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I'm only gonna say this once - Tariffs hurt the lower and middle class

I saw Trump on this Bloomberg interview in Chicago today and realized he does not understand economics.


And here's a simple example -

Solar panels

They are made very cheap and sent to the US. Here's the impact:

1) Panels are made elsewhere - so the factories that were never built and employees that were never hired stay that way.

2) They are so cheap that they make economic sense for homeowners and commercial users to install them and save money on energy and help the environment.

3) Many new jobs a created - which includes the importers, distributers, installers and yes, financers that create the lease agreements that help make economic sense of panel use to generate electric.


Impose tariffs - the contractors that install them lose all that work, the homeowners pay more for electric, the power companies have to add capacity to their networks...

Other stuff -

Increasing the costs of things to consumers costs them more - building factories that people in the US are not willing to work in will not elevate the American Worker - only education will do that.

Nobody is raising there kid to work in a factory. Nobody. We are just going to pay more and alienate our suppliers...

Where it could work:

If there are producers in place here, we can protect them, but should be on a sliding scale based on what we can export
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SunshineGirl · 36-40, F
When Trump talks of tariffs he envisages repatriating a relatively small number of jobs in a handful of high value industries. Some people will benefit very nicely from government protecting their high paying jobs. But a larger number of people will be hit by higher prices and reduced choice. Tariffs work both ways and major trading blocs such as the EU can and will retaliate with taxes against American imports.
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@SunshineGirl Well, harris worked at McDonalds, which makes her an expert on economics
@SunshineGirl Trump's goal is to bring every job sent to Mexico and Asia during the 90's back to the United States, not only will that lower the costs of goods by bringing the supply chain back to America, it will also make America a strong manufacturing based economy once again like it used to be.
SunshineGirl · 36-40, F
@NativePortlander1970 Does he really want to bring textile manufacturing back to a country hooked on cheap, disposable fashion? These are high volume, low wage jobs that few Americans are likely to want. So then you would have to increase immigration to fill them . .
SunshineGirl · 36-40, F
@sunsporter1649 An expert, no. Attuned to the challenges faced by ordinary working people, certainly.
@SunshineGirl A fallacy, like I said, the costs of goods will go down, and there are plenty of American willing to work.
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@SunshineGirl Sure she is
Strictmichael75 · 61-69, M
@NativePortlander1970 And Santa will bring it down the chimney! Lol 😂
SunshineGirl · 36-40, F
@NativePortlander1970 Unemployment is already near a record low. Something will have to give.
@SunshineGirl Another fallacy. The United States unemployment numbers only count for those who are receiving benefits, not those who have dropped off from exhausting theirs, those who were not approved, or those just not working. The true unemployment numbersbhave been estimated at roughly between 15% to 20%, and higher among Minorities.
SunshineGirl · 36-40, F
@NativePortlander1970 It is the same in the UK. Many of those "just not working" include the long-term sick . . factory work is not likely to entice them back to the workplace.
@SunshineGirl I used to work in factories, some were fun fulfilling jobs.
SunshineGirl · 36-40, F
@NativePortlander1970 Nothing wrong with factory work, but it is generally physically more demanding and perhaps more difficult for those without a personal work ethic.
@SunshineGirl The perfect exercise program, and getting paid to do so is a massive benefit
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@SunshineGirl So illegal aliens are only good for slave labor in the fields, eh?