#1,054: Tariffs are Not America's Pastime
Yamamoto & Ohtani
As I sit here in my library, about to begin writing this blog, I’m wearing one of my L.A. Dodger tee shirts . . . this time a blue one emblazoned with the name OHTANI across the interscapular region. I’m drinking coffee from a blue Dodger mug. Last night, while watching Dodger ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto become the first pitcher to hurl consecutive complete games in a postseason since 2001, I was adorned in a grey L.A. Dodgers: 2024 World Series Champions shirt. Here in the library, sitting on a ledge just to my right is a bust of Thomas Jefferson and a beautifully framed octagonal photo of silent movie icon Clara Bow. Sitting between them is a plaque proclaiming Dodger Stadium: 2,694 mi. The plaque, like the tee-shirts and jerseys (which include “Kershaw,” “Betts,” and “Valenzuela” are all courtesy of my slightly-older-sister Riki (Erica). To be a member of the Stone family means being a fanatical “Bleed Dodger Blue” partisan. And that we are. . . in spades.
Throughout the day, and while watching the early innings of last night’s game, part of my brain was going over possible topics for this week’s blog. Unlike during the presidencies of Obama and Biden, when selecting things to write about wasn’t all that difficult, the era of the Regime presents far, far too many hebdomadal possibilities. Among the subjects I considered were:
The $20 (or $40) billion gift to the right-wing, fiscally inept Milei administration in Argentina; of how it would drive a stake through the heart of the American beef industry and only serve to enrich the billionaire hedge fund friends of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (himself a former hedge fund manager who once served as chief investment officer at Soros Fund Management [!]) who have been buying up Argentine bonds at an alarming rate. Those wishing to better understand why the Regime is investing so heavily in a failing South American economy, I urge you to read Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman’s piece from October 9.
Speaking before the press the other day, IT claimed the the federal government owes him ‘a lot of money’ ($230 million) for federal investigations during and after his first term. He further declared himself the arbiter of whether or not his own administration should pay him damages, telling reporters that any such decision “would have to go across my desk”. In a somewhat lighthearted moment proving G-d knows what, he said “It’s interesting, ’cause I’m the one that makes the decision, right?” The situation has no parallel in American history, as Felon47, a presidential candidate, was pursued by federal law enforcement and eventually won the election, taking over the very government that must now review his claims. It is also the starkest example yet of potential ethical conflicts created by installing the president’s former lawyers atop the Justice Department. “What a travesty,” said Bennett L. Gershman, an ethics professor at Pace University. “The ethical conflict is just so basic and fundamental, you don’t need a law professor to explain it.” BTW: IT told the press he would donate any such funds to charity. “I’m not looking for money,” he told reporters. “I’d give it to charity or something. I would give it to charity, any money.” All those who believe this, raise your hand.
Speaking of lying, our Beloved Pigeon (an historic epithet for Mussolini) announced before he tore down the entire East Wing of the White House in order to build a gilt $300 million, 90,000 square foot ballroom, that it would not interfere with the historic look of the grounds. White House officials then told CBS it was always the case that the East Wing would have to be modernized to enhance security and technology, but that during the planning process, it became apparent that the best option would be to demolish the entirety of the East Wing. Compare this ballroom to the one at Mar-a-Lago. ITs ballroom is about 20,000 square feet and seats around 700 people for dinner ,about 1,000 standing. It’s one of the largest private ballrooms in the country. According to the most recent reports, the new ballroom will be 90,000 square feet. That’s more than four times larger than Mar-a-Lago’s, and could hold somewhere around 3,000-4,000 people depending on the setup. Now mind you, the entire White House itself is only about 55,000 square feet. Forget the fact that Felon47 claims that he’s getting his billionaire friends to cough up the gelt for all the gilt. This is history being destroyed.
As last night’s game progressed, I continued pondering what to write about. And then came an ad from up in Toronto . . . the home of the Dodger’s World Series opponent, the Blue Jays. It dealt with an address former President Ronald Reagan gave back on April 25, 1987 in which he said, “When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while, it works, but only for a short time. . . .High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation from foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars . . . .Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries shut down and millions of people lose their jobs. This so angered IT (who had previously made a friendly bet with Ontario Premier Doug Ford over the outcome of the World Series) that he not only cancelled further trade talks with Canada, but imposed an additional 10% tariff on all Canadian goods. To add insult to injury, he also called the ad a complete fake: They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like Tariffs, when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY. . . . Thank you to the Ronald Reagan Foundation for exposing this FRAUD.”
Actually, the Ronald Reagan Foundation (which is located within jogging distance of my sister’s home in Southern California) opened its files and provided an actual video capture of The Gipper’s radio address:
I for one do not believe that Pouter Pigeon ever placed a wager in favor of the Dodgers. Afterall, they are in Los Angeles, which is in the State of California, which is also home to San Francisco . . . 3 places high on his ‘must take over’ list. Now, ironically, his pique for the good folks of Toronto is just about as high . . . if not higher. By running the ad at the end of every game (there are a maximum of 5 to go), Canada is essentially hitting a Grand Slam. I for one hope they play the ad at the Super Bowl in 2026. And if, G-d forbid, the Blue jays take the World Series crown from the L.A. Dodgers, I somehow doubt IT will be inviting them to the White House. Then too, should the Dodgers win, they will likely refuse the invitation.
Baseball is, without a doubt, America’s Pastime. Tariffs, swindles, misappropriation of funds, making sure your friends and family add to their personal billions . . . are nobody’s pastime. . .
. . . Unless you are a member of the inner circle of a malevolent cult; then these things are nothing more than unspeakable sins.
GO DODGER BLUE!!
Copyright ©2025 Kurt Franklin Stone