Explain It Like I Am Five

[Zapranoth]

Those who support the current American executive branch, explain it to me.

How do the policies this week benefit America or its allies, or overall world stability?

[lester1/2jr]

Well, as an anarchist wall street trader and (more ) Uber driver I'm not really the one to defend it, but ever since outsourcing to China began, America has a giant aching hole in it's center. All we manufacture now are missiles and fentanyl addiction. This feels like a hopeless, last gasp at undoing NAFTA and all that stuff and bringing back the working class.

Of course I hope it works, but ... the other issue being the tariffs themselves which seem to attempt to not only even out the tariff rate but to balance the trade levels themselves which I think is a mistake. Vietnam does not have that much stuff we want and they have no use for Teslas and super high end espresso machines or whatever the f**k we manufacture here. It's fine to buy/ sell more or less from one place.

[Rev. Powell]

Just so you know, I did get a complaint about this thread, though I don't think it breaks the rules. Just keep things civil with no name calling or it will be locked.

[Zapranoth]

I am beyond caring about complaints. But I am not calling any names.

How does taxing our own citizens on buying foreign goods increase our own chances of more domestic job production, manufacturing, and so on?

I will ask it this way: what happened the other times in history tariffs were used this way in the United States?  What were the economic results?  What were the political results?

[Zapranoth]

Just so you know, I did get a complaint about this thread, though I don't think it breaks the rules. Just keep things civil with no name calling or it will be locked.

whatever, Reverend.  Somebody has a complaint, they could at least have the balls to write it to me.

[RCMerchant]

It's a mystery to me how a man who can manage to bankrupt 2 casinos- CASINOS!-is any kind of financial wizard. The man's an idiot. 

[Trevor]

I am a bit concerned how the new tarrifs will impact on South African imports and exports 🤔

[Zapranoth]

I didn't generate this thread to create mudslinging. I am just asking somebody who cares to defend it, to explain the logic and the plan. What is trying to be accomplished here?

[Zapranoth]

For example,

" Trump actually believes that all of these tariffs will ultimately improve American manufacturing and create jobs"

Or perhaps

" Trump is deliberately crashing the stock market to buy low. Or to let somebody else buy low."

[RCMerchant]

^ Anyone who defends Trump will continue to defend Trump, no matter what he does. That's how cults work. They don't care what he does or who he hurts. In his devotees' eyes, he can do no wrong.

He said it himself- he could shoot a man on Main Street, and get away with it. Our country is in serious trouble when a man like that can be elected to the highest office in our land.

[Zapranoth]

I'm trying to engage a higher level of dialogue than that, RC.

[RCMerchant]

Good luck with that.

[Rev. Powell]

Just so you know, I did get a complaint about this thread, though I don't think it breaks the rules. Just keep things civil with no name calling or it will be locked.

whatever, Reverend.  Somebody has a complaint, they could at least have the balls to write it to me.

I don't think anyone has a problem with you, I believe that's the wrong way to look at it. It's just that a good number of people don't want any political discussions at all because they always turn into flame wars. Some people may incorrectly think that political posts are against the rules (they aren't, though I suspect if Andrew were still actively monitoring the board he would make a rule against them).

[lester1/2jr]

Tariffs aren't right or left or good or bad. Without the tariffs Alexander Hamilton had to protect American industries and fund the government we probably wouldn't be here. Without Smoot Hawley the depression wouldn't have been as bad.

Karl Marx, Paul Ryan, and Hillary Clinton are free traders. Ross Perot, Ralph Nader and Hitler favored protectionist measures.

A better way to think of it is real vs artificial. We subsidize agriculture so we can have stuff grown here. We bailed out Harley Davidson so now the company exists and makes motorcycles. A real free market would mean we bought most of our food from another country and no more harley Davidson.

Toys R Us went the way of the dodo, would anyone mind if they went to the mall and it was still there? Some things are saved others aren't. It's all messed up

[indianasmith]

A vast majority of economists would say the Smoot-Hawley tariff made things worse and prolonged the Depression.
But I guess there are always contrarians out there.