Trade War, Tariffs and Toy Soldiers (1 Viewer)

[desk11desk12]

I'm okay with paying much higher prices for everything that the Chinese export to the US, if it means saving/ expanding American jobs and keeps people gainfully employed, increases federal tax revenue (bigger paychecks) and reduces Government benefits (e.g. welfare) and the national debt.

Maybe increase farming subsidies, keep American farming capacity healthy and scalable. This will result in excess US farming surplus that can be distributed to the less fortunate in America, and abroad in the form of foreign aid.

I'd rather pay higher prices than higher taxes! Yes, this should increase inflation but let the Fed Reserve deal with that.


Until the world treat America as fair trading partner, I'm okay with this. I'm tired of foreign (China especially) governments exporting cheaper products subsidized by their government and therefore "de-facto" exporting unemployment to the US to boot!

I'd use Trump's slogan famous slogan but this entire post might be deleted.


Carlos

 

[Alexander the Great]

I'm okay with paying much higher prices for everything that the Chinese export to the US, if it means saving/ expanding American jobs and keeps people gainfully employed, increases federal tax revenue (bigger paychecks) and reduces Government benefits (e.g. welfare) and the national debt.

I agree with you, unless it means higher profits for the corporations that do not trickle down to the workforce!

Maybe increase farming subsidies, keep American farming capacity healthy and scalable. This will result in excess US farming surplus that can be distributed to the less fortunate in America, and abroad in the form of foreign aid.

Absolutely!

I'd rather pay higher prices than higher taxes! Yes, this should increase inflation but let the Fed Reserve deal with that.

You are currently doing both, the recent tax changes were a gift to companies but not do the citizens.


Until the world treat America as fair trading partner, I'm okay with this. I'm tired of foreign (China especially) governments exporting cheaper products subsidized by their government and therefore "de-facto" exporting unemployment to the US to boot!

I agree, but again unfortunately the people will not benefit from any of this....the rich will get richer and you and I will bear the burden of both higher taxes and higher prices for goods. Unfortunately there is no direct relationship to more jobs and higher wages to corporate profits!

I'd use Trump's slogan famous slogan but this entire post might be deleted.


Carlos

responses in line

 

[DETHKOR]

Tariffs are taxes,just under another name.It's just another lie and the administration hopes as few people as possible realize that.The Chinese can wait this country out for as long as it takes,with no elections the government leaders don't have to worry about losing their jobs so they could care less what happens to the people.Noone has to buy toy soldiers but since most of what Americans buy these days being made in China everyone is going to feel this,there's no avoiding it.And in the end Trump will cut a bad deal,lie again and call it a great deal,nothing will change,and the extra money we will all be forced to spend will be gone.But 30%-35% of the country will still somehow feel GREATER.

 

[jazzeum]

Toys, Phones and Sneakers: The Chinese Goods Trump Wants to Tax Next

 

[Combat]

Tariffs are taxes,just under another name.It's just another lie and the administration hopes as few people as possible realize that.The Chinese can wait this country out for as long as it takes,with no elections the government leaders don't have to worry about losing their jobs so they could care less what happens to the people.Noone has to buy toy soldiers but since most of what Americans buy these days being made in China everyone is going to feel this,there's no avoiding it.And in the end Trump will cut a bad deal,lie again and call it a great deal,nothing will change,and the extra money we will all be forced to spend will be gone.But 30%-35% of the country will still somehow feel GREATER.

That's a false premise. Tariffs are not taxes. You can decide not to buy items if you think they are too expensive. China has bought off soft US politicians for decades. Many DC lobbyists are on their payroll. And by implication so are most establishment politicians. That is why no one has taken them on. It is China that we should be concerned about influencing American politics. Long overdue to take a stand with them. They are the net exporters. So they stand the most to lose in a trade war.

 

[DETHKOR]

It's not false at all,tariffs are a tax you can choose not to pay by not buying,just like sales tax,but it's still a tax.I hope no one believes the companies paying the tariffs to the government are going to roll over and take the hit,they're going to pass that along to the consumer.So good luck opting out on this new tax,I think it would be nearly impossible to avoid buying Chinese today.China has been and is a huge problem but tariffs are the worst possible way to deal with them,they're more resilient than you might think,they can take a lot of hits.No vote=no problem.

 

[Alexander the Great]

That's a false premise. Tariffs are not taxes. You can decide not to buy items if you think they are too expensive. China has bought off soft US politicians for decades. Many DC lobbyists are on their payroll. And by implication so are most establishment politicians. That is why no one has taken them on. It is China that we should be concerned about influencing American politics. Long overdue to take a stand with them. They are the net exporters. So they stand the most to lose in a trade war.

Tariffs are nothing but taxes. If the solution is not buying then what is the point of having this conversation. I can choose not to buy toy soldiers like a choose not buy clothes or gas or everything else that is taxed.
The end result is the same, companies will not eat the tariffs they will as always push them down to you and me the consumers. End result we pay the price no one else....and yes it is a choice to stop buying but good luck with that...have you bought anything recently not made in China - good luck finding something that is not!!!

 

[Rutledge]

Tariffs are nothing but taxes. If the solution is not buying then what is the point of having this conversation. I can choose not to buy toy soldiers like a choose not buy clothes or gas or everything else that is taxed.
The end result is the same, companies will not eat the tariffs they will as always push them down to you and me the consumers. End result we pay the price no one else....and yes it is a choice to stop buying but good luck with that...have you bought anything recently not made in China - good luck finding something that is not!!!

Yes. Lots. None of the (mostly organic) food I buy is from China, nor is the gas I put in my car, nor the parts for my Audi. Plane tickets, movie tickets, hotel rooms. I buy American or European made furniture.

In fact total exports to the US from China are less than $500 billion. Our total economy is ~$19 trillion. So I don’t think your math, ala everything we buy is made in China, is accurate, to say the least.

China’s leaders are by no means immune to internal pressure. There are 1.4 billion people in China. When 5% are unhappy, that’s a really big number. If China can’t export to us because demand is soft in the US, they are *******. There is no domestic consumption to speak of. It’s why the economy is export centric. The average Chinese has an income less than 1/4 of an American. They can’t afford the higher end products China desperately wants and needs to produce. Vietnam, Malaysia and the like are taking over the low value add manufacturing. China needs high income Americans to buy their stuff way more than we need them yo buy ours.

 

[Combat]

Tariffs are nothing but taxes. If the solution is not buying then what is the point of having this conversation. I can choose not to buy toy soldiers like a choose not buy clothes or gas or everything else that is taxed.
The end result is the same, companies will not eat the tariffs they will as always push them down to you and me the consumers. End result we pay the price no one else....and yes it is a choice to stop buying but good luck with that...have you bought anything recently not made in China - good luck finding something that is not!!!

Maybe a lot of things are made in Chine due to the unfair trade policies of the last several decades that establishment politicians have allowed. A short term increase in the cost of some items is a small price to pay for rectifying that. And if it doesn't happen now, it never will. Establishment US politicians on both sides are not going to abandon that golden goose. Just look at Biden. He said China is not a competitor. LOL. Wonder why? Sometimes there is a little pain involved to get meaningful change. What is the alternative? China has no incentive to make any change. In fact, the opposite since they are the beneficiary. They have to be made to understand that US politicians have some backbone for once. Then there will be a deal.

 

[Alexander the Great]

Yes. Lots. None of the (mostly organic) food I buy is from China, nor is the gas I put in my car, nor the parts for my Audi. Plane tickets, movie tickets, hotel rooms. I buy American or European made furniture.

In fact total exports to the US from China are less than $500 billion. Our total economy is ~$19 trillion. So I don’t think your math, ala everything we buy is made in China, is accurate, to say the least.

China’s leaders are by no means immune to internal pressure. There are 1.4 billion people in China. When 5% are unhappy, that’s a really big number. If China can’t export to us because demand is soft in the US, they are *******. There is no domestic consumption to speak of. It’s why the economy is export centric. The average Chinese has an income less than 1/4 of an American. They can’t afford the higher end products China desperately wants and needs to produce. Vietnam, Malaysia and the like are taking over the low value add manufacturing. China needs high income Americans to buy their stuff way more than we need them yo buy ours.

Food is not "made" it is produced and you are talking about services (tickets, hotels etc.). I hope that you will agree with me that most tangible goods offered for sale in the USA are not made in the USA - yes?
My math is great, it is called a trade deficit (if it was insignificant the politicians would not be interested in dealing with it). Have you checked recently how much money the US owes to China? you will be surprised by the amount...
I do not disagree that China will not experience the pain, I just stated that you and I will be on the receiving end as well. Unhappy people in China!!...never, everyone is happy in China it is called Communism (said with a lot of sarcasm).

 

[Rutledge]

Food is not "made" it is produced and you are talking about services (tickets, hotels etc.). I hope that you will agree with me that most tangible goods offered for sale in the USA are not made in the USA - yes?
My math is great, it is called a trade deficit (if it was insignificant the politicians would not be interested in dealing with it). Have you checked recently how much money the US owes to China? you will be surprised by the amount...
I do not disagree that China will not experience the pain, I just stated that you and I will be on the receiving end as well. Unhappy people in China!!...never, everyone is happy in China it is called Communism (said with a lot of sarcasm).

Alex some of your facts may be a bit off. The US is the largest domestic economy in the world, with one of the highest per capital net incomes in the world. We certainly have the highest per capital income among very large countries. We produce trillions of goods here in the US; However our high incomes put us at a cost of labor disadvantage compared to countries with very low living standards who can and do pay their workers next to nothing. That is kind of a good problem to have,really, though, as it means most low value add manufacturing is done outside the US.
Politicians love to make noise about meaningless statistics. We have a huge services surplus with the world, including China.

The US doesn’t owe China a dime. China however does hold about a trillion of our Treasury Bills, on which there is interest due. Anytime we wanted we could refuse to pay the interest, or default on the principal. China needs a high quality, liquid, very large market to store their trade surplus currency, and we are by far their best option. If they dump our Treasury Bills, prices will fall and they will lose billions. Plus the Fed Res, if need be, could always step in and monetize that debt.

China has not played nice for years, robbing us blind of technological know how, trademark and patent infringements of US companies, and on and on. China has been running, essentially, a state backed criminal enterprise for some time. It must stop.