Posted on 05/28/2025 1:02:33 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
If you think the price of tariffs is high, consider the cost of no tariffs.
Liberal and libertarian opponents of President Trump’s tariffs argue that Americans pay for tariffs and that those tariffs are a form of taxation. Tariffs were how the American government was funded before Democrats were able to successfully implement the otherwise unconstitutional income tax through the Sixteenth Amendment. Democrats preferred tariffs to taxes.
Why? Because they believed tariffs were regressive while taxes were progressive. Tariffs kept the poor from buying the cheapest products while taxes were weighed against the wealthy.
That’s still the thrust of their current ‘Walmart’ argument against President Trump’s tariffs.
But why are people crowding Walmart aisles in the parts of the country that voted for Trump? One reason is that Chinese products destroyed American manufacturing. Part of the price we pay for not having strong tariffs is the meth epidemic, the broken families, the rusting factories and the sense of hopelessness that hangs over formerly vigorous manufacturing towns.
Critics of President Trump’s tariffs are half right. Americans pay for tariffs, but they pay far more for having no tariffs. The most fundamental law of economics is that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Whether it’s Obamaphones from the local community welfare office or Xiphones from the local Walmart, there is a price to pay for what seems like cheap or free. Even if it’s invisible.
There are no free lunches or even cheap lunches. What we get from the government or from China is still subsidized and we are the ones subsidizing it at a higher rate than anything we’re getting. People believe that Obamaphones or Xiphones are free or cheap because they don’t connect what they are paying in other ways from what they are...
(Excerpt) Read more at frontpagemag.com ...
They don’t for tariffs if the company makes the product in the United States
The article was firewall so there’s no point to post it here one can’t read it
Our founding fathers viewed tariffs as a tax on foreigners wanting to sell into our markets.
It’s not always true that Americans pay for tariffs. Foreigners sometimes eat the tariffs to maintain their market share.
If the manufacturing moves to America, then we gain jobs and knowledge.
If American manufactures begin manufacturing the products, then we gain jobs, knowledge and corporate profits.
On the other hand, the cost of no tariffs include:
Supporting Americans who are out of work due to imports.
Being dependent on foreign countries for medicines, car parts, weapon parts, etc.
Most if not all of the innovation and marketing follows the production process and relocates to foreign countries.
Not to mention printing or borrowing money to pay for the huge deficits caused by our trade imbalance. Trump has estimated this at over a $trillion l
“They don’t for tariffs if the company makes the product in the United States”
Every try dealing with US labor unions, I have - might as well keep China building stuff until that little issue is resolved.
Americans pay for EVERYTHING!
Period.
Bob I can tell you where a huge Mitt Romney guy he too never met an American job he didn’t want to outsource
“Bob I can tell you where a huge Mitt Romney guy he too never met an American job he didn’t want to outsource”
No one WANTED to outsource, but given the options which consisted of selling stuff for DOUBLE what your competition was able to charge by importing and then shutting down - thanks to our Union Bros, or joining your competitor by importing, the choice was OBVIOUS.
In other words screw the working class as long as my product is cheaper I will overlook the country committing genocide that makes it cheaper Bob you are real class act dude.
“In other words screw the working class as long as my product is cheaper I will overlook the country committing genocide that makes it cheaper Bob you are real class act dude.”
How do you do it, then? Your competitor sells a Chinese toaster for $10, but the Union Boys cause your toaster to cost $20. I guess one could have built millions of toasters that no one wanted to buy as they were badly overpriced compared to the (import) competition.
You seem to have no understanding of commerce. The PROBLEM was the Unions and I’m sorry you cannot comprehend that. Have a good evening.
(and to think, this is supposed to be a CONSERVATIVE site, but instead is contaminated with union-apologists)
Right and there are interest costs on that.
And the unemployed Americans aren't paying taxes, so we not only have to support them, we have to make up the taxes they aren't able to pay.
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