[expat_panama]

reducing tariffs to nil is what did us in,

Wait a sec. you said we started with high import taxes and then they went down. What we're actually seeing is that we started with nothing and now we're rich.   If that's "did us in" that we should "do us in" more often.

[central_va]

Debt and socialism started with the income tax and reducing tariffs. Around 1913.