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Trade-related job losses and opioid-related overdose deaths are both disproportionately concentrated in Appalachia.

Shame on Kentucky senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul for neglecting this reality as they try to stall Trump’s trade agenda.

1 posted on 04/03/2025 9:42:47 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

2 posted on 04/03/2025 9:58:51 AM PDT by Paladin2 ( )
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

in which fentanyl is present in the heroin supply.

*****

I hate when my heroin is adulterated. As Norm MacDonald said, the big dope companies don’t care about you. They just care about their third quarter profits.


3 posted on 04/03/2025 9:59:02 AM PDT by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
In general, the loss of 1,000 trade-related jobs was associated with a 2.7 percent increase in opioid-related deaths.

What about neo-marxist social engineering? The destruction of families and fatherless children? Highly politicized sexual license, LGBTQ and abortion? The active persecution of Christianity in society by leftist government in favor of post-modernism and materialism?

What about our debt-based, Federal Reserve printed fiat monetary system and how it rewards insiders and makes the middle class debt slaves?

Did these have no effect on addiction rates?

4 posted on 04/03/2025 9:59:06 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Many people on this forum simply do not understand the concept of tariffs as a tool to affect the deleterious behavior of foreign countries.

If we tell them to stop importing Fentanyl, they can say “Okay” and go on doing what they have been doing. Or they can (and do) flip us the middle finger with a smile.

Trump recognizes one thing-the power of the dollars in the hands of American Consumers.

That is it right there. That is our most powerful weapon that we can employ, bar none.

If we decide to cut a foreign industry off from our consumer product, that is the equivalent of twisting a kid’s arm who, when asked politely to stop some activity, flips you the bird with a grin.

A well placed tariff is a powerful tool, but it is not without risk. As an American citizen, I am wholly onboard with using tariffs to modify behavior of countries that is meant to harm us, both physically and financially.

I am willing to undergo the tribulations that may result in a tariff war.

But these circumstances, one-sided tariff impositions on the USA, predatory trade practices, blatant intellectual property theft (Chico’s), illegal drug trafficking, government aided illegal immigration, and deportation cooperation all demand action.

And, we may actually get significant tariff revenues, depending on how well they are targeted.

We have received zero cooperation on any of these issues until tariffs were threatened or imposed.

I find the spinelessness of many on this forum towards tariffs to be cause for reflection. If we aren’t educated to understand and willingly fight the battle in this legitimate fashion, we are screwed. Because if we don’t do it, the Left DEFINITELY won’t do it.

It is disheartening to me to see the willing cowardice on our side to fight back.


5 posted on 04/03/2025 10:01:43 AM PDT by rlmorel ("A people that elect corrupt politicians are not victims...but accomplices." George Orwell)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Not surprised.

Husband was from a rust belt town, originally full of manufacturing, mining, steel production, railroading, etc. Plenty of great-paying jobs to support a family and send the kids off to college (my husband was one of them, first in his family to go to college, his dad worked on the railroad, his uncle was a welder for the mines).

Now, those jobs are all gone and the next generation is struggling - opioids and fentanyl have flooded into the town.
All of husband’s nephews have struggled with addiction, jail time, rehab and the aftermath. One went in the ground last year, fentanyl overdose, married with three kids. Very sad state of affairs there.

And yes, I believe one of the main reasons is the hopelessness from a lack of well-paying jobs.


6 posted on 04/03/2025 10:03:53 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (You Say You Want a Revolution?)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Taking illicit drugs is inherently risky.
I tried MJ as a teen.
But I find it hard to be worried about people that don’t care about themselves. Let them do their thing and if they die, Oh well!
Lest you think I’m heartless, I took in my cousin who was a full blown Heroin addict, she did fine for a year but missed the street life and left. She died at her mothers house from heart failure. Drugs had so ravaged her body it just couldn’t hold up. She was 45 yrs old.
I don’t blame drugs, I blame her and her life choices.


9 posted on 04/03/2025 10:38:13 AM PDT by rellic (No such thing as a moderate Moslem or Democrat )
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