Stupid is as stupid does

Unless you've been hiding in a cave--which, all things considered, isn't such a bad idea--you've heard about Donald Trump's tariffs and China's retaliation against those tariffs.

Anyone with a functioning brain should have seen this coming.

Donald Trump appealed to a certain type of a person. Sure, some seemingly intelligent people voted for the obnoxious moron. They obviously prioritized something besides morals, respect, dignity and nearly every other trait we used to associate with the President of the United States.

What was it? I have an idea, but that's a blog post for another day.

This post is directly related to Trump's tariffs and paying back those who helped elect him. Although, I suspect those soybean farmers, especially in rural Ohio, had other ideas on how they'd be repaid for electing a reality TV star and porn aficionado to this nation's highest office.

The Wall Street Post had a great piece today on the reaction of some of those soybean farmers who stand to lose the most if Trump and China follow through with their plans.

You see, Trump proposed tariffs on many Chinese imports. The Chinese responded by placing tariffs on USA exports, notably soybeans.

Ohioan Bret Davis is one of those soybean farmers who voted for Trump and now is afraid of what might happen should Trump's grand plan fail--and fail it will.

"The farm, where Davis and his stepson grow 1,300 acres of soybeans, corn and wheat for Ritz crackers, may not withstand the long-term drop in crop prices a trade war could bring, Davis said. And although he supports President Trump's goal of making foreign trade more 'balanced,' he's increasingly concerned that Trump's methods could harm the rural Americans who helped put him in office."

Davis, who fears his farm won't sustain the losses incurred by Trump's actions STILL SUPPORTS Trump. Yes, you read that right. This soybean farmer is afraid Trump might crush his farm but, yeah, he still supports the guy.

Apparently, there's a noxious fume emitted from soybeans that damages brain matter.

The Post explains that soybean-producing counties voted for Trump by a 12-percent margin.

"Farmers say they haven’t given up on Trump. But they’re increasingly alarmed by his approach."

They haven't given up on him? They're alarmed by his approach?

Gee, if only they were warned that Trump isn't exactly the most diplomatic politician to ever run for office.

This sounds like Johnny Manziel blaming the Cleveland Browns for not recognizing he was lazy and drafting him anyway.

“The way he’s going about this is not the way I would’ve done it,” Davis said. “My way would’ve been talking about it first, rather than just [imposing tariffs]. But Mr. Trump’s way to deal with anything is to throw a diversion into a room and then sit down and talk about it.

Davis said his way would have been to talk about it first...you know, like diplomatically. Diplomacy is part of making deals, but see, Trump has a different idea. He believes his way is the right way.

While that works in business--you, know, not paying contractors for work and then tying them up in court until they can't afford to pay anymore--it certainly doesn't work in world politics.

Soybean farmers need China.

Brazil last year already seized on Trump's idiotic presidency by grabbing up a share of what the US used to export to China...and Mexico...and Argentina...are you sensing a trend?

Trump supporters I have encountered don't seem to understand this simple concept.

They believe we should feed our own people first.

We do, but exports are a large, or should I say, YUUUUGE, part of of this country's agricultural production and success.

"Like most large-scale soybean farms in the United States, Davis's business relies heavily on foreign markets. China buys 60 percent of all U.S. soybean exports to feed a growing fleet of hogs, fish and chicken."

Cut 60-percent from your own business, whatever it is, and how long would you survive?

“If this turns into a longer-term thing, we’re going to see friends and neighbors go out of business,” Iowa farmer Dave Walton told the Post. “If this stretches into years, we ourselves won’t be able to sustain it.”

Here's the scary thing...and consider all these farmers have at stake...

"Polling commissioned by the trade site Agri-Pulse suggests that most farmers (voted for Trump): In a March survey of 750 farmers, largely concentrated in the Plain states and the Midwest, 67 percent said they voted for Trump and 45 percent said they would do so again."

They'd vote for him again!!!

What in the hell is it they're prioritizing?

They could lose their farms, their livelihoods, their meaning in life. But, they'd vote for Trump again...based on what?

Do they want a wall built on our southern border that bad that they'd give up everything for it?

Sadly, that wall will likely keep them from surviving in Mexico when they run out of food and work here in the United States.