How the Trump presidency made me a better American

You obviously know less than real economists know. Read & listen to the experts I have provided you with.

“Real economists” being defined as the ones who agree with you, right?

I’ve studied a fair amount of economics. I read the Austrians a good bit: Mises, Hayek, and the like. I understand what economists are writing about when I read them.

I lived across Route 9 from the Foundation for Economic education, and I visited more than once.

Most economists don’t agree with tariffs. Tariffs are taxes. If you cut taxes with one hand and raise them with the other, you undo a lot of the good that the tax cuts did.

Try listening to what real economists think about what we have done with regards in our trading with China. Absolutely has destroyed us while propelling China into a real formidable foe. So if tariffs are so bad, why do we allow China to place them on the U.S. and block their marketplace for some of our goods, but we in turn open up our marketplace to them? How is that good economics? Anyone who really knows economics knows that we have been and continue to be the fools that have China laughing all the way to our demise.

Of course, you are too smart to listen to anyone who disagrees with what you have learned is the :right" way to trade. I have listened to everyone, but more importantly I have seen who is right and who is wrong. Trade with China has not been beneficial to America at all. Open your eyes to reality.

I probably read and understand more real economists than most folks. It is clear that you define “real economists” as only those who agree with you.

We need to act against China for national security reasons, but not economic ones. I’m for using a strategy against China similar to the one President Reagan used against the Soviet Union. (It worked, after all.)

Economics isn’t about money; it’s about goods and services, about a standard of living. If we enact new taxes, we lower the people’s standard of living. Protectionism has done that time after time after time.

Economics is not about fiat money for sure, but it does relate to the wealth of a nation without a doubt.

If President Trump were only about making for "fair trade" as he likes to coin it, then I would not be as supportive of him and his tariffs.

In addition he is returning manufacturing as a component back into our economic structure. A country that only consumes, will consume itself to its demise. A nation that produces as well as consumes, will consume the other nations of the world.

What Reagan did to Russia to bring them to their knees, economically, and that is exactly what he did, will not work with China. He was able to accomplish that because we were the world's largest & strongest economy in the world, despite having weakened ourselves. It was during his term, while in the act of rebuilding the military capabilities of the U.S., that this nation first ventured into the trillion dollar accumulated debt realm.

Since that time we have piled on a debt load of 21 times that amount. If that isn't quite the critical stage of debt accumulation, it is uncomfortably close. Our only saving grace is that even with that debt load we are still a powerhouse, both economically and militarily. However, we are no longer the sole powerhouse. China has also become a powerhouse, and have been aided & abetted by the very leaders who engaged in bad trade deals, to become that powerhouse. Trade deals that not only took away this country's manufacturing structure, but also whittled away at its middle class. It increased the higher class, but not in numbers that replaced the numbers being lost from the middle class. Which means that the lower calls was expanding. To further complicate the problem of an expanding lower class was the inaction by our leaders, including Reagan, to protect our borders and stem the flow of unfettered illegal immigration into the country. While he knew to trust but verify the Russians, he didn't think it was necessary to do the same with Democrats. He failed to recognize that Democrats had become enemies of the country, just as bad as Russians. In fact, they often colluded with Russia to undermine this country. How ironic given the fake Russian trials now underway by those very same sources.

There is no one magic bullet that works with all of the adversaries of the U.S. China is well aware of how Reagan defeated our adversary Russia. They also recognize that they hold the upper hand over the U.S., but they also recognize that their upper hand is shaky. We control a mighty arms capability, and retain enough of an arms manufacturing ability to create more arms. They too have those capabilities now, thanks in large part to our leaders. That would also included Reagan. He failed to see what China's true objective was, but in fairness it was more of the reality at the time that they were decades away from being a real threat. An arms race at this point in time gives China the advantage just like it gave the U.S. the advantage back in the 80s & 90s, because their economy is in a better position.

You seem to be concerned about some useless material goods that people may be denied from cheap labor China. That is really a shortsighted vision. Instead we need to replace what we get from China with better quality replacements from U.S. sources. The offset of quality will pay off better than quantity achieved from trading with China. Will there be some growing pain involved? Probably yes, but the rewards will far outweigh the pains in the long haul.

Money is not wealth. Money is merely a commodity.

Let me remind you exactly what the definition of economics says: the branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth. While everything is a commodity, some commodities are more desired than others and are considered transfer & accumulation of wealth. People are willing to trade/transfer a service or commodity in exchange for what is respected and recognized as something that accumulated relates to wealth. Even if it is only their perception of wealth, which is why the old saying: one man's treasure is another man's trash, is a valid saying. Fiat money is not really a commodity, but rather a substitute for real commodities that people so far trust as a form of barter. If people lose faith in the fiat money they deal with, then is becomes worthless as a commodity and is no longer accepted as a commodity of any value.

But that has nothing to do with our discussion regarding tariffs, and whether tariffs are bad or good. Even Reagan applied tariffs to Japan for their imported motorcycles. It did not prevent people from owning motorcycles or even Japanese motorcycles, but it did save Harley Davidson. Was that wrong in your opinion, and why was it wrong if you believe it was?

What would you propose President Trump do to stop the advancement of China, if not tariffs? Should we attack them militarily? Should we cause death & destruction on a major scale? Don't just criticize, give solutions or avenues to push back in the name of national security. So far all I have heard from you is how smart you are for listening to economists that are apparently worthless, because they have offered neither alarms with regards to national security, nor have they offered up alternative solutions. Like you all they do is complain the President Trump's attempts to do something about the growing external threat which is China, is wrong. Also like you, they complain that Americans will lose access to cheap goods. It addresses nothing and it kicks the proverbial can down the road. In other words, it's the easy way out, but does nothing to address the growing problem.

I'm all ears, what is your alternative proposal to tariffs? Also explain how this will work effectively if indeed you offer up said solution.