President Trump

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Originally Posted by arkansasbob

so our government does things that make manufacturing in the US more expensive, which predictably leads to americans buying cheaper goods manufactured overseas, and the solution is to tax americans so that we can't have affordable goods no matter what? it doesn't help anyone to do that, and it's a massive tax that most people would not be applauding if it were coming out of their paycheck directly.

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No the solution is to force those countries who've been raping us for years, to remove or lessen the "taxes" on US goods. That's happening slowly, but faster than many anticipated. Meanwhile, I'm glad to pay a little more even though I haven't noticed much other than costs of lumber products which started going up in 2020. What have you noticed personally that has increased from these "taxes"?

Grocery prices have been mostly flat to slightly decreasing since Trump took office. I have no view on durable goods like electronics since I personally haven't been buying any recently. We did purchase a new fridge and washer & dryer for our house this year. Prices were not extreme or seem overly high. Gasoline prices are dropping! Gas is 2.06 here. But that has more to do with the world market.

Saw an economist on a YouTube channel saying right now, based on best guesses, that Trump's tariffs have contributed to a 4% increase to American consumers. The middlemen in the international supply chain are eating the lion's share of the cost of tariffs, because they had enjoyed the largest margins in the chain. They have the most to contribute to absorbing tariff costs and still turn a profit. Back to the American consumer. That 4% increase has, in many cases, been offset by cost reductions thanks to Trump's policies. This economist and others are predicting, or warning, that American consumers may start seeing some cost increases later this year or first quarter 2026 because those middlemen in the international supply chain may, might, increase their prices in contract renewals to be negotiated. But that is just speculation. But already Trump has lowered the tariffs on China, Japan, and host of other countries. So, those cost increases will probably not be applied.

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Originally Posted by arkansasbob

so our government does things that make manufacturing in the US more expensive, which predictably leads to americans buying cheaper goods manufactured overseas

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It also predictably turns summer jobs for high school kids into careers where suddenly unskilled laborers demand a "living wage" because all the good manufacturing jobs moved overseas, which probably causes more price hikes (taxes) than the tariffs ever could.

And as the affordability crisis gets worse, it predictably leads to communists like Mamdani getting elected, because the system is working for fewer and fewer people all the time.

Paying wages with cash or crypto will get bigger. Keeping the state and feds out of small private business is a good thing.