How to make the most out of a little

You’re about to experience what poor people already know: what it’s like when you can’t buy the thing you need.

Trump’s tariff tantrum is about to empty store shelves. The slow pace of cargo ships coming from China is such that even if he called off tariffs tomorrow, we’d still have a shortage of imported goods for several weeks. (https://medium.com/minds-without-borders/want-to-survive-shortages-learn-from-the-poor-3721757d149e)

Meanwhile, the U.S. Travel Association says the United States is now running an annual travel trade deficit of $50 billion, compared with a $3.5 billion surplus in 2022.

“This presumably reflects increased hostility by many foreigners to the U.S., as well as fear of harassment by ICE officers,” Dean Baker, senior economist for the Center for Economic and Policy Research, wrote in a note reviewing the first-quarter GDP numbers. “We will likely see further declines in future quarters, especially among students coming to study in the United States.” (https://qz.com/expedia-earnings-us-travel-tourism-industry-decline-1851779937).

Adding insult to injury, ICE harassment on our northern border is increasing. U.S. border patrol officers have been setting up extra checkpoints near crossings between the U.S. and Metro Vancouver.

In an unusual scene, vehicles in the U.S. that are heading north to Canada through the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway crossings are sometimes being stopped by U.S. border patrol before they leave the country and arrive at Canadian customs. In some cases, it has added hours to crossing times. (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/us-bc-border-checkpoint-1.7528402)

In sum, plant your garden, can your beans, and remember how peaceful life was before the internet.