Important news regarding moderation team....

[restorer-john]

The bolded text above is THE biggest issue we have in America today, and possibly in the World.

It does seem to be an issue in America for sure. But you guys are considerably more "into" your political views than us here in Australia.

What has always amused me is political affiliation and discussion is pretty normalized, it comes up at dinner conversations with people you don't even really know!

In Australia, people have their own views and pretty much never discuss them. I don't know any of my best friends political leanings, who they vote for and neither do I care. It's private business for Australians.

 

[raif71]

He said this today lol

Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5247132-trump-defends-tariff-exception/

Whaaat...so the initial exception announcement was kinda fake news

 

[tomtoo]

Dear @amirm it hurts me, but i like to be honest and i think your mods are right.

There is no way to keep some politics in and other politics out. Keep all out or have all in.

 

[EJ3]

The duties to Europe, for now, have been suspended but they are there.
This question of duties is bringing together nations that have always been "enemies" like Japan and China who are looking for trade agreements.
China is negotiating with Europe to remove duties on electric cars produced in China.
Europe will invest 800 billion in armaments (which will be produced at home...).
Outside the USA the rest of the world is reacting and not as the American administration thought ("kiss my ass").
Good evening to all of you

Politicians change, borders change (my great grandfather was from POLA, that has changed more that a few times [I was concieved in the USA, born in Austria and have family in many of these countries (and China), taxes, tariffs, vats change as the world maneuvers.
But here has been most usually very objective (measurements, how to read measurements, how to do things yourself, etc..
It's things that all of us, no matter where from or what we think, can look at & say, look, this is the facts (it's pretty hard to misread meters & computer displays these days).
Doing something other than that is certainly not why I come here.

 

[darth]

actually the whole world is wondering why Americans are not reacting. Every single person counts. Americans have to stand up and do something. There should be millions protesting on the streets at this point.

Damage done, but people are slowly waking up

https://twitter.com/x/status/1911063428137124256

 

[amirm]

It appears to me that Amir on the one hand, and Adam, Brad and James on the other, have disagreed strongly but have done so WITHOUT vilifying the other side.

I wish, really wish, I could say that is true but reality is quite the opposite. I did not want to go there but I need to make sure the situation is clear. This is part of one of the moderators wrote after I said I would not do as they said (they other two fully concurred):

"You are a pure narcissist if you can’t see the position you put us in. The rules apply to everyone else except You. You have the nerve to call Trump names that are more fitting for names that describe you and your behavior. While you are an expert in Audio Science. You are not an expert in how to run the largest economy and military in the world. You are the person who has no clue and you sir are completely out of your league and depth pretending otherwise because you have created this echo chamber now. You clearly have Trump Derangement Syndrome and serious anger issues. Maybe seek therapy."

Anyone want my job?

 

[Dialectic]

Not picking on anyone's comments in particular, but obviously, there is much for me to learn.

Is there a short list of countries that do NOT tariff imports?

All countries tariff at least certain categories of goods. A few countries, such as Switzerland, have extremely low import tariffs.

The freest places in the world for imports are probably Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau, which have zero import tariffs on most goods other than alcohol and tobacco. Singapore's infamously high taxes on vehicle purchases are de facto tariffs on auto imports.

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

I see some confusion that is likely caused by lack of clarity on my part. So let me fix that:

1. There is NO discussion or disagreement around allowing general political discussion in the forum. This is not allowed.

2. There is also NO discussion or disagreement around allowing open discussion between members on the topic of tariffs. Those threads that were created were closed and remain closed.

3. The request by the moderation team was specifically addressed to me and the closed thread I created. Here is the opening remark:

"The issue is that by turning the forum into a personal political soapbox as you are is leading the forum in a direction that we just can't follow."

[...]

More or less ending with:

"The three of us have conferred and are in agreement that your last thread completely undermined us and our mission as we see it. We don't want to give ultimatums to you, but for reasons stated above we feel that unless you delete the tariff thread , apologize for an error in judgement to the forum and the moderators then we collectively will have to resign, effective you rejecting our proposal to rectify."

Bolding mine. My answer is as that folks don't have to read my "soapbox." No one is making enemies of each other, except me. None of the consequences we normally worry about exists because of that thread as members can't go after each other. If me posting about issues that are near and dear to my heart bothers people, I can't do anything about it. Whatever the consequences are, I will accept and carry on.

Thin skins. Trial lawyer for 46 years. 5 years in developed thick skin. Now an alligator hide. Geez, not a big deal.

 

[Dialectic]

I asked Grok to list all countries with no import tariffs.

It came back with Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau.

I complained that Hong Kong and Macau are not countries.

So that leaves one.

As a followup, list all countries with no export tariffs:

"There are no countries that universally apply zero export tariffs on all goods leaving their borders as of April 13, 2025. Export tariffs (taxes imposed by a country on goods it exports) are less common than import tariffs, but most nations use them selectively to regulate specific industries, conserve resources, or generate revenue."

Singapore has alcohol tariffs. For some reason, the only place I could ever find inexpensive alcohol there was hawker centres, where huge bottles of Tiger beer nicely accompanied fish head bee hoon and Hainanese chicken rice.

 

[Chrispy]

Sorry the mods had to pass for now altho I can understand the moderation is far easier to just exclude. I did like your non-answerable list of observations, tho, thought that was a good way to do it. I spent my working career as a licensed US Customs broker....and am so glad I don't have to deal with the orange one's tariff mayhem. It is so poorly thought out and executed....

 

[MattHooper]

I wish, really wish, I could say that is true but reality is quite the opposite. I did not want to go there but I need to make sure the situation is clear. This is part of one of the moderators wrote after I said I would not do as they said (they other two fully concurred):

"You are a pure narcissist if you can’t see the position you put us in. The rules apply to everyone else except You. You have the nerve to call Trump names that are more fitting for names that describe you and your behavior. While you are an expert in Audio Science. You are not an expert in how to run the largest economy and military in the world. You are the person who has no clue and you sir are completely out of your league and depth pretending otherwise because you have created this echo chamber now. You clearly have Trump Derangement Syndrome and serious anger issues. Maybe seek therapy."

Anyone want my job?

Ouch.

While that does put your position into some perspective, it also speaks to something others have pointed out about how divisive political discussions have become.
And when people get heated about such non-audio social/political topics sometimes you perhaps learn something about other members you didn’t really need to know, and it may put a pall over future interactions and breed resentments that can keep simmering up.

 

[surroundman]

I wish, really wish, I could say that is true but reality is quite the opposite. I did not want to go there but I need to make sure the situation is clear. This is part of one of the moderators wrote after I said I would not do as they said (they other two fully concurred):

"You are a pure narcissist if you can’t see the position you put us in. The rules apply to everyone else except You. You have the nerve to call Trump names that are more fitting for names that describe you and your behavior. While you are an expert in Audio Science. You are not an expert in how to run the largest economy and military in the world. You are the person who has no clue and you sir are completely out of your league and depth pretending otherwise because you have created this echo chamber now. You clearly have Trump Derangement Syndrome and serious anger issues. Maybe seek therapy."

Anyone want my job?

This quote helps a lot in understanding the situation. It is a great example that sometimes in life it is better to part ways in order to avoid future escalations and continuous hypocrisy among people. It seems to me that the curse may end up being a blessing. Better late than never.

 

[JeffS7444]

Perhaps we've reached a point where silence may be considered acquiescence or even support.

IMO, a form of Lysenkoism is afflicting the USA, with tariffmania based on nothing more than one individual's idea of how the world ought to work. So far, I've seen no credible evidence to suggest that these policies will work, and plenty to suggest that they may cause grief. The very notion of "greatness" is so vaguely-defined that we have no way to gauge whether we're achieving it or not: Maybe it's inversely related to the performance of the S&P 500?

As for our beloved audio hobby, production of the mainstream stuff was moving overseas even in the 1960s*, and I don't think many Americans would want jobs manufacturing consumer electronic products, except for higher-end and specialist products, where there's more potential for artisanal products and higher wages.

Anyone know of USA manufacturers offering PFFB TPA3255-based amplifiers? Kind of ironic, given that the amplifier chip itself is a product of Texas Instruments.

* I chose the 1960s, and ~1969 in particular based on back issues of USA hifi magazines when imported brands like Pioneer started to dominate the premium ad space.

 

[Dialectic]

It does seem to be an issue in America for sure. But you guys are considerably more "into" your political views than us here in Australia.

What has always amused me is political affiliation and discussion is pretty normalized, it comes up at dinner conversations with people you don't even really know!

In Australia, people have their own views and pretty much never discuss them. I don't know any of my best friends political leanings, who they vote for and neither do I care. It's private business for Australians.

In much of the world, American politics has long been bigger news than local politics. I lived overseas and traveled very often from 2016 to early 2018, and I could not escape queries regarding my political affiliation, most memorably from the owner of a restaurant in Berlin where my wife and I were dining! (I smiled and declined to answer her queries, to her dismay.)

 

[sam_adams]

Anyone want my job?

No. But, can I have your Emmy?

I really don't want to come to ASR for political discussion. I can get more than enough in the Pol tab on Fark—and I can call people names, to a certain degree, that I shouldn't/wouldn't/couldn't do here. I agree with @amirm's position regarding the whole T-word disaster. I agree with his handling of the way he posted the discussion. I understand the position of the mods. It is, as some have already said, @amirm's house and we abide by his rules. I can understand and abide by the decisions made by both sides. Someday, hopefully, we will all be over this and things may return to some sense of normalcy and we will all be friends again.

 

[holbob]

You are not an expert in how to run the largest economy and military in the world.

Neither is the US president it seems. Roll on the tanks for his birthday so he can be like his hero Vlad.

 

[Somafunk]

I wish, really wish, I could say that is true but reality is quite the opposite. I did not want to go there but I need to make sure the situation is clear. This is part of one of the moderators wrote after I said I would not do as they said (they other two fully concurred).

Anyone want my job?

Jesus Christ……

I’m very firmly of the opinion there is absolutely zero reason for such a response, but as I mentioned in my post #139 below

“There is absolutely nothing that I, as a short hairy 50yr old Scotsman can offer to anyone involved to aid the coming years…………."

Post in thread 'Important news regarding moderation team....'
https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...-regarding-moderation-team.62168/post-2279919

It needed to be mentioned, I applaud you taken a principled stance on such a topic but it need not be considered divisive as the facts will out with regard to how this administration is “attempting” to govern for their own benefit, not the American people.

 

[ExUnoPlura]

I think all economists and political scientists agree that tariffs can serve useful policy goals. Chaos and incoherent decision making, however, only creates uncertainty that is being partially corrected by fears about the treasuries market. So, contra the moderator’s statement, pretty much all experts agree that this is not a good way to run the largest economy in the world. Most military experts agree as well that damaging the post-WWII alliances that have preserved peace and order is counterproductive. Calling out basic common sense (chaos and unpredictability bad; ordered management of trade and international relationships good) is important during this time of arrogant and narcissistic hucksterism.

 

[kyuu]

I wish, really wish, I could say that is true but reality is quite the opposite. I did not want to go there but I need to make sure the situation is clear. This is part of one of the moderators wrote after I said I would not do as they said (they other two fully concurred):

"You are a pure narcissist if you can’t see the position you put us in. The rules apply to everyone else except You. You have the nerve to call Trump names that are more fitting for names that describe you and your behavior. While you are an expert in Audio Science. You are not an expert in how to run the largest economy and military in the world. You are the person who has no clue and you sir are completely out of your league and depth pretending otherwise because you have created this echo chamber now. You clearly have Trump Derangement Syndrome and serious anger issues. Maybe seek therapy."

Anyone want my job?

That's unfortunate, and clarifies the situation quite a bit. Mods weren't taking a "principled stand" after all, they (or at least one of them) were mad that Amir's post was critical of... that man. I take back what words of praise I had for them.

 

[howard416]

I wish, really wish, I could say that is true but reality is quite the opposite. I did not want to go there but I need to make sure the situation is clear. This is part of one of the moderators wrote after I said I would not do as they said (they other two fully concurred):

"You are a pure narcissist if you can’t see the position you put us in. The rules apply to everyone else except You. You have the nerve to call Trump names that are more fitting for names that describe you and your behavior. While you are an expert in Audio Science. You are not an expert in how to run the largest economy and military in the world. You are the person who has no clue and you sir are completely out of your league and depth pretending otherwise because you have created this echo chamber now. You clearly have Trump Derangement Syndrome and serious anger issues. Maybe seek therapy."

Anyone want my job?

Holy shit.

Anyone who uses the term TDS in a non-sarcastic way is... wow.