XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   From: MeanDog@stonewall.Dash   
      
   Donald Trump Turning the United States into a Shithole Country   
      
      
      
   By Dean Baker   
      
      
   For people not familiar with the reference, back in his first term Trump   
   once famously complained that we were attracting immigrants from places   
   like Africa and Latin America, which he described as shithole countries   
   rather than places like Norway. People can speculate on what he meant by   
   this comment.   
      
   Anyhow, a sharp downturn in spending by foreign tourists in the United   
   States since Trump took office may suggest views of the United States have   
   turned more negative in recent months. Spending had been on an upward path   
   since the shutdown months in the pandemic.   
      
   Real spending peaked in October of last year at $136 billion (in 2017   
   dollars), still around 10 percent below the pre-pandemic level. It then   
   began to fall, hitting $117 billion in April, a drop of more than 14   
   percent.   
      
   This is a steep falloff in a relatively short period of time. Monthly data   
   are erratic, but a decline of this magnitude is difficult to ignore. There   
   are many reasons why fewer foreigners may wish to visit the United States   
   just now, even though the drop in the dollar under Trump means their money   
   goes further.   
      
   Canadians, our most frequent foreign visitors, may not appreciate Donald   
   Trumps threats to take over their country. They likely also are not pleased   
   with his trade war against them based on the absurd allegation that they   
   are funneling fentanyl into the United States.   
      
   Europeans similarly probably dont appreciate Trumps frequent comments about   
   seizing Greenland, which is currently part of Denmark, an EU member. They   
   also are probably not humored by Trumps trade war against them, based in   
   part on the bizarre claim that the EU was formed to damage the United   
   States. (In fact, the United States had consistently been a strong   
   supporter of greater European integration. ) European countries are also   
   mostly not happy with Trumps decision to take Putins side in his war   
   against Ukraine.   
      
   Visitors from the rest of the world have undoubtedly seen stories of   
   immigration agents harassing and even detaining people who enter the   
   country. While this is surely a greater problem for non-white people, there   
   have been several cases where white people from Europe and Canada have been   
   harassed and/or detained.   
      
   Most people are probably not thrilled with the idea that they could plan a   
   vacation and pay for airfare and hotels, only to be turned around at the   
   airport because an immigration officer thinks that Marco Rubio doesnt like   
   your Facebook posts. Even worse, some people have been detained for no   
   obvious cause, when they were prepared to leave the country at their own   
   expense.   
      
   Even apart from concerns about harassment from immigration, there are other   
   reasons foreigners may view the United States as a less pleasant place to   
   visit than was the case six months ago. For example, Elon Musk and his DOGE   
   boys decided that we didnt need rangers helping people with directions and   
   advice  and, if need be, first aid  at our national parks. He fired many,   
   in addition to the people who cleaned restrooms and did other things to   
   keep the parks attractive. Our national parks have long been a major draw   
   for foreign visitors.   
      
   While the decline to date is substantial, it is likely to get considerably   
   larger. People who planned trips, made reservations, and often paid   
   deposits are likely to go ahead with their travel plans. However, as   
   attitudes change, they will not make these plans in the future. This means   
   we may see a considerably larger falloff later in the year and especially   
   in 2026. Next years World Cup, which will be played in part in the United   
   States, as well as in Canada and Mexico, may see unusually low attendance.   
   In fact, given current policies, some of the players may even be excluded   
   by immigration.   
      
   A president concerned about the trade deficit would be alarmed about the   
   decline in this major source of export earnings. But apparently Donald   
   Trump doesnt know about it, or care.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)