The “buy local” movement just got its biggest boost in decades – from Trump tariffs. Why aren’t progressives cheering?

Until yesterday, I hadn’t considered where my potting soil came from. Usually when I visit Home Depot the only time I thought about saving the planet was when I was forced to park between a 7.3 liter Ford Powerstroke Diesel pickup and a 600 HP Range Rover SE which gets 16 mpg. Florida man drives the Ford, and NY retirees love the Range Rover.

The bag of potting soil I bought yesterday was virtue signaling with all its might: “manufactured less than 150 miles from this retailer”. Well, that’s nice. At least it’s not coming from the People’s Republic of Wuhan China, or some town in North Ontario. Reduced transportation costs and lower carbon footprint. Save the planet!

Then, on the internet, I saw the picture at top. Empty docks and thousands of idle 18 wheelers at the port of Los Angeles. No cargo to haul. Container ships are staying in their home ports, instead of queueing offshore of Los Angeles like they usually do. Trains are probably idled too. And cargo flights are getting grounded, Hat trick! And all because of Trump’s tariffs?

Progressives don’t seem to be cheering. They’ve pivoted from “buy local” to “Trump is a maniac who's making my conspicuous consumption more expensive”.

Media criticism of Trump is an echo chamber of things like “AI image of Trump dressed as Pope creates outrage”, and “Some guy in Australia re-elected Prime Minister after saying he hates Trump”. The president isn’t getting dissed for real stuff - like adding to the federal debt, or his foreign policy fiascos. Trump wore a blue suit to the Pope’s funeral, and now there's that damn fake Trump pic as pope. At least he wasn’t wearing a white puffer jacket, eh?

The whole point of the buy local movement “is to create a thriving local economy by maximizing the potential of local businesses and increasing their market share”. Stop cursing me out - that's a quote from their web site . . . those aren't my words. Okay . . . we now appear to be arriving at our destination.

The price of that Ford Powerstroke Diesel is going to rise because of the 25% tariffs on any parts made in Chinese Siberia and Chiapas Mexico. The entire Range Rover SE will be subject to tariffs. The elites living in New York, New England, and California are losing their minds. They can’t possibly be seen driving a made-in-America Honda Passport. What will their McMansion neighbors think?

When I got my bag of potting mix home (I’m not telling you which brand), it was awful. It looked like stuff that had been run through a wood chipper less than a month ago. There were Q-tip sized sticks of wood, and other lumpy debris throughout. That’s not to say Canadian or Chinese mulch would have been better. The last time I bought dog food made in China it was recalled because it had asbestos in it.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

'The truckers are scrambling': Trump's tariffs hit drivers, L.A. port workers hard

“Buy Local” Campaign – CONNECT Our Future