Well, fabulous. Let’s just keep dumping gasoline on the trade fire.
Until everyone in our country worships “The Donald” the pain will continue.
And when the Fire is the price escalating their beloved Flat Screen TeeVees , Phones ’ assorted electronics and the clothes on their back , they’ll get all riled up…
And blame the Democrats
There should be a $100 tariff on every imported customer service or tech support phone call.
Is this part of that “Easy-to-Win” thing?
When does that happen, exactly? Although I think he did say “easy to win,” not “quick to win.” And “easy” perhaps means “I don’t have to think about or seriously consider anything, especially the consequences - I just have to do whatever pops into my head at the time.” So, yeah … easy.
Made in China is a cop out. American businessmen import the shit, American businessmen keep all the big savings from all that cheap labor for themselves, and American businessmen do it again next year, when the cheap shit falls apart after a tenth the life-span it should’ve had.
All a tariff does is get the government in on the racket of profiting from cheap shit. None of those big revenues are going to be passed along, either, as long as Republicans have power to make sure they won’t be.
Most of the effects of this will hit just in time for the holidays, but after the midterms.
China has tried without success to recruit Germany, France, South Korea
and other governments as allies against Washington. Some of them have
criticized Trump’s tactics but many echo U.S. complaints about Chinese
market barriers and industrial strategy.
Germany, France, South Korea and other governments are in the stands stuffing their faces with popcorn. Maybe, after the bully king of exports and the bully king of imports have bloodied each other to the point of exhaustion, we can get back to working on trade deals that don’t reek of extortion.
I think what’s most ridiculous about this is that we aren’t actually “importing Chinese goods” so much as “importing American goods made in China”. There is a HUGE difference there.
I doubt there are many tariffs on actual Chinese-origin products, like porcelain, bamboo and other traditional goods. There are very few Chinese companies exporting mobile phones, TVs and other mainstream FMCG products. Companies like Huawei are only just starting to move outside of their own domestic reach. Most are either partnered with foreign multinationals, or simply servicing them.
Apple is a perfect example. What is the point of slapping tariffs on Apple’s products? Because they, like every other major corporation in the world moved manufacturing to a more affordable (and less regulated) labor market? Nothing that Apple brings home is a “Chinese Product”. It’s assembled there, period.
Anything that is purely “Made in China” (by Chinese companies) that is flooding our market? Sure… put some restrictions or tariffs in place. This isn’t that.
Another of the problems I have here is that Trump hasn’t said (publicly) what his actual goals are? What exactly is the end game they’re shooting for? Clear, defined goals? Not part of the Trump M.O. apparently.
Note: as much as I despise Trump, not everything he is doing is bad or wrong. Some of his policies are actually OK. Just typically delivered in such an unlikeable way (and alongside some pretty heinous policies) that I have a hard time even stomaching those.
What a strange, twisted time we live in…
Trump going nuclear… with tariffs. Familiar outcome: Mutually Assured Destruction