foil me—you can’t get foiled again

Despite all the bombastic claims, the US imposing a seemingly crippling, trade-war signalling tariff on Chinese aluminium has little relation to the reality of economic repercussions with the assault as a bureaucratic-foil since American assets that Trump is seeking to privilege are already producing at capacity, these posturings represent something significant.
In the same way that this regime would proffer the dismantling of the federal government as it is known and reduce it to its component parts betrays a woeful ignorance of the role that each department and agency plays in vouchsafing the country, its natural resources and material wealth, the stability and prosperity of future generations is being traded off wholesale to champion the mood and sentiment of the moment. While Dear Leader is liberal with his grace and favour postings—though slow to fill some of those sinecure positions where the opportunity to appear tough on bloated, expansive government is a greater enticement—and the competency of the office-holder (or the continued vacancy) does not seem to have momentous impact, those scientific studies and internships that go unfunded and policy that goes undrafted and undebated do matter immensely and is not administration for its own sake. We see who really benefits from this embargo against Chinese aluminium, despite how its framed, and like the science and service of various government agencies that are easily taken for granted because we don’t see them, aluminium foil is pervasive as a packaging and preservative material and component of almost all manufactured goods. We ought to take a critical eye to civil service and make certain that the public is getting a fair return on its investment but we also ought not be so easily swayed with sophistry just by dint of the unfamiliar.