Suck it up, buttercup!

"We owe Trump the opportunity to let these tariffs play out. As Americans, we need to be strong. Be resolute. But that might not be in the cards. Why? Many of us live only for today, with no vision of tomorrow. Fixing out trade imbalances will not only benefit us, but also our kids and grandies. Final words - suck it up, buttercup! This won't last forever." 

One of the Company Commanders in Navy boot camp would always say the same thing when thing got hard - "Suck it up, buttercup!" The hidden meaning of that phrase was things might be tough right now, but they will not be forever. So, set your jaw, and put up with the pain and discomfort. For those in boot camp who came out of a life of relative ease, this was strong medicine to take. But for those with the long view, that this was only to make them hard and resolute, it was all good.

In our ongoing trade disputes with other countries, one industry which does not get much press, yet really takes it in the shorts if our agribusiness. Sure, we produce enough to feed our population, and many times have "bin busters" at harvest time, but there is another side to this story. The producers themselves. The farmers and ranchers. Making enough of a profit to keep on going. For that, markets greater than the United States alone are needed. Yet, our "friends and allies" often times put tariffs and other trade barriers up to stunt our trade with them.

The morning on the news was the head of the Cattlemen's Association. He said something which I had not thought of before. I have had beef all over the world. Japan, Australia, the UK and Spain. It was all good but not like at home. I always thought our beef was the best. The man from the Cattlemen's Association said (this might be a bit biased), we produce the best beef in the world - hands down. Yet, we have trouble selling it outside our country. Donald Trump thinks this is unfair - so unfair that it is worth the temporary discomfort of tariffs. To fix this injustice, we all might have to "suck it up, buttercup".

I hate to say this about my fellow countrymen, but we are a nation of financial wussies. Seriously. The Dow goes down for a few days due to the "shock and awe" of tariffs, and it is as bad as getting nuked by Russia. I mean, come on - this too shall pass. I loved Trump's statement on the discomfort coming out of the post Liberation Day announcement - "this is like going to the doctor to get better". And Congress? They are the worst of the bunch. They are trying to write legislation to strip Trump of his tariff powers. If they did that, we would be back at square one. 

We owe Trump the opportunity to let these tariffs play out. As Americans, we need to be strong. Be resolute. But that might not be in the cards. Why? Many of us live only for today, with no vision of tomorrow. Fixing out trade imbalances will not only benefit us, but also our kids and grandies. Final words - suck it up, buttercup! This won't last forever.