Great. Start a potential trade war. That’s the ticket.
RE: Great. Start a potential trade war. That’s the ticket.
Well, he’s always yapping about China taking jobs away from Americans. What solution is he proposing for this problem other than to raise tariffs?
Isn’t that a recipe for a trade war?
“Great. Start a potential trade war. That’s the ticket.”
We’re already in a bunch of trade wars, but can’t admit it.
For the first 6 months of 2015, according to the official statistics, the US imported $27B more goods than we exported to Mexico. For 2014, yearly total was $54 billion more in imports from Mexico than exports.
So, if we put a very modest 1% duty on all imports from Mexico ($145 billion in the first 6 months of 2015 alone), we could raise $2.9B in one year. That should be more than enough to build a wall.
Since we have a large trade deficit with Mexico, they are in no position to do a tit-for-tat increase in duty, as it would hurt their economy proportionally more than it would the US.
So, The Donald is perfectly correct when he implicitly says we have great economic leverage over Mexico.
Of course, we would have to abrogate some trade agreements with Mexico, but being a sovereign country (so far at least) we can do that.
https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c2010.html
A trade war with Mexico wouldn’t be much of a war....what will they do refuse to export their goods. Refuse to let us export our jobs!!! Stop the flow of felons and narcotics!!!
So.
We’re in a trade war with the rest of the world. We just choose not to fight, like fools.
Mexico needs us—more than we need them—Threaten trariffs and use them to build the wall. The cartels will cry foul because they can’t get uber rich off American Drug addicts. If could be done—but who has the resolve? Who would oppose the catel-ran Mexican narco-state. Put a lid on Mexico might spark a revolution in that sad land. A Communist state could emerge that would slaughter the cartels (and a lot of other folks).
With Mexico? What’s the downside? Thy won’t ship drugs here anymore? Tariffs on cars? They only move one way now. How about this; reduce the overall weight and length of trucks on the interstate system.