• Re: Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk

    From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Fri Apr 4 08:34:03 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Thu, 3 Apr 2025 15:23:58 -0500, Lynn McGuire
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk
    https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2025/03/27

    And kinda evil too.

    And /very/ hard to kill.

    Or so it is said.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dob@21:1/5 to All on Mon Apr 28 13:31:57 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    [[Hyperlink Blocked]]

    "Lynn McGuire" wrote in message news:vsmqov$1i9df$[email protected]...

    Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk
    https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2025/03/27

    And kinda evil too.

    Lynn

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Scott Lurndal@21:1/5 to Dob on Mon Apr 28 14:16:18 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    "Dob" <[email protected]> writes:
    [[Hyperlink Blocked]]

    "Lynn McGuire" wrote in message news:vsmqov$1i9df$[email protected]...

    Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk
    https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2025/03/27

    And kinda evil too.

    Musk is the modern american Rasputin.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@21:1/5 to Lynn McGuire on Mon Apr 28 14:24:40 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 4/28/25 12:52, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    On 4/28/2025 9:16 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
    "Dob" <[email protected]> writes:
    [[Hyperlink Blocked]]

    "Lynn McGuire"  wrote in message news:vsmqov$1i9df$[email protected]...

    Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk
        https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2025/03/27

    And kinda evil too.

    Musk is the modern american Rasputin.

    Nope.  Musk is the modern Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Henry
    Ford rolled into one man.

    Lynn


    Edison and Ford yes. Westinghouse not so much as he was a real
    inventor and not merely an exploiter of researchers and industrial
    giant per-Edison and Ford. Mush is a hater like Ford and i believe
    Edison held some irrantional prejudices as well.

    Mush did have some Rasputin-like hold on American consciousness
    but his foolish hacking away at government agencies has disenchanted
    a great many of us, US citizens. Evil is banal and Mush is such.

    bliss

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Tue Apr 29 08:58:21 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Mon, 28 Apr 2025 14:24:40 -0700, Bobbie Sellers <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 4/28/25 12:52, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    On 4/28/2025 9:16 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
    "Dob" <[email protected]> writes:
    [[Hyperlink Blocked]]

    "Lynn McGuire"� wrote in message news:vsmqov$1i9df$[email protected]...

    Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk
    ��� https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2025/03/27

    And kinda evil too.

    Musk is the modern american Rasputin.

    Nope.� Musk is the modern Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Henry
    Ford rolled into one man.

    Lynn


    Edison and Ford yes. Westinghouse not so much as he was a real
    inventor and not merely an exploiter of researchers and industrial
    giant per-Edison and Ford. Mush is a hater like Ford and i believe
    Edison held some irrantional prejudices as well.

    Mush did have some Rasputin-like hold on American consciousness
    but his foolish hacking away at government agencies has disenchanted
    a great many of us, US citizens. Evil is banal and Mush is such.

    "Foolish" doesn't cover it. "Inept" and "heavy-handed" are closer. But
    mostly it is done to maximize headlines -- that is, for propaganda
    purposes.

    It is hard to be sure, but actual monetary savings appear to be ... unimpressive, as they are not much more than what they cost to
    achieve. Or so those who have sorted out the reality from the
    propaganda appear to be saying. A thorough forensic audit will be
    needed at some point.

    Goebbels and Streicher would be proud of him.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Pluted Pup@21:1/5 to Lynn McGuire on Tue Apr 29 11:33:56 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:23:58 -0700, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2025/03/27

    And kinda evil too.

    Paywalled:

    " We're Not Trying To Slow You Down!
    "
    " But you do have to subscribe to access this comic's archive.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Christian Weisgerber@21:1/5 to Lynn McGuire on Tue Apr 29 17:50:45 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 2025-04-03, Lynn McGuire <[email protected]> wrote:
    Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk
    https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2025/03/27

    And kinda evil too.

    There lived a certain man, in Russia long ago
    He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow
    Most people looked at him with terror and with fear
    But to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear
    He could preach the Bible like a preacher
    Full of ecstasy and fire
    But he also was the kind of teacher
    Women would desire

    Ra-Ra-Rasputin
    Lover of the Russian Queen
    ...

    --
    Christian "naddy" Weisgerber [email protected]

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Scott Lurndal@21:1/5 to Lynn McGuire on Wed Apr 30 13:36:43 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    Lynn McGuire <[email protected]> writes:
    On 4/29/2025 10:58 AM, Paul S Person wrote:


    It is hard to be sure, but actual monetary savings appear to be ...
    unimpressive, as they are not much more than what they cost to
    achieve. Or so those who have sorted out the reality from the
    propaganda appear to be saying. A thorough forensic audit will be
    needed at some point.

    Goebbels and Streicher would be proud of him.

    The USA Treasury is getting ready to refinance $7 trillion in USA tbills
    over the next couple of months from 2% to 4 - 5% interest rate. Enjoy
    your inflation.

    1) A treasury bill has a maturity date between 4 weeks and 52 weeks.
    The interest rate is fixed for the term of the bill, therefore
    they won't all be "refinancing" in the next couple of months. The
    current tbill rate is 4.2%, which is down from 5.25% a year ago.

    TBill rates historically have averaged just under 3%.

    2) TBills make up 25% of the total debt, the rest is in bonds and notes.

    3) 100% of the coming inflation is due to tariffs and their knock-on effects.

    4) Higher Tbill rates are good for those who hold them.

    5) Your irrational devotion to the orange clown is pathetic, inflation
    and the national debt will be far worse at the end of his term than
    they are today as he completely tanks the economy.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Scott Dorsey@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Apr 30 10:13:21 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    Lynn McGuire <[email protected]> wrote:

    The USA Treasury is getting ready to refinance $7 trillion in USA tbills
    over the next couple of months from 2% to 4 - 5% interest rate. Enjoy
    your inflation.

    But the president SAYS he wants to make the dollar worth less so that
    American products will sell better abroad.
    --scott
    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to All on Wed Apr 30 08:38:13 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    n Wed, 30 Apr 2025 13:36:43 GMT, [email protected] (Scott Lurndal)
    wrote:

    Lynn McGuire <[email protected]> writes:
    On 4/29/2025 10:58 AM, Paul S Person wrote:


    It is hard to be sure, but actual monetary savings appear to be ...
    unimpressive, as they are not much more than what they cost to
    achieve. Or so those who have sorted out the reality from the
    propaganda appear to be saying. A thorough forensic audit will be
    needed at some point.

    Goebbels and Streicher would be proud of him.

    The USA Treasury is getting ready to refinance $7 trillion in USA tbills >>over the next couple of months from 2% to 4 - 5% interest rate. Enjoy >>your inflation.

    1) A treasury bill has a maturity date between 4 weeks and 52 weeks.
    The interest rate is fixed for the term of the bill, therefore
    they won't all be "refinancing" in the next couple of months. The
    current tbill rate is 4.2%, which is down from 5.25% a year ago.

    TBill rates historically have averaged just under 3%.

    2) TBills make up 25% of the total debt, the rest is in bonds and notes.

    3) 100% of the coming inflation is due to tariffs and their knock-on effects.

    4) Higher Tbill rates are good for those who hold them.

    5) Your irrational devotion to the orange clown is pathetic, inflation
    and the national debt will be far worse at the end of his term than
    they are today as he completely tanks the economy.

    I don't see how this shows devotion to Trump who, after all, as POTUSA
    and Signer of Executive Orders is responsible for anything the
    government does.

    As to tariffs, Trump is apparently opposed to actually letting
    consumers know how much of what they are paying is being paid to the
    Federal Government -- ie, is in fact a tax under another name. He may
    have intimidated Amazon (for now), but I don't think treating
    consumers like mushrooms will work for long.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Apr 30 08:34:26 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:43:26 -0500, Lynn McGuire
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 4/29/2025 10:58 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Mon, 28 Apr 2025 14:24:40 -0700, Bobbie Sellers
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 4/28/25 12:52, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    On 4/28/2025 9:16 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
    "Dob" <[email protected]> writes:
    [[Hyperlink Blocked]]

    "Lynn McGuire"� wrote in message news:vsmqov$1i9df$[email protected]... >>>>>>
    Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk
    ��� https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2025/03/27

    And kinda evil too.

    Musk is the modern american Rasputin.

    Nope.� Musk is the modern Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Henry >>>> Ford rolled into one man.

    Lynn


    Edison and Ford yes. Westinghouse not so much as he was a real
    inventor and not merely an exploiter of researchers and industrial
    giant per-Edison and Ford. Mush is a hater like Ford and i believe
    Edison held some irrantional prejudices as well.

    Mush did have some Rasputin-like hold on American consciousness
    but his foolish hacking away at government agencies has disenchanted
    a great many of us, US citizens. Evil is banal and Mush is such.

    "Foolish" doesn't cover it. "Inept" and "heavy-handed" are closer. But
    mostly it is done to maximize headlines -- that is, for propaganda
    purposes.

    It is hard to be sure, but actual monetary savings appear to be ...
    unimpressive, as they are not much more than what they cost to
    achieve. Or so those who have sorted out the reality from the
    propaganda appear to be saying. A thorough forensic audit will be
    needed at some point.

    Goebbels and Streicher would be proud of him.

    The USA Treasury is getting ready to refinance $7 trillion in USA tbills >over the next couple of months from 2% to 4 - 5% interest rate. Enjoy
    your inflation.

    I'm afraid I am missing your point here.

    Yes, Trump's US Treasury may well be planning to increase inflation.
    Or, rather, be forced to do so by his "tariffs" and/or other so-called "policies". Which appear to be whatever will distract most from the
    last set of failures.

    As I have said before -- buckle up! It's going to be a rough ride.

    And, yes, I will be affected by it.

    But it isn't /my/ inflation -- it is Trump's inflation, and the
    inflation of every single person who voted for him. I expect that many
    of them will "enjoy" it a lot more than I will. Particularly those
    whose favorite stores sell mostly stuff from China.

    But none of this has anything to do with Musk's propaganda work. Or
    the clear fact that he has /no/ idea how things work in government.
    None at all.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Apr 30 08:40:30 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:44:40 -0500, Lynn McGuire
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 4/29/2025 1:33 PM, Pluted Pup wrote:
    On Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:23:58 -0700, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk
    https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2025/03/27

    And kinda evil too.

    Paywalled:

    " We're Not Trying To Slow You Down!
    "
    " But you do have to subscribe to access this comic's archive.

    That sucks. But maybe the artist ? author ? gets some of it.

    Maybe there is a time limit for free viewing. This particular comic
    is, after all, a month old.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Mark Jackson@21:1/5 to Paul S Person on Wed Apr 30 12:54:45 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 4/30/2025 11:40 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:44:40 -0500, Lynn McGuire
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 4/29/2025 1:33 PM, Pluted Pup wrote:
    On Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:23:58 -0700, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    Swan Eaters: Rasputin Was A Jerk
    https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2025/03/27

    And kinda evil too.

    Paywalled:

    " We're Not Trying To Slow You Down!
    "
    " But you do have to subscribe to access this comic's archive.

    That sucks. But maybe the artist ? author ? gets some of it.

    Maybe there is a time limit for free viewing. This particular comic
    is, after all, a month old.

    Paid account access: unlimited
    Free account access: 30 days
    Guest (no account) access: 14 days

    --
    Mark Jackson - https://mark-jackson.online/
    I'm honestly running out of words I can use on the air
    to describe what's happening in and to this economy.
    - Kai Ryssdal

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Scott Lurndal@21:1/5 to Lynn McGuire on Wed Apr 30 17:48:20 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    Lynn McGuire <[email protected]> writes:
    On 4/30/2025 8:36 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
    Lynn McGuire <[email protected]> writes:
    On 4/29/2025 10:58 AM, Paul S Person wrote:


    It is hard to be sure, but actual monetary savings appear to be ...
    unimpressive, as they are not much more than what they cost to
    achieve. Or so those who have sorted out the reality from the
    propaganda appear to be saying. A thorough forensic audit will be
    needed at some point.

    Goebbels and Streicher would be proud of him.

    The USA Treasury is getting ready to refinance $7 trillion in USA tbills >>> over the next couple of months from 2% to 4 - 5% interest rate. Enjoy
    your inflation.

    1) A treasury bill has a maturity date between 4 weeks and 52 weeks.
    The interest rate is fixed for the term of the bill, therefore
    they won't all be "refinancing" in the next couple of months. The
    current tbill rate is 4.2%, which is down from 5.25% a year ago.

    TBill rates historically have averaged just under 3%.

    2) TBills make up 25% of the total debt, the rest is in bonds and notes.

    3) 100% of the coming inflation is due to tariffs and their knock-on effects.

    4) Higher Tbill rates are good for those who hold them.

    5) Your irrational devotion to the orange clown is pathetic, inflation
    and the national debt will be far worse at the end of his term than
    they are today as he completely tanks the economy.

    So there are no 10 year tbills ? Wrong.

    There are no 10 year treasury bills. Treasury bills are available in
    one, three, six and twelve-month periods.

    There are two, three, five, seven and ten year treasure "NOTES", and
    30 year treasury "BONDS" and Treasury Interest Protected Securities (TIPS).

    But there are no 10-year BILLS: You said:

    ">>> The USA Treasury is getting ready to refinance $7 trillion in USA tbills"

    I own bills, notes and bonds, myself. And they don't get "refinanced"; they're either held to maturity and/or traded at a premium or loss, depending on
    the current market prices.

    The rest is dismissed since you do not understand finance

    I believe it is you that do not understand finance.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to Lynn McGuire on Wed Apr 30 19:34:48 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    Lynn McGuire <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 4/30/2025 8:36 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
    Lynn McGuire <[email protected]> writes:
    On 4/29/2025 10:58 AM, Paul S Person wrote:


    It is hard to be sure, but actual monetary savings appear to be ...
    unimpressive, as they are not much more than what they cost to
    achieve. Or so those who have sorted out the reality from the
    propaganda appear to be saying. A thorough forensic audit will be
    needed at some point.

    Goebbels and Streicher would be proud of him.

    The USA Treasury is getting ready to refinance $7 trillion in USA tbills >>> over the next couple of months from 2% to 4 - 5% interest rate. Enjoy
    your inflation.

    1) A treasury bill has a maturity date between 4 weeks and 52 weeks.
    The interest rate is fixed for the term of the bill, therefore
    they won't all be "refinancing" in the next couple of months. The
    current tbill rate is 4.2%, which is down from 5.25% a year ago.

    TBill rates historically have averaged just under 3%.

    2) TBills make up 25% of the total debt, the rest is in bonds and notes.

    3) 100% of the coming inflation is due to tariffs and their knock-on effects.

    4) Higher Tbill rates are good for those who hold them.

    5) Your irrational devotion to the orange clown is pathetic, inflation
    and the national debt will be far worse at the end of his term than
    they are today as he completely tanks the economy.

    So there are no 10 year tbills ? Wrong.

    Umm, there ARE no 10 year tbills/TBills/Treasury Bills.
    Nomenclature is important in finance, among other things.
    Bills are short-term...52 weeks or less.
    The Treasury does issue a 10 year Treasury Note (among other terms).
    They also issue Bonds in 20 and 30 year terms.
    The three types of security are very different from each other.
    Most recent rates on Bills range from 4.24% (8 weeks) to 3.75% (52 weeks).
    8 weeks ago the rate for 8 week Bills was the same, 4.24%. 52 weeks ago the rate for 52 week Bills was 4.95%.

    Robert
    --
    Robert K. Shull Email: rkshull at rosettacon dot com

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Scott Dorsey@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Apr 30 15:59:17 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    Paul S Person <[email protected]d> wrote:
    As to tariffs, Trump is apparently opposed to actually letting
    consumers know how much of what they are paying is being paid to the >=46ederal Government -- ie, is in fact a tax under another name. He may
    have intimidated Amazon (for now), but I don't think treating
    consumers like mushrooms will work for long.

    Digikey has been splitting out tariffs since 2018 which has been very
    handy when I have been importing parts myself because I can compare their
    rate with the rate I am paying and know if there is a better declaration possible.

    Apparently the crew at Digikey are going berserk trying to figure out the
    new tariff schedules though.
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to Scott Dorsey on Wed Apr 30 21:08:18 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    Scott Dorsey <[email protected]> wrote:
    Paul S Person <[email protected]d> wrote:
    As to tariffs, Trump is apparently opposed to actually letting
    consumers know how much of what they are paying is being paid to the >>=46ederal Government -- ie, is in fact a tax under another name. He may >>have intimidated Amazon (for now), but I don't think treating
    consumers like mushrooms will work for long.

    Digikey has been splitting out tariffs since 2018 which has been very
    handy when I have been importing parts myself because I can compare their rate with the rate I am paying and know if there is a better declaration possible.

    Apparently the crew at Digikey are going berserk trying to figure out the
    new tariff schedules though.

    Thinking about this...if you're Amazon (rather than, say, Temu) how do you disclose your tariff costs without disclosing your markup? If I'm buying
    from Temu the tariff is going to be based on the price I pay. For Amazon it's the price THEY pay. I can't imagine Amazon would be happy about everyone knowing the markup on every (imported) product they sell.

    Robert
    --
    Robert K. Shull Email: rkshull at rosettacon dot com

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bobbie Sellers@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Apr 30 16:45:08 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On 4/30/25 14:08, [email protected] wrote:
    Scott Dorsey <[email protected]> wrote:
    Paul S Person <[email protected]d> wrote:
    As to tariffs, Trump is apparently opposed to actually letting
    consumers know how much of what they are paying is being paid to the
    =46ederal Government -- ie, is in fact a tax under another name. He may
    have intimidated Amazon (for now), but I don't think treating
    consumers like mushrooms will work for long.

    Digikey has been splitting out tariffs since 2018 which has been very
    handy when I have been importing parts myself because I can compare their
    rate with the rate I am paying and know if there is a better declaration
    possible.

    Apparently the crew at Digikey are going berserk trying to figure out the
    new tariff schedules though.

    Thinking about this...if you're Amazon (rather than, say, Temu) how do you disclose your tariff costs without disclosing your markup? If I'm buying
    from Temu the tariff is going to be based on the price I pay. For Amazon it's the price THEY pay. I can't imagine Amazon would be happy about everyone knowing the markup on every (imported) product they sell.

    Robert


    They would be happier in spending their cash and credit in ignorance of the Federal Sales Tax that Tariffs in the USA, at least
    are?. Great thing about the California Sales Tax is that we have at
    least an idea of the additional costs imposed.
    On good reciepts here the Sales Tax is clearly shown.

    bliss



    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Scott Dorsey@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Apr 30 20:09:15 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    Bobbie Sellers <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 4/30/25 14:08, [email protected] wrote:

    Thinking about this...if you're Amazon (rather than, say, Temu) how do you >> disclose your tariff costs without disclosing your markup? If I'm buying
    from Temu the tariff is going to be based on the price I pay. For Amazon it's
    the price THEY pay. I can't imagine Amazon would be happy about everyone
    knowing the markup on every (imported) product they sell.

    Yes, but unless you know the tariff rate, it doesn't tell you the price
    they are paying. And the tariff rate depends entirely on how good the
    importer is at working the system.

    I get transformers from Scotland. If I import them as "Electronic Transformers" I pay a duty. If I import them as "Power transformers"
    I would pay a still higher duty. But because I import them as "Telecommunications transformers" I don't pay any duty at all.
    (In reality they are electronic and telecommunications transformers
    and calling them power transformers might be a bit of a stretch even
    though they do carry audio power.)

    When I ship equalizer modules out of the country, I ship them as
    "Audio Consoles and parts" to some locations, but to others I
    ship them as "Tape Recorder accessories" and to one I ship them
    as "Electronic Filters." The modules fit all three descriptions,
    but the duty on all three is different and how it differs depends
    on the country.

    Places like digikey have a whole army of importation experts who do
    nothing but memorize tariffs and manage things through customs. Back
    in the days when I was a kid and there were far more tariffs than
    there are today, there used to be a lot of "import-export corporations"
    that did nothing but manage this stuff for people who wanted to
    purchase large quantities from abroad.

    They would be happier in spending their cash and credit in ignorance of
    the Federal Sales Tax that Tariffs in the USA, at least
    are?. Great thing about the California Sales Tax is that we have at
    least an idea of the additional costs imposed.
    On good reciepts here the Sales Tax is clearly shown.

    To be honest I don't like that... I much prefer VAT where you can look at
    the price on the menu and pay exactly that price. I live in a town where
    the sales tax on meals is higher on one side of the street than it is on
    the other side (which is a different county).
    --scott
    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to Dorsey on Thu May 1 08:43:37 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Wed, 30 Apr 2025 15:59:17 -0400 (EDT), [email protected] (Scott
    Dorsey) wrote:

    Paul S Person <[email protected]d> wrote:
    As to tariffs, Trump is apparently opposed to actually letting
    consumers know how much of what they are paying is being paid to the >>=46ederal Government -- ie, is in fact a tax under another name. He may >>have intimidated Amazon (for now), but I don't think treating
    consumers like mushrooms will work for long.

    Digikey has been splitting out tariffs since 2018 which has been very
    handy when I have been importing parts myself because I can compare their >rate with the rate I am paying and know if there is a better declaration >possible.

    Apparently the crew at Digikey are going berserk trying to figure out the
    new tariff schedules though.

    The difference between tariffs imposed by /sane/ persons, and those
    imposed by Trump, no doubt.

    Or maybe it's just that Trump's seem to jump around a bit, making it
    hard to keep up.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu May 1 08:57:38 2025
    XPost: rec.arts.sf.written

    On Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:34:19 -0500, Lynn McGuire
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 4/30/2025 8:36 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
    Lynn McGuire <[email protected]> writes:
    On 4/29/2025 10:58 AM, Paul S Person wrote:


    It is hard to be sure, but actual monetary savings appear to be ...
    unimpressive, as they are not much more than what they cost to
    achieve. Or so those who have sorted out the reality from the
    propaganda appear to be saying. A thorough forensic audit will be
    needed at some point.

    Goebbels and Streicher would be proud of him.

    The USA Treasury is getting ready to refinance $7 trillion in USA tbills >>> over the next couple of months from 2% to 4 - 5% interest rate. Enjoy
    your inflation.

    1) A treasury bill has a maturity date between 4 weeks and 52 weeks.
    The interest rate is fixed for the term of the bill, therefore
    they won't all be "refinancing" in the next couple of months. The
    current tbill rate is 4.2%, which is down from 5.25% a year ago.

    TBill rates historically have averaged just under 3%.

    2) TBills make up 25% of the total debt, the rest is in bonds and notes.

    3) 100% of the coming inflation is due to tariffs and their knock-on effects.

    4) Higher Tbill rates are good for those who hold them.

    5) Your irrational devotion to the orange clown is pathetic, inflation
    and the national debt will be far worse at the end of his term than
    they are today as he completely tanks the economy.

    So there are no 10 year tbills ? Wrong.

    Right -- per <https://www.treasurydirect.gov/marketable-securities/treasury-bills/>.

    Which, being a government web site has, when read, the authority of
    Trump. That's what it means to be POTUS.

    The rest is dismissed since you do not understand finance and your
    emotional outburst.

    He apparently understands it better than you do.

    Or were you unaware that "tbill" has a /definite meaning/ and is not
    just "anything the US Treasury issues, whatever it is called"?

    Oh, and tbills are sold at a discount, which means that, if the
    interest rate goes up, they cost less to purchase. The face value is
    paid when they mature.

    But perhaps you were thinking of bonds <https://www.treasurydirect.gov/marketable-securities/treasury-bonds/>,
    which apparently exist in two kinds: 20-year and 30-year.

    It will take them a /long/ time to retire /those/ puppies.

    And it appears that, no, they are not callable.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)