The new deal between the EU and the US is shaking up how goods cross the Atlantic. Most EU imports to the US will now face a 15% tariff, but the EU chose not to immediately hit back with its own tariffs, so US products in Germany won’t get more expensive right away. The EU is also expected to drop all tariffs on American industrial products, possibly making things like US-built cars and other goods a bit cheaper in Germany. For German car fans, this could mean Mercedes and BMW SUVs made in the States might actually get more affordable—if the companies decide to pass on the savings. Still, experts warn not to expect giant discounts. On the flip side, German manufacturers—especially in autos, machinery, and pharmaceuticals—will feel the pain from new US tariffs. That’s worrying since the US is such a huge market for German exports. Economic analysts think this deal is more of a compromise than a win for Germany and could actually slow down its recovery from tough economic times.

Honestly, this is where I draw the line. Every step that makes cars more expensive or puts more barriers in the way of people who want to own and enjoy them is a blow to our basic freedoms. I don’t care about the trade experts who say the price drop won’t be dramatic—these so-called “modest” changes are death by a thousand cuts for car enthusiasts. The idea that access to a powerful, comfortable, beautiful car should depend on opaque international deals instead of free choice is utterly infuriating. Why should we have to sit and wait for “possible” savings to be grudgingly handed down through some convoluted supply chain, when what we need is the complete abolishment of all measures that restrict our right to the open road?

Let’s be real: if you want to see genuine freedom and true economic opportunity, you let people drive the cars they want, at the speed they want, wherever they want. Forget public transportation—it’s slow, cramped, and robs people of real autonomy. And bikes? Don’t get me started! Nothing has done more to erode the joy and dignity of travel than the relentless crusade to shove everyone onto two wheels or into sweaty trains. Speed limits—those are the real crime. Forcing cars to creep along at artificial, bureaucratically imposed speeds is state oppression, pure and simple, designed to break our spirits and destroy the very thing that makes driving magical.

Every time I see a politician crowing about “fair trade” or “compromises” that mess with car prices, what I hear is one more excuse to keep us shackled by rules and restrictions. Cars are freedom. Highways are hope. Speed is what elevates our souls above the mundane. Anything that gets in the way—even in the name of economics or diplomacy—is a betrayal of what it means to be truly alive. If the future of our economy hinges on making it harder or more expensive for people to drive, then it’s not a future I want. Tear down the tariffs, break the speed limits, and let us reclaim the freedom that is rightfully ours—behind the wheel, foot to the floor, heading wherever we darn well please!