Why tariffs ?

We in US get angry when Japan, China or others subsidize goods.

We call it dumping.

The US subsides MILK and many other agricultural products including corn & sugar.

So when Canada tariffs US milk, it was to protect it’s farmers from US dumping.

If we are going to look at what is fair, the place to start is inward for starters.

Nobody is telling you why countries put tariffs on US goods in the first place. You should know this before forming opinions.

SO, you want to promote things made in the US ? Sounds good right ?

Why tariff fish that only comes from particular seas in the world, because that is where the fish live.

You can’t make them in the US or a body of water in the US.

You might just see a retaliation of some counties chasing the US fishermen out of their seas.

While I have said the next part many times over the years, it still holds true now.

The US subsidizes Sugar.

We also subsidize corn in different ways. Mostly now through in the production of Methanol. It was political move to support farmers who overproduce.

But corn is the most inefficient method or product to make it from.

But SUGAR is perhaps the most efficient product to make it from.

You can drop the subsidy to both and save the taxpayers while supporting the sugar farmers expand their market.

Just make sure it comes from US sugar producers.

There is no desire to do so when the taxpayer has their back.

But know a subsidy is always going to get a reaction when trading partners are effected by them.

The US has only itself to blame for ‘MOST’ but not all of them.

Free trade is a political buzzword, but not a reality by the US’s own standards.

So all the surplus in agricultural exports are paid for by the US taxpayer.

One would think if Musk wanted to save money for tax breaks fr the rich, that would be a good place to start.

But that would take away money from those that get rich on the back of the taxpayer wouldn’t it.

Musk does understand that very well I think. Na… probably not. And those would take a act of congress, currently controlled by those who call themselves ‘free traders’, but are far from it.

Why does everything have to be opposite of the stated positions. To fool you. And it works.

The markets are not going to like this for at the least all the uncertainty.

But the reality is that is takes years of planning and building to get industry relocated here in the US. They did not disappear over night and many moved away with the help of the Republican congress during the Bush Jr admin. Yea, the lobbyist got their way.

So you better be prepared for 6 years of severe issues if this continues, but the immediate shock could spiral the US economy into a recession that may be very hard to come back from.

Who you gonna borrow money from to spike industrial activity ? CHINA ? They may well own us by then.

We will see how this plays in congress when the big money donors start barking in their ear, and perhaps aloud if that does not work.