Tariffs

[SAJ-99]

We buy cheaper chinese products. Many are clones that are cheaper knockoffs of American products. We bitch when they don't last or break prematurely, yet we still buy them. Just possibly people will have the choice between cheap/inferior foreign made products and higher quality American products at the same price. Hopefully the American manufacturing industry can catch up and start manufacturing higher quality products again. Maybe
FYI, I run an older Cat dozer. When something inevitably breaks or wears out I don't even consider non-Cat parts that may or may not fit and definitely will wear out or break sooner.

Agree. Sounds like why I am suspect of buying things online. But don't forget the 80's when Japanese cars were all the rage because the quality of American-made cars went down the drain. Competition is good, but Americans hate losing.

 

[Redmt]

Competition is good, but Americans hate losing.

It's not a fair competition or comparison when you're not comparing the same quality of product. Take for example a $10.00 Timex vs. a $10,000.00 Rolex. Sure they both tell time but there is a difference. It doesn't matter to me, I don't even own a watch.

 

[Sytes]

Figure this fits well in this thread.

Warren Buffett's Stance on Import Tariffs Raises Flags. But Don't Ignore His Words on Investing During Times of Market Turmoil. | The Motley Fool

Warren Buffett's Stance on Import Tariffs Raises Flags. But Don't Ignore His Words on Investing During Times of Market Turmoil.

www.fool.com

 

[Bonasababy]

I see your point. I certainly don't buy $20 socks. But can you see mine. The stagnation or more likely a decline in the American middle class. Kids today do not have an expectation of doing better than their parents. I don't think it is a lie to suggest that whole swaths of the American public have not been able to succeed. I am not trying to be augmentative for the sake of argument. Are we making semiconductors why did we offshore so much of that to Taiwan?
If the cost of labor is going to be the final determinant for everything. Can anything be made in this country, outside of high tech and defense items?

Lots of irony on the semiconductor front though, right?

 

[morley.tyler]

I'm just pissed I have to pay another 10% for my Jack Daniels

Cost of Jameson just went up for me, brother

 

[Nick87]

Cost of Jameson just went up for me, brother

Your both missing out. Try jim beam.

 

[Redmt]

Your both missing out. Try jim beam.

MOUTH WASH,!!! Glenfiddish or give me death!

 

[brymoore]

MOUTH WASH,!!! Glenfiddish or give me death!

I’m thinking about making a scotch run tomorrow but I may be too late.

 

[morley.tyler]

MOUTH WASH,!!! Glenfiddish or give me death!

Scotch smells like a used teenage boy's gym sock. I'm out.

 

[morley.tyler]

Your both missing out. Try jim beam.

I'm generally a bourbon guy (Buffalo Trace), but since I married a Ginger, I have to keep a bottle of Jameson in the cupboard. It's just the rules.

 

[Nick87]

I'm generally a bourbon guy (Buffalo Trace), but since I married a Ginger, I have to keep a bottle of Jameson in the cupboard. It's just the rules.

I've tried to like Jameson. Not for me..if money was no object I would go with makers mark as a staple. Admittedly never had buffalo trace.

 

[Nick87]

 

[Sytes]

Buffalo Trace

Knob Creek (of the Jim Beam family). Good Ole American whiskey!
Kentucky sure knows it's whiskey! Buffalo Trace home as well.

 

[homers]

I heard Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, the unelected EU president, talking about retaliatory tariffs. Funny how upset other countries get when we applied only 50% of the tariffs they have on US. I guess if they get in a pissing match, Trump will raise their tariff to 100% match.

Any Ursula was talking about how Trumps tariffs are a "tax" on US citizens, but then out the other side of her mouth see fails to state that she supports double that tariff is double the "tax" on EU citizens, and threatens to raise it more (tax her own EU more). How about the EU lowers the tariff in half or eliminate it all together?

 

[Beignet]

I heard Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, the unelected EU president, talking about retaliatory tariffs.

Not to nitpick, but the EU doesn’t have a president per se. She’s the president of the European Commission. It’s one branch of the government of the European Union. Each member country has a commissioner who is chosen by that country’s government. This is supposed to keep them neutral and beholden to EU-wide interests instead of having to run every few years to satisfy electoral interests. The Parliament is however elected by their country’s citizens.

Also FWIW, prior to the current administration EU tariffs against US goods were targeted to very specific products (like ag). The EU has never levied a blanket tariff on all US exports.

 

[Beignet]

I should probably also add that the rates the administration set weren’t based on the target country’s tariffs against US goods (as they’re usually targeted toward specific products), but based on the 2024 trade deficit.

I pulled this from an article:

“For each country, the White House looked up its trade in goods deficit for 2024, then divided that by the total value of imports.”

That number was then halved.

So, for China:

• Goods trade deficit: $291.9bn
• Total goods imports: $438.9bn
• Those figures divided = 0.67, or 67%
• And halved = 34%

 

[westbranch]

I heard Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, the unelected EU president, talking about retaliatory tariffs. Funny how upset other countries get when we applied only 50% of the tariffs they have on US. I guess if they get in a pissing match, Trump will raise their tariff to 100% match.

Any Ursula was talking about how Trumps tariffs are a "tax" on US citizens, but then out the other side of her mouth see fails to state that she supports double that tariff is double the "tax" on EU citizens, and threatens to raise it more (tax her own EU more). How about the EU lowers the tariff in half or eliminate it all together?

Huh?

Trump’s Reciprocal Tariff Calculations Are Nonsense, Will Punish Mutually Beneficial Trade

If you tax trade, you get less of it—both imports and exports alike. Even a less-flawed version of Trump’s tariff plan would be unlikely to achieve its goals.

taxfoundation.org

Specifically, the White House documents appear to allege the “tariffs charged to the USA” are the greater of two different quantities: (a) 10 percent, and (b) the 2024 US trade deficit in goods with a given country, divided by the total quantity of US imports from that country.

 

[devon deer]

Your both missing out. Try jim beam.

I do, but it's American, so attracts the new tariff, but it won't stop me buying either, or the Barnes bullets that I get through like nobody's business, I currently pay $88 for 50....but I need them more than JD

 

[NDGuy]

 

[Rainer]

One positive note that this Administration has done is united countries that had once hated each other. First with the Europeans and now with Japan, South Korea and China. It’s gotten to a point with us that were talking about what to do with the US debt we own. I bet we’ll also bring in the Japanese, Chinese and Europeans into this conversation at some point.

On the scary side of things. In order to physically defend ourselves we are looking at the Nuclear route.