Economics Thread

I’m not supporting a tariff on bananas, and I’m certainly not saying Trump is nailing the whole tariff implementation. I’m saying tariffs have a lot to offer.

Someone just talked about Pepsi raising prices due to tariffs. They need plastic bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard, syrup, and water. The fact that tariffs are having any impact on them shows how desperately the tariffs are needed. The richest, most powerful, country in history has to import some of those things? That’s absurd.
Alternatively, maybe one of the reasons we became the richest, most powerful country in history is by allowing companies to freely trade across borders for those inputs, and focus on innovation, specialization, and letting resources flow to their most productive uses.
 
Oh ok. Well congress is supposed to create the tax laws per the constitution
Even those on the pro-tariff side should be able to admit that.

And if the answer is “well, we all know Congress doesn’t function,” then it’s on you as a voter to vote out your representative, regardless of party.

Folks who continuously re-elect representatives who fail to execute their duties under the Constitution deserve to be held in more contempt than those of us who are scolded and lectured to for voting for 3rd party candidates.
 
Alternatively, maybe one of the reasons we became the richest, most powerful country in history is by allowing companies to freely trade across borders for those inputs, and focus on innovation, specialization, and letting resources flow to their most productive uses.
But we became that rich and powerful country with tariffs in place. I would argue we’ve been regressing post-NAFTA.
 
But we became that rich and powerful country with tariffs in place. I would argue we’ve been regressing post-NAFTA.

Let’s be fair here, the world is such a different place than it was when we last relied on heavy tariff revenue that I can’t even fathom this comparison.
 
Let’s be fair here, the world is such a different place than it was when we last relied on heavy tariff revenue that I can’t even fathom this comparison.
The peace dividend, .com boom, continued internet growth, increased high school and college graduation rates, increased computerization, robotics, AI, lots of changes. If free trade is such a boon I would have expected the current economy to trounce the old one.
 
The peace dividend, .com boom, continued internet growth, increased high school and college graduation rates, increased computerization, robotics, AI, lots of changes. If free trade is such a boon I would have expected the current economy to trounce the old one.
But it does trounce the old one in the sense that free trade has allowed far more American businesses to thrive and for American consumers to enjoy a robust variety of goods that wouldn’t have even been imaginable at that time.

I don’t disagree with your point that the current economy fails to benefit the American worker at the level it should, but I disagree with the idea that making it harder for producers and consumers to freely exchange goods with as many people as possible is the culprit, and would again point at wealth distribution and consolidation of so many industries toward near-monopolization.
 
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But it does trounce the old one i
It sure does. By any measure the standard living for the average person has never been higher. Not that everything is perfect. But the "tear it all down" view on the part of some strikes me as crazily dissonant from the world as it actually exists.
 
The peace dividend, .com boom, continued internet growth, increased high school and college graduation rates, increased computerization, robotics, AI, lots of changes. If free trade is such a boon I would have expected the current economy to trounce the old one.
Yup - Those that seek 'efficiencies' above the actual impact to the majority of the nation are the ones that are missing the actual issue being addressed here.

July PMI was solid so thats a start.

The people against tariffs always front run because it takes time to unwind 50+ years of gloablist trash economics.

This is going to take time and the people claiming 'victory' right now will be quiet when the foundational changes to how Americas economy works comes to fruition.
 
Yup - Those that seek 'efficiencies' above the actual impact to the majority of the nation are the ones that are missing the actual issue being addressed here.

July PMI was solid so thats a start.

The people against tariffs always front run because it takes time to unwind 50+ years of gloablist trash economics.

This is going to take time and the people claiming 'victory' right now will be quiet when the foundational changes to how Americas economy works comes to fruition.
He says, while front running every metric that could even so much as hint at tariffs not doing what we expect it will and claiming every metric that does show a negative impact was the result of there always going to be short-term pain (a thing Trump never claimed would happen before it did).
 
He says, while front running every metric that could even so much as hint at tariffs not doing what we expect it will and claiming every metric that does show a negative impact was the result of there always going to be short-term pain (a thing Trump never claimed would happen before it did).

Majority of metrics are showing the price shocks and you and others like Chop/Aces were pushing have fallen flat.

Luxury non-essential goods are first world problems (PS5). For majority of Americans that are struggling in this AMAZING GLOABLIST ECONOMY aren't seeing prices increase because of tariffs at anywhere close to the level you claimed.
 
It sure does. By any measure the standard living for the average person has never been higher. Not that everything is perfect. But the "tear it all down" view on the part of some strikes me as crazily dissonant from the world as it actually exists.
Standard of living measured by what exactly?

Advances that happened which had nothing to do with free trade? (plumbing/electricity/construction & farming techniques?)
 
But we became that rich and powerful country with tariffs in place. I would argue we’ve been regressing post-NAFTA.

This only doesn't make sense to people when they look at the economy as an aggreagate measure and don't look into the distributions of the gains from the economy.

Common mistake for the mid IQers.
 
Majority of metrics are showing the price shocks and you and others like Chop/Aces were pushing have fallen flat.

Luxury non-essential goods are first world problems (PS5). For majority of Americans that are struggling in this AMAZING GLOABLIST ECONOMY aren't seeing prices increase because of tariffs at anywhere close to the level you claimed.
It turns out companies had a lot of jobs they could cut to remain competitive on pricing as long as possible. But prices are still rising, and not just on PS5s.
 
It turns out companies had a lot of jobs they could cut to remain competitive on pricing as long as possible. But prices are still rising, and not just on PS5s.
Odd since Americans are gaining jobs during trumps term.

But I understand you’re using tech job layoffs to apply generally to your theory of stabilized prices.
 
Odd since Americans are gaining jobs during trumps term.

But I understand you’re using tech job layoffs to apply generally to your theory of stabilized prices.
Okay, I think I’m done being rage baited today. Enjoy your version of events. You’ll get plenty of government messaging to support it.
 
Okay, I think I’m done being rage baited today. Enjoy your version of events. You’ll get plenty of government messaging to support it.

Hey man - you keep using tech layoff figures to explain why retailers aren’t raising prices like you thought.

It’s a tactic. It’s just hilariously wrong.
 
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