Pretty bad and sad.
(Response: As a news junkie, I spend too much time watching Canadian national, foreign international and US news programs/channels. It amazes ..and appalls me … how little attention US news outlets pay to Trump’s aggression against Canada, the lack of negotiations taking place, the damage to US border communities and US manufacturers/suppliers as Canadians avoid going to or buying American. Canada is paying a heavy price economically, but so are many US states/companies … and I firmly, with the US mid-terms coming in 2026, the pressure will mount on Trump to solve the US-Canada trade problems … and Canada need not cave on our principles just to get a deal/any deal. Ho)
If Trump issued “tariff” dividends to taxpayers, and assuming a material amount would even out ? He was talking about $2,000 per person…that would substantially cover price increases due to tariffs.
Tariffs creates a barrier to entry unless you open a business in the states. Jobs created…
I graduated with an economics degree. Tariffs go against everything I was taught. I believe in as much open and free trade as possible. But, I think he’s on the right path for America.
(Response: No doubt if Trump wants to hand out checks of $2000 to each citizen, they will happily accept it. The problem with that is the timing: for it to be effective in the November midterms the checks would have to go out around August or September … voters have very short memories! That’s far too long for the negotiations with Canada to wait, because many US states and businesses are really hurting NOW! And all the projections I’ve seen for the coming Winter indicate visits to the US by Canadians will again be down, severely. So the pressure will keep growing… on the US side of the border early in the New Year to get talks going again.
I hope … Ho.)
I’m curious.
I lost you for a time last week; first it was WordPress down, then HostPapa.
Was it just me?
(Response: I’m not sure exactly how it all works: WordPress is the web system I use to write; Host Papa, whose servers the blog uses, transitioned to a new system; and then, somehow didn’t recognise the IP address the blog has on Cloudflare, which stores some blog/Comments content, to keep within HostPapa limits … so down it went. Not much I understand … Luckily have a couple of (younger 🙂 ) friends who do and got it going again. This exercise in democratic discussion can be very complicated! Ho)
I favour free trade. It’s clear that prices for many products are now very high. It has caused problems for many. The communist-style system in Canada for dairy and poultry should also go. It’s ridiculous that farmers have to dump excess milk and are not even allowed to give it to hospitals, homeless shelters and food banks. When Australia and New Zealand got rid of supply management, their dairy industries not only became more efficient, but prices went down, and that was great for consumers.
I doubt President Trump will be named in the Epstein Files. If he knows what he’s doing, and I think he does, his name won’t appear. Joe Biden also could have released the files, but I suspect he wanted to protect his big donors, so he didn’t.
Prime Minister Carney recently said that he doesn’t care about negotiations with the American president. Why should he? The Brookfield Party is doing very well. Its assets in Canada have decreased, but they have increased in the USA and in other countries. Canadians voted for a Harvard-Oxford conman. Pierre Poilievre sold his stocks before the election, but of course CBC will never mention that.
(Response: First, Trump’s name is reportedly mentioned 1,500 times in Epstein estate files already released… and there is more to come. As for free trade, we already have it on 85% of goods traded between Canada and the US under CUSMA … not affected by Trump’s tariffs. Dairy and poultry … part of our Marketing Board system … have long been protected by Canada and, yes, I suspect that will be a priority for the US in this round of negotiations. But total free trade between Canada and all countries? I’d say No… because I don’t want ALL foods/products Canada also supplies allowed in from overseas countries as cheaper alternatives, but pay really low wages, employ children and have terrible labour/environmental standards. Ho)
I favour free trade, but of course I also understand protectionism and tariffs. No country wants to see the end of local production because it can’t compete with foreign products, so the key is balance.
(Response: Exactly. And complicating the economics is the politics and even the personalities who manage it all! Ho)
Hang in there Canada for what. Tarriiffs to drop. Then what’s next for Trump to lose his shit on us or anyone. He’s already just in the past couple of days betrayed as a traitor would and sided with Putin the biggest baddest adversary of the western alliance and NATO. He’s called for the executions and deaths of the opposite party members for just reminding military people and leaders about their constitutional oath they swore to by not breaking those laws and not obeying unlawful orders that would pit them against their own fellow citizens.
Sorry Harv, but I cannot possibly find a positive or treat this as Hang there Canada, we’ll be alright, until that demented nut is gone and along with his thugs. I am sure more Americans and even ones who fell under his spell and drank the poisoned kool-aid are tiring of him but this guy is like a rabid frothing vengeful animal now and losing his diapers over anything. Maybe it’s a worst form of dementia and pychopathy or something, but we won’t be out of the deep dark woods until a normal leader and administration Republican or Democrat comes to power. Until then, all bets are off.
(Response: When I say Hang in there, I’m saying Don’t cave in, Don’t yield to Trump’s pressures for a bad deal… even though our economy and many of our workers are now suffering. So I’m actually agreeing with many of the same observations you have made about Trump … and suggesting that more and more Americans are also seeing what you are seeing …and the pressure on Trump and his economy/trade experts are mounting. I predict that, after the New Year, with the mid-terms looming and prices still rising , the US will WANT a trade deal with Canada and will be much more ready to substantially reduce tariffs on steel, aluminum and even lumber. So Hang in there, Canada! Time is on our side. Ho)
That sounds like a positive note for the sake of those businesses and the employees and the families here and across the line who are taking a beating because of Trumps chaos.
(Response: The worst thing Canada can do is surrender to a bully … especially as he is starting to feel the pushback from his own people. Ho)
Yes, the “Orange Combover” is a boorish, narcissistic, architect of much chaos. His operations somewhat mirror Putin & the Oligarchs, a perception that moves into reality far too easily for me.
Many years of Canadian governance choices now weaponized against Canada. Many shifting alliances with some less than honourable nations, the PRC comes to mind. The PRC views us as a target, Carney is now chasing Xi for export opportunities, something which requires much caution, not that I see much of that. Xi & co cannot be trusted at all. PRC fifth column is here, functioning at will, in Canada as our PM seems too ignorant to comprehend this reality???
I see not much of an attempt to create a truly independent economy, no value adding efforts, just shipping out more resources with no increase of finish products, whatsoever. Build refineries, manufacture finished wood products, go whole hog into rare earth minerals (with zero PRC investment or partnerships), build our own ships & ferries (no foreign software allowed), change agriculture to stop relying on nations like the PRC who has weaponized our vast swaths of canola, buy Swedish designed fighters to be made here, stop educating citizens of nations who weaponize the education gained here, change 3 or more universities into trade schools, lay off all govt. hires from the past decade except the ones replacing retired employees, cut foreign aid to all nations in armed conflicts.
A dose of cause & effect logic, tosses most of the past decade’s federal concepts into the “opportunities aplenty to bully Canada file”, this virtue signalling has bit us in the very exposed posterior, time to harden up and stop worrying about the rest of this messed up orb!
Just a couple of thoughts from the hinterland, welcome back Harvey.
(Response: Despite our current miseries with the Us …ALL due to Trump … Canadians should not forget that the US …not China or India, South Africa etc … is our natural ally and partner. A North America wide economic trade union is the smartest option that would benefit both the US and the Canada… with carve out exceptions for specific sensitivities. Of course, we should also seek/expand our markets overseas, but it bothers me greatly to see Canada “forgetting” the evils of Xi and Modi, just to make a deal. Let’s hope that after Trump leaves office, sanity and reality will return to US policies and their relationship with Canada. Ho)
History will show, Trump and all his ills, was the best thing for Canada. Our politcans (except for the extreme conservatives) have mostly woken up to the fact the Ameriocan “free ride” for corporate profits has all but come to an end. The USA is not and will not be a reliable trading partner for decades to come.
From all accounts the USA’s economy is growing ever more fragile, yet the Mango Mussolini is digging in tooth and nail to stay in power.
The big problem facing the USA, especially the snow birds, they are aging out and the next generation coming down the pipeline is not inclined to spend more than a few weeks in the sun as money is better spent at home with housing, etc.
It will not be tariffs that will sink Trump, but it is Epstein and the “Mad-Hatter” as you call him is doing everything, every politcal stunt to stay in power.
Good Lord the Republicans still blame Biden for everything.
There is not going to be a new normal for a very long time and from my varied acquaintances, Portugal and Spain have come out the winners for winter travels.
The Trump regime will last another three years and if the 34 count convicted felon ends up in the obituary page, we will have Vance to deal with – who has his own brand of “American stupid”.
Nope, the tariffs maybe rescinded, but the damage has been done and of course there is ICE and other “good old boys” border guards to contend with.
The end of Trump’s regime will not end the problems, as it has almost become genetic with the Americans with their xenophobic ways.
As I first stated, Trump was the best thing to happen to Canada in the long term.
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/richard-ciano-mr-carney-investors-dont-see-rule-of-law-in-canada-they-see-chaos
(Response: If they think there’s chaos here …they should look south! Ho)
Harvey is dead right on that!
Trump is weaponizing the FBI and the Justice Department to go after politcal foes and how does that fit in with the rule of law chaos in the USA?
Trump has pardoned over 70 insurrectionist, fraudsters, and more including:
Some of Trump’s high-profile pardons in his second term include:
Trump pardoned Paul Walczak, the son of a wealthy Republican donor who was convicted of tax evasion for siphoning more than $10.9 million in payroll taxes from the paychecks of doctors and nurses. He had been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Michele Fiore, a former Las Vegas City Councilwoman who was convicted of federal charity fraud after misusing donations for a planned police memorial, received a pardon. She had not been sentenced when she was pardoned.
Scott Jenkins, a former Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery in what prosecutors called a “cash-for-badges scheme,” was also pardoned ahead of a 10-year prison sentence scheduled to start on May 27, 2025.
Reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley of “Chrisley Knows Best,” convicted in 2022 of conspiring to defraud community banks, defraud the IRS and commit tax evasion, were pardoned in May.
Former Rep. George Santos had his seven-year prison sentence commuted and was released from jail on Oct. 17. He pleaded guilty to felony wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.
Trump recently pardoned the Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, convicted of money laundering. The White House said he was prosecuted due to the Biden administration’s “war on cryptocurrency.”
Former baseball star Darryl Strawberry was pardoned for a past conviction on tax evasion, the White House said on Nov. 7.
The rule of law in the USA seems only apply to those who do not have political connections.
(Response: Trump will never win a Person of the Year Award, based on integrity, principles, ethics or morality. And it is increasingly looking to me like more and more Americans are ON to him …and are turning OFF! And the longer his tariffs reign supreme, more and more Americans will notice the price increases…. soaring house construction costs, vehicle costs, even the cost of billions of canned goods. I believe that bodes well for Canadian steel, aluminum and even lumber in the not too distant future: watch for the US to seek a return to bargaining …and a deal with Canada … in the early New Year! Ho)
A great first-person account Harvey, thanks.
Almost daily, my inbox brings news of layoffs, cutbacks, closings, chapter 11s and bankruptcies. Walmart, Starbucks, Wendy’s, Amazon, UPS, Target, Microsoft, Intel, and Meta; just a few of the names we all know. This morning it was M&M Custard a very large US franchisee filing for bankruptcy.
“Bankruptcies hit 15 year high.”
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-corporate-bankruptcies-set-hit-15-year-high-amid-credit-jitters-sp-data-shows-2025-11-13/
How many border town family business, operating for decades, have locked the doors? How about the 5.7 billion loss in tourism revenue?
(Response: Yes, in addition to reading/watching the news/surveys/statistics, if you watch for it, you can now see the actual results of all those tariffs and can notice Trump’s loss of credibility with many more people… even at simple places like a Dunkins or a Dollar store. With the US midterms coming in less than a year now, the US border towns should be screaming like Hell and marching on Washington with exporters/importers to put pressure on Trump. He doesn’t care about Canada,but he sure would pay attention to so many angry, hurting US voters. Ho)
Welcome back. Hope your break was great.
Hey, I personally don’t have much to say anymore about Trump and his dum as hell brown nosing circle. And he’s a complete nut anyways. I hope he goes down on the Epstein files. I’ll hold final judgement, but what see and glean so far is filthy and disgusting. Sorry but I just can’t hold a normal conversation about the sick creature. Just as sick for supporting him is his little shameful brown nosers Bondi and Patel in the Justice department for supporting him. Who would do that !!
I served my country and trained and worked with Americans soldiers as part of my NATO duties, and was proud to serve and wear the NATO badge that represented our unity here and in Europe. Then this thing and his creeps and thugs came along and really opened our eyes to the real possibilities about what we stood against, could be born right here in our backyard. I consider him and his ilk representitive of what traitors may look like regarding our alliances. ie. Putins push into Ukraine and giving him red carpet treatment. The Ukraine will be Putins pit stop before Europe. 110 % Gauranteed if he’s not stopped. Right now the animal smells weakness andcdivision in the west because of Trump. Yes because of him. Our adversaries must be laughing at that joker of Trumps named Hegseth making a complete ass of himself. Trump makes my skin crawl anyways regarding his involvement in the Epstein case.
Anyhow he’s already caused enough destructive things for Canadians who were just a short time ago great allies in trade and military alliances until he came along. It was all completely unessecary and avoidable if a sane person was
President. Along with Trumps chaos causing craziness we have our own Canadian troubles we need to sort out such as the secretive behind closed door deals, revenue give aways and land grabs going on in BC for one because of a backstabbing Premier like Eby whos selling out the vast majority and betraying his service of duty for all, and then an ineffectual opposition with a fluff for a leader and being to busy finding themselves doesn’t help. The troublemaking going on in Alberta regarding the rise of separation interest isn’t good. That could open the door for a harmful wedge into Canada by you know who. Well, that’s it. Welcome back to the fray. Pray for us and some for the tens of millions of Americans suffering under their wingnut.
(Response: We should not tar all Americans … or even all Republicans …with the same brush as Trump. Yes, he still has his hard core MAGA base, but I was heartened at how many people I know or met, when they realized I am Canadian, were apologetic and even embarrassed by Trump and his policies/treatment of Canada. Many really are tiring of his now predictable rhetoric, unbelievable assertions, the dumb $300 million ballroom …and personal/family profiteering, while they experience economic hardships. Canada should not cave to him …Trump will soon be coming to us, seeking a deal to improve his own polling! Ho)
Welcome Back!
Normally go to Az or Ca for a few weeks in the winter. Nope, just spent 6 weeks in Spain Portugal and Morocco. Met lots of Americans, i told them Canadians aren’t going down, they get it. Generally speaking, Europeans loathe Trump. Probably spent 25k.
Not going back till normalcy returns to the USA, no interest in dealing with MAGA down there. Steering clear.
(Response: As I noted in my piece, this was a trip for a special cruise on a specific ship I wanted to do …with only Caribbean stops. Readers will recall I did cancel another cruise I had booked out of Vancouver to just the US islands of Hawaii. Everyone has to decide what/how much works best in their own case to support Canada during Trump’s current attacks on our country. I still intend to visit family and friends there as needed and attend family events … and will go back when it gets cold/slippery here to Winter at my little place there. But whenever we can, we should support Canadian businesses, industries and retailers all Buy Canadian as much as we can! Ho)