Robert Lighthizer saying that tarriffs are the only way to bring back the middle class.

[Concerned American]

NOT because of the consumer's own doing!!!

Who twisted your arm to buy that product. At some point you have to take responsibility for what you've done. I use "you" euphemistically. Every American consumer is responsible for the US debt being what it is.

 

[bendo]

Buying a foreign made product has no effect on the budget deficit. And buying a US product is inflationary BECAUSE WITH TARIFFS THE THING DOES COST MORE, THAT'S THE FUCKOING POINT. LOL

What postive tariffs offer is that they probably do affect multinationals like Apple to employee more americans to increase the US made content in products. Although, if the multinational cannot sell its products overseas because other mftrs can offer the same product for less......

 

[multivita-man]

I understand all of this idea.....



-But it will take years and years to work, to fully come in to fruition, if then....moving factories back to the USA is a long term venture, which results in inflationary prices for years, forever really.

By the time it actually works in our favor with higher paid jobs and wages to afford the higher tariff prices incorporated in to the price of our goods, will be a decade or two, depending on the industry and the time needed to fully move back with building the factories and assembly lines....and even then it likely will be automation/or A/I. Then we don't benefit at all with the suffering through our higher prices and tariff taxes paid by us.

I fear that it won't bring the jobs back..... A/I and automation is the future for manufacturing.....

So why does it help us peon citizens in this age?

It's not strictly economics; it's also statecraft. We want to use tariffs as negotiating tools to achieve 'things', like access to raw materials and resources, and to contain China.

 

[Raynine]

It's not strictly economics; it's also statecraft. We want to use tariffs as negotiating tools to achieve 'things', like access to raw materials and resources, and to contain China.

That is a good point.

 

[multivita-man]

As the factories come back so will unionization which will help.

I wouldn't make the assumption that there will be increased unionization. There could be, but I wouldn't assume that it's inevitable. Companies will still want high productivity, which will mean they will find ways to keep the head count right where they want it. Re-shoring isn't necessarily a jobs program - at least not across the board. For some industries, absolutely, but the pros/cons won't be uniform.

We kind of saw during Biden's term how the assumption of a jobs boom simply by bringing production back here doesn't necessarily pan out as predicted. Biden wanted to use policy as a cudgel to force foreign tech companies to make their stuff here. Turns out, they want to bring their workers, they want to do things their way, not ours. We've also seen how Elon and Vivek were really pushing hard to keep the door open for H1-B visa holders, basically allowing for more imported labor, which I think isn't how Lighthizer sees this industrial revival shaping up.

There are other valid reasons to reshore, though. In 2017, Hurricane Maria took out saline production in Puerto Rico, which just happens to be a nerve center in the global saline supply chain. Saline is critical for its healthcare applications. A few years later, we saw how a lot of our medical supplies were manufactured overseas and many of those countries wanted to prioritize their own domestic concerns first, which is certainly understandable but also underscores the need to produce at home. Ditto things like our ship-building industry, which pales in comparison to China's.

I voted against Trump all three times he's run, but he's not necessarily wrong on this one. I wish it had been Obama who had first proposed it, and I wish Clinton had made it part of her campaign instead of running ads of wind turbines in Southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Democrats used to run on this brand of economics. They've run away from it since the 90s, and it's kicking them in the ass.

 

[frigidweirdo]

https://tuckercarlson.com/tucker-show-bob-lighthizer

The elites sold out the middle class to enrich themselves. It isn't hard to see how we got here. Getting back will be hard but Trump is at least looking for a way to bring it back.

Yeah... no

They come up with "solutions" which will lead to many problems, and their supporters don't understand, so they just cheer.

 

[Raynine]

Yeah... no

They come up with "solutions" which will lead to many problems, and their supporters don't understand, so they just cheer.

So, the middle class is a threat that will lead to problems? Not sure what you are aaying.

 

[frigidweirdo]

So, the middle class is a threat that will lead to problems? Not sure what you are aaying.

Not sure where you're going with this

Trump is making policies for himself. He wants the ego boost so he follows the further right policies. Whatever they want, he shouts about, no matter how fucking stupid it is.

Tariffs, stupid. But the right think its their wet dream, so he does it.

And they tell their supporters it's the greatest idea and it's "patriotic" so his supporters cheer, even though they have no idea what they're cheering for.

 

[Raynine]

Not sure where you're going with this

Trump is making policies for himself. He wants the ego boost so he follows the further right policies. Whatever they want, he shouts about, no matter how fucking stupid it is.

Tariffs, stupid. But the right think its their wet dream, so he does it.

And they tell their supporters it's the greatest idea and it's "patriotic" so his supporters cheer, even though they have no idea what they're cheering for.

Ok, so you hate Donald Trump and that is your argument? The fact that the middle class in America has all but disappeared is not a problem?

 

[frigidweirdo]

Ok, so you hate Donald Trump and that is your argument? The fact that the middle class in America has all but disappeared is not a problem?

Yeah, it is.

But you seem to think Trump is even interested in the problem. He's not.

The problems for the middle class are various, and has a lot to do with the rich controlling everything. Is Trump trying to stop that? Is he proposing Proportional Representation? No. Changing the electoral system is the main way you'd support the middle class.

 

[initforme]

Have people ever wondered why, political party aside, it's always wealthy people running for office? When is the last time some average working person got to run for office? Has that ever happened?

 

[Raynine]

Have people ever wondered why, political party aside, it's always wealthy people running for office? When is the last time some average working person got to run for office? Has that ever happened?

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Concerned American]

Tariffs, stupid. But the right think its their wet dream, so he does it.

Sure, its the right---even when Biden does it eh?

Biden Administration Ratchets Up Tariffs on Chinese Goods

The administration moved to block off a popular tariff-free path for Chinese apparel coming into the United States, and added stiff levies on electric vehicles, solar panels and other products.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Raynine]

I knew something was very wrong many years ago when I noticed the company I worked for was not investing in its employees or its domestic infrastructure. I voted for Ross Perot in 1992 who was warning about what was going to happen to America's middle class. He said there would be a giant sucking sound as America's manufacturing jobs went to other countries. I agree with Lighthizer that the the three stooges of poor decisions by the the Washington swamp were Nafta, the WTO, and most favored nation status for China. This triad was a targeted attack on America's middle class and it worked.

 

[hadit]

Have people ever wondered why, political party aside, it's always wealthy people running for office? When is the last time some average working person got to run for office? Has that ever happened?

It costs way too much for an ordinary person to make a credible run for president. TRUMP! is one of a very few who are able to finance such a run themselves, everyone else needs massive fundraising, and the way to do that is to have access to big money donors.

 

[initforme]

It costs way too much for an ordinary person to make a credible run for president. TRUMP! is one of a very few who are able to finance such a run themselves, everyone else needs massive fundraising, and the way to do that is to have access to big money donors.

And that is wrong in a sense

 

[hadit]

And that is wrong in a sense

Given that Harris spent over a billion dollars in just a few short months only to lose is indicative that it won't change anytime soon.