Get Your Guac On

Some people might consider me a foaming at the mouth MAGA sycophant eager to worship the ground 45-47 walks on. They would be wrong, at least when it comes to tariffs.

I was in the process of writing a blog featuring the greatest hits of Adam Smith and David Riccardo. I was going to extoll the virtues of free trade after spending an entire semester studying comparative advantage. I was going to point out that Smoot Hawley and other nations’ reciprocal responses made the Depression much worse than it needed to be, and probably was a major cause of WWII.

I really think that most tariffs, most of the time, are a mistake that makes everyone poorer, or at least less Pareto Optimal. Cut me some slack for using the economic jargon: I don’t want to let all those hours in class between intramural softball games and keg parties go to waste. I also think that countries that trade freely with each other tend not to go to war with each other.

So I was in the process of writing how imposing 25% tariffs on imports from our two closest neighbor nations and biggest trading partners was a big mistake. And before I could hit the ‘publish’ button I got my balloon popped.

The U.S. struck last-minute deals with Mexico and Canada to delay new tariffs, after separate calls with the leaders of both nations.

The tariffs were set to go into effect at midnight tonight, which might have precipitated a crises with the Big Game on Sunday.

Ever since Bud Lite threw away its #1 beer in the US status with an ill advised woke commercial, Modelo sales skyrocketed. Nothing woke about their commercials: pretty women and manly men with a Latino (not Latinx) flair. And on Big Game Sunday, the cerveza will flow free of a 25% surcharge.

La Cerveza Mas Fina? Modelo begs to differ.

Ditto the guacamole. If it weren’t for avocados from Mexico there wouldn’t be enough guac for 3 Chipolte franchises, let along all the Big Game parties. Crisis averted.

I’ve got to publish this quick, before the earth shifts again and I have to do a major rewrite. So their may be some typos (get it?). But fewer than 25%.

BTW, you will note I’m calling it the Big Game. Facebook may have a new free speech policy, but the NFL does get touchy when anyone messes with their trademarks. I’m pretty sure my blog with its 10 readers might pass under the NFL trademark lawyers’ radar, but I’m not going to risk it.