I’m not taking shit from these commies.
It’s time for all Patriots to eat more US bacon.
I’m all for buying local, I can afford it.
I’m all for it. I’ll take trade wars over real wars all day every day. China has gotten a free pass far too long.
Now if we can just stay out of real war with NK/Iran/Russia. Not holding my breath.
We’ll see how enthusiastic you still are when the cost of living goes up 25%.
There are better ways to force China to play nice besides tariffs. Cut Chinese imports by incentivizing businesses to use made in America materials/goods.
I’m with BG here. China fucks around with it’s own industries (which I don’t have a problem with tbh) but as that overflows to the rest of the world it has a large impact on virtually every industry.
The US has been bringing a bat to a gun fight for quite a while. And it’s not like the steel/AL tariffs Trump put in weren’t directly aimed at an industry China intentionally targets to have trade power over other countries
You are penalizing US companies for using Chinese goods. In other words, you are coercing US companies to switch to American (or other than China) made.
You are penalizing US citizens for buying Chinese goods.
You are increasing the cost of living for US citizens because of China’s actions.
In all likelihood, the US and global economy will contract as the two largest economies in the world work through their dick measuring contest.
Not only is this the exact opposite of the free market, but it hurts American companies and American’s pockets.
I prefer to think of it as counteracting the anti free market approach China take with their steel.
Yeah but they’re all drowning in cash after the tax cuts.
(/Sarcasm)
It’s most likely a guarantee imo
Have you ever shipped anything internationally? First you have to comply with all of your country’s alphabet soup of agencies. Then there’s dozens of treaties and trade agreements with WTO and UN rules on top of that. Nothing about that process resembles a “free market”. It’s a bunch of countries trying to “win” advantages through agreements. The US has been a naive whipping boy for way to long.
China has been in a trade war with the rest of the world for 50 years. It’s just until now nobody has tried to do anything about it. They always do what’s best for China at the expense of everyone else, principles be damned. China is a currency manipulating, IP stealing, polluting, capital controlling human rights abuser.
China needs its growth more than the US does. This move should make anti Trumpers happy. Because it will easily knock 2% growth off the US if they actually go through with it. It needs done though.
Were we buying good from “enslaved” (incredibly low pay) producers in china for too long?
I’d argue that we aren’t penalizing US producers from buying chinese goods, we are simply bringing reality back into the picture, and reality (one that doesn’t enslave any particular group) is a little more expensive than the fantasy that we have been living for too long.
I’m not different than most people, I often buy, or at least give a hard look at the “cheapest” option when I’m buying something.
But what if we were really aware of what it took (work conditions, abuse? etc.) to bring that item to us at such a cheap cost? would we still see it as the “cheapest” option? There are a lot of intangible costs that go into that cheaper product.
Exported slavery is still slavery…(yes I use that term loosely, I know the chinese workers get paid which is not slavery.)
If I can only afford to buy 1 fairly produced good, as opposed to 2 or 3 unfairly produced (and less quality) goods, I see this as a positive.
Less materials flowing, less consumerism. Less purchased products thrown away after they break, since the higher quality products will last longer (assumption). No more blindly buying shit we only marginally need, only buying what we really need.
Again, there are other ways to go about forcing China’s hand without tariffs.
I don’t disagree with what you’re saying. However, converting back to a less consumeristic economy (think 50s) is going to be extremely painful. Unemployment will skyrocket. I can pretty much guarantee we’ll institute a UBI. Bernie Sanders might actually become President (ugh).
Can we count on the Infrastructure Bill to keep the economy stimulated?
Or will we need Military Action in Iran as our receptical of government spending?
Also because (to my layman view) these tariffs all seem to be politically driven. Agri and steel industries are pretty GOP heavy
I guess… Why someone would be happy with knocking 2% off gpd growth just to say I told ya so is beyond me.
I think it’s driven by protectionism like many of Trump’s policies and the solution will do more harm than good.
As I said earlier in the thread, China will outlast this tariff battle. The God King/Emperor or whatever Xi Jinping is no jus thas to wait out Trump’s term(s). Eight years isn’t a long time when you don’t have term limits.
Also very possible. Maybe even probable.
That being said, Trump not being an enormous pussy when it comes to trade agreements is the only thing I actually like about him. I’ll be damned if I let that go
Also I live sufficiently below my means. So in the event of an economic downturn, I’ll end up at a comparable advantage (twisted logic, I know).
I could see the increase in unemployment happening. But would this be so bad?whatImeanis If a household could maintain solid middle-class status with only one parent working instead of 2, why not? Especially when the alternative is that both parents work and one of them makes only barely enough to clear daycare costs (2 more people employed, the other parent and the day care provider, so yes, higher unemployment). Is that a better world? I’d take the first choice, 1 of the 3 people works (high unemployment), but the child(eren) is raised in a better (I said it) way.
It’s like there’s some sort of engine…a machine if you will that would rather have all 3 people working, even though it’s really not a benefit for them all to be working.
I think you could avoid UBI in the situation I’m depicting, as long as the dad-er I mean, the working parent makes “middle-class” income alone.
Given increasing costs and wages nowhere near keeping up, I don’t think this is anywhere near viable these days.
Maybe in the 70s
If I remember correctly, the median household income in the US is about $55K. If that’s considered Middle Class it’s at the lower end and half the households in this country make less than that with multiple workers. I don’t see how many households would maintain their current living standard if a large percentage of households reverted back to one worker one stay at home parent.
Note, I’m not judging one way or the other if that’s a bad thing. At our obesity rates, I’m sure we can cut back on some of our indulgences…
I’m not really the philosophizing type (is that a word). Is it better, for who?
No offense intended, but if memory serves you don’t have any kids. How can you possibly know that a stay at home parent = better-raised kids?
We don’t currently live in the world you describe. Every town doesn’t have an assembly line or coal mine where the dad can work 9 to 5 and afford that single-family home, new model-T, and a white picket fence while mom rears the 2.5 kids.
I love the utopia you describe, I honestly do. It’s just not how our society has evolved and I don’t see, short of a depression and a monumental shift in culture, us reverting back to Mayberry.
There is no such thing as middle class. There are people that trade their time for money, aka the “working class”. This includes doctors/lawyers and other high income W2 wage earners. No hours worked, no income.
Then there’s people who make money work for them, the “Rich”. No hours worked, still get an income.
The middle class is a big lie. It’s a mindset trap to make people buy mortgages, cars, college educations etc… so long as you keep working that W2 job until you’re 75-80.