I keep on seeing prominent figures repeating the idea that tariffs are good, and that they work somehow. I'm not trying to be closed minded, so I'm digging deep into their worldview, but all I see is inconsistency.
Pomp, you too?
I was surprised to see Pomp "happy" there's a new tax levied on the American consumer. He's so sure of his position, he's made long videos explaining to us, the little guys, how this whole thing is a 4D chess move, and how we just need to ride the wave.
In an attempt to see if he's seen refutations to his surprising position, I reached across the aisle, so to speak, to see if he's familiar with them.
Thomas Sowell in his book Basic Economics, explains that trade deficits or surpluses don’t inherently signal economic health—Germany and France had surpluses with high unemployment, while the U.S. thrived as a debtor nation during its industrial rise. Sowell sees tariffs as a simplistic fix that ignores this complexity, often pushed by politicians for short-term appeal rather than long-term gain.
Maybe these ideas are too complex to discuss in a twitter threat, I can accept that. But, it's not like they are hard to find or not debated hundreds of times in the square.
But, for the sake of expediency or efficiency, allow me to present the two horses the Trump administration is betting on at the moment, and let's take it from there.
The big ideas
The current administration is telling us these are the goals behind the tariffs:
- Through the taxation of the foreign nation, we will have new found wealth. We will, to quote trump, "Not know what to do with the money". The idea being that the revenue collected through the ERS (External Revenue Service), will more than compensate for any budgetary concerns we may have.
- These tariffs will also bring back jobs. Companies will see how it's not worth manufacturing abroad and thus move their operations to American soil.
On it's face, more so if these ideas are adorned with charisma and demagoguery, this sounds beautiful, desired even. But let's peel back the layers, one, to be exact.
Let's ask "the question":
If the companies move their operations to the US, as they say, then; Where are the tariffs coming from?
Please, someone who does not wear a red hat unconditionally, explain it to me. If these industries move all their operations to America, then from what Industries are we going to collect all the money from?
It's a fair question, Is it not?
We got two horses, one saddle, and yet people are saying we just don't get it.
MenO
I was trying to figure out what the argument behind all these tariffs. As with trump it’s just such broad strokes. I didnt go so deep. But found this idea that globalists have taken over the narrative, perhaps the most compelling. I do not feel confident yet to say what my opinion is… but here is a blurb i found at the very least worth a ponder.
-Reevaluating Free Trade Ideology – Over the past 30-40 years, globalization and free trade agreements (like NAFTA and the WTO framework) became dominant, with the assumption that lowering trade barriers would benefit all nations. However, critics argue this led to job losses in developed countries and a race to the bottom in wages and environmental standards. Trump’s tariffs challenged this narrative, suggesting that protectionist measures could be a legitimate tool for recovering the US economy, manufacturing, and return of jobs.-
Basically the way im understanding it is that while making these tariffs will result in immeadiate turmoil, the long term will create more stability through self sustaining ones country. That actually this was how the world was run for centuries, where countries made their decisions on tariffs based on their countries self interest and that this created a healthier world. That globalism has created a race to the bottom effect.
Either we rake in money from tariffs or we bring jobs back, but both at the same time is exactly like someone trying to eat their cake and sell it too
precisely
tariffs are working? lmfao
