Why Democrats so viciously oppose tariffs …

@SunshineGirl I would say the 270% tariff that Canada puts on US dairy fits that "interference of transient politicians in the free movement of goods" category :)

@Heartlander those tariffs apply only if the volume of US dairy goods exceeds agreed limits, which doesn't happen (it's to prevent dumping of surplus products by america)
US dairy products within agreed limits enter Canada duty-free.

Didn't they tell you that at MAGA-school?

@newjaninev2 But OK to dump here?

@Heartlander ????

@newjaninev2 That tariff of 250%+ is designed to put a brake on the US export of dairy to Canada. Basically prohibit anything beyond a threshold of what I understand to be about a $billion a year. That amounts to about 2 quarts of milk or less a year for everyone in Canada. A micron of dairy compared to the total consumption. Its intent is to protect the Canadian dairy industry from outside competition, something the US has failed to do to protect its industries and as a result there is a huge unbalance of trade. So Trump is rectifying the unbalance, attempting to bring back the the industries that moved to foreign shores.

@Heartlander those industries are already looking for new markets

@newjaninev2 Looking, yes :) And if those markets exist someone would already be there. So just like Canada is protecting its dairy industry by restricting less than 1% to US imports, Trump is likewise taking steps to restore and protect the US market for US industries.

@Heartlander Which is isolationism - leaving international trade to Asia and Europe... The Chinese are already projecting themselves as stable and reliable.

@Heartlander So would I. I oppose the use of tariffs to protect industry.

Two wrongs do not make a right. Are you seriously suggesting that Trump has acted proportionately in protecting American dairy?

@SunshineGirl It's a two edged swords. On one edge they bring in cheap alternatives that help make a better life more affordable, and on the other they expose their own economy to be destroyed.

Rather than just looking at this as nation to nation, we can see it on a very local level when factories and economic engines move from the inner cities to the unreachable suburbs. Or in single factory factory towns when the factory shuts down.

At the moment Trump is mostly just drawing attention to the swelling imbalance and tapping the brake pedal to slow the draining of the US economy.

@Heartlander But the crucial point is that the American economy has not been "destroyed", whatever Trump says. It has consistently been the strongest performer in the G7 over the past 30 years, thanks largely to diversifying away from manufacturing into services, and some of the benefits have been more widely shared through the availability of cheaper consumables.