Well I am not a Gen X woman, but hopefully that won't exclude me from reading your column, a very good one. You may be given the decision makers to much credit by saying they are playing chess with our collective lives. I even wonder if they know how to play checkers. Those in the administration who went to business school either forgot their economics 101 class learnings, or they are simply following the obsession that President Trump has with tariffs. Yes, Some tariffs may be good, but if the administration applies tariffs on items that we do not have ready access to from other (more friendly) sources, the result will be chaos at best (can one imagine the chaos at border crossings having to check every truck with products that may have items with tariffs that change by the day?)
Thank you, Frans. Everyone is welcome here — Gen X women are simply the center of my work and mission. Some readers aren't familiar with that focus yet, but I appreciate your openness and thoughtful engagement.
You're right: tariffs can be an effective tool when they are part of a larger, well-communicated strategy. When planned carefully — with time for U.S. businesses to adjust, and with consistency that builds confidence — tariffs can strengthen national leverage.
What concerns me about the current environment is exactly what you pointed out: the chaos. These tariffs don’t seem designed for stabilization or resilience. They seem designed to provoke uncertainty. And uncertainty is an effective weapon if the goal is to consolidate power, not protect prosperity.
Congress has ceded more authority to the Executive branch than many realize, especially around the power of the purse. If you follow that thread back to its source, the risks to democratic balance become even more serious — for this generation and the next.
Thank you again for reading and engaging so thoughtfully.
How do you see these dynamics playing out if nothing changes?
Firstly, I think "things will change", although how and in what way I can't discern in my blurry crystal ball. It may be a combination: The Contrarian today celebrated 100 or so lawsuits against Trump, which is one way. The lawsuit approach may be a two-edged sword where just just one ruling may have unintended consequence.
Write your representatives in Congress is another way, although perhaps one that does not lend itself to immediate change, but it may give one a feel of agency.
James Carville said to Democrats "roll-over and play dead" in other words let Trump self destruct. That is kind of like "wait until the mid-terms", a long time to wait and it may just result in 2 more years of havoc.
Yet another group says "impeach Trump" and then what, that is simply posturing in my view.
Personally, I like what the No Labels organization is doing, working with a bicameral group of representatives in Congress to turn the tide.
And finally, I come back to "it's the economy stupid", once again James Carville. Nothing riles people up like prices in the grocery store and other price increases and then Congress may finally act out of self preservation. And let's fervently hope that China or other adversarial nations will not cause a calamitous crisis in the mean time.
Frans, I completely agree that No Labels brings something important to the conversation...a commitment to balance and reason that feels rare. With real change, so much more becomes possible...if we’re willing to imagine it.
Well I am not a Gen X woman, but hopefully that won't exclude me from reading your column, a very good one. You may be given the decision makers to much credit by saying they are playing chess with our collective lives. I even wonder if they know how to play checkers. Those in the administration who went to business school either forgot their economics 101 class learnings, or they are simply following the obsession that President Trump has with tariffs. Yes, Some tariffs may be good, but if the administration applies tariffs on items that we do not have ready access to from other (more friendly) sources, the result will be chaos at best (can one imagine the chaos at border crossings having to check every truck with products that may have items with tariffs that change by the day?)
Thank you, Frans. Everyone is welcome here — Gen X women are simply the center of my work and mission. Some readers aren't familiar with that focus yet, but I appreciate your openness and thoughtful engagement.
You're right: tariffs can be an effective tool when they are part of a larger, well-communicated strategy. When planned carefully — with time for U.S. businesses to adjust, and with consistency that builds confidence — tariffs can strengthen national leverage.
What concerns me about the current environment is exactly what you pointed out: the chaos. These tariffs don’t seem designed for stabilization or resilience. They seem designed to provoke uncertainty. And uncertainty is an effective weapon if the goal is to consolidate power, not protect prosperity.
Congress has ceded more authority to the Executive branch than many realize, especially around the power of the purse. If you follow that thread back to its source, the risks to democratic balance become even more serious — for this generation and the next.
Thank you again for reading and engaging so thoughtfully.
How do you see these dynamics playing out if nothing changes?
Firstly, I think "things will change", although how and in what way I can't discern in my blurry crystal ball. It may be a combination: The Contrarian today celebrated 100 or so lawsuits against Trump, which is one way. The lawsuit approach may be a two-edged sword where just just one ruling may have unintended consequence.
Write your representatives in Congress is another way, although perhaps one that does not lend itself to immediate change, but it may give one a feel of agency.
James Carville said to Democrats "roll-over and play dead" in other words let Trump self destruct. That is kind of like "wait until the mid-terms", a long time to wait and it may just result in 2 more years of havoc.
Yet another group says "impeach Trump" and then what, that is simply posturing in my view.
Personally, I like what the No Labels organization is doing, working with a bicameral group of representatives in Congress to turn the tide.
And finally, I come back to "it's the economy stupid", once again James Carville. Nothing riles people up like prices in the grocery store and other price increases and then Congress may finally act out of self preservation. And let's fervently hope that China or other adversarial nations will not cause a calamitous crisis in the mean time.
Frans, I completely agree that No Labels brings something important to the conversation...a commitment to balance and reason that feels rare. With real change, so much more becomes possible...if we’re willing to imagine it.