Don't let your dislike for the People's RepuliK of California cloud your judgement here. There are a TON of wheat, soybean, corn, pork and other farmers all across the midwest that are going to feel the pinch of these tariffs and the trade war with China. When their ability to export starts taking its bite we're going to see a whole lot of family farms hurting big time.
I'd like to think they aren't intended targets in this trade war with China and I certainly don't want to see any more family farms go under because of all this ....
Unintended Consequences 'n all that.
no one want’s to see “family farms” die. which is similar to the argument “no one want’s to see children die.” well of course no one wants that....
but, i don’t really buy your premise.
1. China isn’t the only market for farm goods in the world. thus, there is no necessary cause/effect relationship between tariffs and family farms dying. you’re framing an emotion based argument that isn’t logical. it’s really more of a prediction. i’d need to see data establishing causality for one thing.
2. we have had tariffs in place for many industries and types of goods for decades, and obviously America has thrived. thus there is nothing intrinsically wrong with tariffs and they have successfully preserved and protected American industries and businesses in the past.
3. I would argue that we need to reestablish local markets for farm goods, which was how they developed historically after all. foreign markets developed after local ones, not the reverse.
4. family farms in calif have been going under for decades under ***current*** economic conditions (i.e., unfair trade). ag business has been feasting on those farms during that period. those are the facts. boutique wineries and micro farms have thrived out here. a bunch of them hobby businesses for the rich and famous. thus, maintaining the status quo is already proven not to enhance the survival of family farms, just big ag.
so, family farms—i agree with you—are indeed desirable for so many reasons, but sadly have been dying for many decades under the present “globalist/free trader/cheap labor” uni-party and elitist/chamber of commerce political rule and economic policies. policies which no question have been lining the pockets of big, stagnant, multinational corporations and the crony-capitalists funding the lobbies of the d.c. uni-party.
this fact alone would argue for a change from the current regime (a logical and historically proven way to do this is the gradual establishment of fairer, more diversified trade through targeted tariffs) to create the conditions where local manufacturing and business can once again compete with crony-capitalist monopolies and once again support local economies including family farms (i.e., as was the case historically in America).
that would be the direction of my argument for tariffs.