They are not stupid. They are a tool. Misused they can cause harm, true... But, they also level a playing field. The theory that all countries should "trade freely" is great when it is BOTH "All Countries" and "trade freely".

But when other countries hit us with Tariffs, and think nothing of it...

In this case. Tariffs are on the table, because they are part of the big stick.

But I am 1,000% in support of tariffs, especially the way I understand Trump to want to use them. HE WILL, just to create an EXAMPLE out of one country. Which will give him more leverage with the other countries.

Finally, I think Trump is smart enough to know that if we need a 300% Tariff for US Companies to compete... We need to look a little a deeper.

With 100% Tariff... I don't think you would change your supplier. But others will...

What a black pill. I have read two of your novels ,which were excellent. This is the worst thing I have seen you write . Sorry. MAGA and decentralization will be the best thing we have seen in my lifetime.

I think a lot of Trump's comments at this point are a kind of "fire for effect" to watch domestic and international reaction. Those reactions, at this stage, will help shape serious actions by his administration once he's officially the US President. It's a smart tactic, and better than the mistakes he made the first time around, depending on supposed "experts" to tell him how people would respond to policies.

If Trump was at all involved, then it wasn't really a joke at all. Even the meme factory can be a joke, a reality, or a threat, and make things happen today.

The 51st state comment was a joke. The sobering part is that Trudeau has created such internal hostility that at least one province, Alberta, has made it clear they would welcome becoming part of the US. Hopefully the conservatives there take over and straighten things out.

And tariffs used as a threat seem to work pretty well. Look at all the other threats, how well they work. Take for example, Canada as our 51st State. Well maybe that isn't such a good example any more, or is it?

The difference is (and this is simply an objective statement, no criticism intended) you're looking at things through a narrow lens focused on your own business, while Trump is looking at the picture from a national level. What the media carefully avoids mentioning is that the nations he's targeting have been imposing huge tariffs on American products for some time, and we've failed to respond to protect our own interests.

The claim that American made products can't compete with Chinese goods is based on the harsh fact that Chinese goods don't have the burden of excessive regulation that American companies do. Chinese labor costs aren't really so much lower than American labor costs, but their overhead cost of dealing with regulatory burdens is a lot less. Relieving American companies of regulations that cost far more than the supposed benefit they provide would do a lot to level the playing field.

Tariffs, if used as a scalpel instead of a steamroller, do make sense.

Cut out the regulations that make it so expensive to make things here in the usa. China is just cheaper, and buying from them allows me to sell items that I make using chinese subassemblies at lower prices that our usa customers can afford.

Since a tariff is really an additional sales tax on consumption, it should have the same effect as an ordinary sales tax we already. have in place. The current sales tax just feeds local and state governments in addition to all the other taxes that are imposed. Tariffs would just do the same on a national level. If people stop trading with china (because of the lower prices the chinese charge), consumers here will have to endure the much higher prices that american business charges. My company. buys subassemblies from china that are 1/3 the price of equivalent american products (because of the horrendous cost of labor and everything here in the usa. Tariffs would have to be 300% to force me to buy american, and then I would have to substantially raise prices to my customers and suffer loss of business.

Tariffs are stupid, period.

Government just has to get out of the way 99% of the time. If Trump wants america to be great again, just get government out of the way

Only if two things happen: the party whose products are subject to the tariff doesn't lower their prices to reduce the market effect of the tariff; and the domestic consumer doesn't seek an alternative or simply doesn't buy the tariffed product.

A tariff isn't the same as sales tax, as the former often elicits a response with positive results, while the latter is in effect no matter what the conditions are. A tariff can produce a negative response, such as "revenge" tariffs on the other nation's goods, but those have a negative effect on the vengeful party by creating a trade war that could result in killing sales to the other nation altogether.

The US has been far too lenient to tariffs imposed on American goods by other nations, with the only response being an occasional weak complaint. This is like the "white guilt" emotion expanded to the entire nation: we're too successful, and have no right to complain when less successful nations (even if they're developed countries) deliberately restrict our trade to protect their own domestic production.

But tariffs are taxes.

I only have to compare the recent "Spending Bill"...

1,200+ pages vs 120 pages.

Call me IMPRESSED.

Apparently Musk had Grok break it down. LOL, friggin' awesome already.

And he saw what was in there.

If we can get THESE types of results. I am ALL IN.

Also, this is before President Trump takes power.

This is AMAZING to me.
This should remind ALL OF US what the potential is, to have Musk, with his PLATFORM, IQ, and AI to help redefine the future.

Imagine when the goal is "reduce government" to allow innovation... And use Technology to guide the way (100% impartial technology).

Imagine Grok Being trained to report on these bills as fast as Congress creates them. With a full analysis. Highlighting issues.

What if Grok could be trained to summarize into a few simple graphs:
Helps Congress vs. Helps You
Reduces Govt vs. Increases Govt.
Wastefulness...

Oh, imagine. Pretty soon, AI will be peeling open the sausage and making it easy/obvious what is going on.

Welcome to this Brave New World!

There are two ways tariffs work: first as a negotiating tactic, with offsets that either cancel or reduce the threatened tariffs; second, as a motivator to encourage companies that are either foreign-based, or American but have placed manufacturing overseas, to invest more in America, creating more jobs and resulting domestic revenues. At one time tariffs provided almost all of US government revenue, and can, if applied properly can create revenue that allows reducing or eliminating taxes.

Reducing the strangling effect of overblown regulation can help reduce the price of goods, and inflation to further reduce financial pressure on individuals.

Thanks.

"To save the effort, watch the vaccine passport idea get rebranded as the citizenship passport." - oh shit. That's more believable.

I love your article. But, I don't have to love the truth, do I? You're saying some things I've been thinking. Trump got elected on these ideas because they're good ideas. But, "reality" is more than an idea. The momentum of this overstuffed, grossly overpriced pig of a government is probably too great. And, Trump (IMO) really only has two years for reform. Literally...two years to save the country. Anything less than a total reversal of several programs, including the COMPLETE elimination of several federal departments, will not save us. The minute I realize Trump's back at it sending mean tweets from his toilet in response to Marxists reporters saying mean things about him I'll know we're cooked. But...I have "hope"...

And, FWIW, I've never been a fan of tariffs. There's not substitute for slashing taxes and regulations to allow our manufacturing to compete. Resorting to tariffs this early feels like we've already thrown in the towel on this necessary reforms. They're not optional. They're necessary. Like breathing.

Maybe I missed something, he, to my recollection, never said, Make Government great again, he instead, said, Make AMERICA Great Again . . . by making government small again.

I would have to label ALL governments of the world, including ours, a Kakistocracy.
government by the worst or least qualified and I have asserted that the "Or" be replaced with "AND".

👍
I wish that honesty, integrity, and ethical rational thought would take hold in the fedgov.
But I don't expect it.