#TARRIFS are a tax

[izooks]

I’m sure republicans forgot about this.

TRUMP…my policy for everything is to pay it with TARRIFS.

TARRIFS are a tax on the people and if you think otherwise you’re as dumb as the idiot proposing it.

[reynard61]

Note: paywalled.

[benjaminallhope-fulltimemind]

here's a fun little definition to help people understand what inflation is, please follow and reblog for more

/credit: Lily Orchard

[alyfoxxxen]

Mexico suggests it would impose its own tariffs to retaliate against any Trump tariffs | AP News

[davidaugust]

Do you know who tried to run the entire government of a country off of tariffs? We did, under the Articles of Confederation after the American Revolution (before the Constitution was written) we tried running the place off of the revenue from tariffs, and for a combination of reasons it didn’t work.

It won’t work now, not to run the place, nor to protect American manufacturing. A fella named Herbert Hoover tried using tariffs that way and helped make the Great Depression happen. Tried and failed.

[phantom088]

Trump's Policies for Dummies

2025-2028 Edition

Oh boy, where do I even start?

Some Americans (especially Republicans) might not fully understand the policies Donald Trump has in store for his 2025-2028 presidency. So here’s an informative breakdown of the policies he’s proposed:

(We’re covering Tariffs, the Department of Education, the Affordable Care Act, Birthright Citizenship, Tax Cuts, Deportation, Fossil Fuel Production, Pardoning January 6th Rioters, Reducing the Federal Workforce, International Aid Reduction, Voter ID, and Cryptocurrency. Buckle up, folks.)

Tariffs:

See that nice watch on Amazon? Great, nothing's stopping you from buying it—except for one thing. It’s made in China.

With Trump’s tariff policies, you’ll have to pay extra for imported goods. That’s a fee slapped on simply because your shiny new gadget wasn’t made in America. Sure, one small fee doesn’t seem too bad, but considering how much we rely on imports, those fees will add up fast—and painfully.

Abolishing the Department of Education:

Okay, yes, the Department of Education (DoE) isn’t perfect, but without it, states get free rein over what schools teach. That means they could introduce whatever they want into the curriculum, whether that’s religion or… LGBTQA+ ideals (I know MAGA doesn't like the second idea).

Also, states could choose to not teach things like what slavery was or even basic English if they decide it’s unnecessary. Financially, this means states control school funding. So some schools will get shortchanged, while others get the gold mine. Teachers? Oh, they’ll probably be underpaid worse than they already are.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

The ACA—better known as “Obamacare”—helps low-income Americans afford healthcare. Repealing it means, well, healthcare costs skyrocket for the poor. Sure, the rich won’t care (they’ve got the cash), but for anyone without deep pockets, this could be catastrophic.

If you have a moral compass, then this has to hit something, right?

Ending Birthright Citizenship:

Currently, if you’re born on U.S. soil, you’re automatically a citizen (thank the 14th Amendment). Ending this would require rewriting the Constitution—a long and almost impossible process.

Translation: This idea is DOA. Even if you support it, don’t hold your breath.

Extending Tax Cuts:

In theory, tax cuts sound nice. In reality, they benefit the wealthy far more than anyone else. With less tax revenue, the government has less money for, you know, running the country.

A good analogy for this is imagine a kid giving out free lemonade refills at their stand. When they run out of lemons, they can’t afford to buy more. That’s what happens when tax cuts go too far: no money, no government services.

Mass Deportation:

America relies heavily on immigrant labor for jobs most people won’t take. Deporting large numbers of immigrants is not only expensive but also harmful to the economy.

On top of that, families get torn apart. Imagine your grandma who has dementia, heart problems, being deported after decades in the U.S. because she never got through America’s horrendous legalization system.

Say bye-bye to me-maw.

Boosting Fossil Fuel Production:

Let’s ruin the environment even more, shall we?

Yes, fossil fuels are cheap and efficient, but they spew carbon into the atmosphere (which in case you didn’t know, is bad. A big no-no).

Pursuing this path also means we cling to old technology while most of the world transitions to clean energy. So much for America being a “advance country".

Pardoning January 6th Rioters:

Here’s an analogy: Imagine a bully smashes a kid’s lunch tray, and instead of getting punished, the bully gets free lunches for a month.

That’s what pardoning January 6th rioters looks like. It sends the message that crimes are fine—as long as you’re on the “right” team.

Yes, Biden is pardoning his son for minor drug offenses (even though he said he wasn't going too), but are we really comparing that to storming the Capitol with the intent to hang the then sitting VP? Perspective, people.

Reducing the Federal Workforce:

Halving the federal workforce? Bad idea. These are the people running air traffic control, mail delivery, and so much more. Overloading a smaller workforce won’t end well—trust me, I’ve worked those understaffed shifts.

Cutting International Aid:

“Teamwork makes the dream work,” they say. But by slashing international aid, the U.S. risks alienating allies. If we’re unwilling to help others, why would they help us when we need it?

Enforcing Voter ID:

Surprisingly, this one’s not all bad. Voter ID can prevent fraud, but it’s tough for certain groups (like the elderly or rural residents) to get IDs. If we can streamline the process, this might actually be a win. Trump gets a rare point for this one.

Support for Cryptocurrency:

Crypto is about as stable as a toddler on a sugar rush. One day, you’re rich; the next, you can’t afford a gas station eggroll.

While blockchain technology is promising, trusting an unstable currency for national use? Hard pass. I’ll take my very stable paper money, thanks.

I hope this comes as a use to anyone who doesn't fully understands Trumps policies, but wishes to do so. And yes, I tried to be very neutral on this guy, but I know I probably failed. Let's be honest, staying neutral is difficult. But hey, I want that win, so I'm claiming it.

[isthehorsevideocute]

THERE WONT BE A POOL YOU IGNORANT SLUTS THERE WON'T EVEN BE A HOUSE

[stephen-barry]

Ontario, Canada is prepared to stop exporting electricity to U.S. if Trump follows through on tariffs, Ford says.

[badpoliticaltakes]

Why are tariffs better than taxes? Isn't the cost going to fall on the consumer anyways?

Oh they're not! I don't agree with tarrifs!

[uttarakhandwiki]

दिल्ली सरकार ट्रैफिक जाम और प्रदूषण की समस्याओं से निपटने के लिए कंजेशन टैक्स की योजना ला रही है। फास्टैग आधारित वसूली प्रणाली के तहत सुबह-शाम पीक आवर्स में टैक्स वसूल कर पब्लिक ट्रांसपोर्ट को बेहतर बनाया जाएगा।

[thatsleepymermaid]

People keep wondering how Trump won, but honestly it's relatively easy to see. On top of the far right turn that usually takes place after disasters, there's a few other factors at play. Mainly, inflation.

The average American doesn't have a clue what's going on in their government (state or federal) or around the world. I tried talking to a local about Palestine, and she thought it was another word for Pakistan. Right now the biggest concern I've heard from my neighbors is actually groceries and gas prices.

Biden failed to address inflation, and Harris didn't have a solid plan. Neither did Trump, but Trump did say he was going to decrease prices, and the people in my rural area here remember everything being cheaper in 2017 but not much else. That includes just about every racial group present in my neighborhood. We don't have widespread Internet and most people get the news from satellite TV news, so they are uninformed about most things.

(logistics are tricky for people to keep in mind when their wallets are on the line)

On top of that, Trump promised high tax returns for many income brackets . That extra money looks awfully good if you're struggling to afford groceries right now. Regardless of if he's going to do it or not. (Prices will probably get higher because of the proposed tarrifs). People want to keep their own fed and safe, regardless of foreign affairs or civil rights. The second Trump's team announced their tax return plan I knew he was going to be elected. I'm just surprised I predicted it before Allan Lichtman.

I don't know where this post is going, but don't blame other left-leaning people for voting 3rd party or being pro-Palestine. If you really want to figure out the general consensus among average Americans, talk to your neighbors. Join a local Facebook page. Organize and build community as much as possible. We will need it in these difficult years.

[lordadmiralfarsight]

Tarrifs, shmariffs, what do ?

Grrrrreeeting my dear Tumblr users, it is I, random economy oriented Tumblr User that was onces convinced his blog was gonna be about ships (and not those on water).

I come to you bringing explanations on tarriffs, what they do, what they bring and what their consequences are, since they are kind of a big topic right now, what with Trump and all. "But Mr. Rando, I already know!" you say, and I believe you, and I am proud of you, but much like in my irl class, not everyone has the same knowledge base, so even if it's a bit tedious for you, we have to cover the topic so everyone is on the same page. Alright ? Swell.

So, what is a tarriff ? A tarriff is a tax levied on importations. AKA, you buy something from out-of-country and get it into the country, you pay the tarriff. Many of you will have seen the memes and viral posts, and will triumphantly point at the part where I say the importer pay the tarriffs. And you are right to do that, it's kind of very important. It's the main point, even.

Why is it the main point ? Easy : if outside stuff cost more, inside stuff better choice. Or, in non-caveman speach : the increase in cost on foreign products and resources will either increase the competitivity of domestic products and resources, or level the playing field. At least that's the idea.

"So", I hear you ask, "are you going to be the Nth user here to tell us that tarriffs are going to fuck the average US citizen over? Because we already know that."

Well, yes, but also know. Also, I'm not sure you have the nuance on the topic, and I do love me some tasty, tasty nuance. And custard. But alas, custard is not the topic of today. Economic nuance is. Now, onto the topic :

The main question to ask here is "what is getting hit by the tarriffs ?" Because the impact will vary a lot depending on what gets hit. To give a simplified framework, there's 3 types of economic goods : raw resources, transformed goods and finished products.

Raw resources are ... raw. Iron ore, lumber, clay, wheat grain, lithium ore, water, dirt, raw oil, you get the idea. Those resources tend to have razor thin profitability margins, because so much is produced.

So, what would be the goal of tarriffs on raw resources ? Well, that would be protecting or developping in-country extraction/production facilities, whether those be mines, farms, fishing fleet or lumber mills.

And that's where a tiny little factor comes into play : economic viability, AKA whether a given activity in a specific region is economically interesting.

Like I said, raw resources tend to have razor thin profitability margins, this means that overwhelmingly, raw resources are extracted in regions that allow lower costs.

Some of those costs can be reduced in costlier economies, like environmental or safety costs, with some good ol' deregulation ... up to a point. Even the notoriously protest-averse USA would face some degree of protests if all safety regulations disappeared and industrial accidents jumped 5000%. Poorer countries tend to be more lax on those regulations, and/or not really enforce them, or both.

On the other hand, there are costs that can't be reduced all that much in a given economy, like the cost of manpower. Due to the cost of living, there's a limit to how low you can go with your offered wages. For instance, offering $12 a day in the USA will yield fuck all in terms of recruitment, but $6 a day in the poorer parts of Africa will cause a flash mob of eager-to-work candidates.

And these are the two big factors of the equation : can the reducible costs be lowered enough that the irreducible costs aren't that much of an issue anymore ? And when the answer is inevitably no, can the tarriffs bridge the gap ? Well, uh ... that's gonna depend a lot. But overall, I would lean more on "no". African iron will be cheaper than US iron every day for the foreseeable future, unless you impose a fucking ungodly amount of tarriffs.

Some resources that cost more will see better results from tarriffs, but far from all. Like, tarriffs on iron, copper, tin, etc ? Bad idea. Tarriffs on helium, lithium or other rarer and costlier resources ? Could protect or help the national production indutry.

In the cases where, even with tarriffs, outside product remain more competitive, there's just going to be an increase in cost down the line, and wealth is just going to exist the country more. In the cases where the inside product becomes more-or-as competitive, then perhaps wealth can remain in the country and help the economy. But, well, we'll get to it later.

Raw resources, done. Two more to go.

Transformed goods (henceforth TG for simplicity) ! They are everywhere and they make up the bulk of international trade. Phone parts ? TGs. Flour ? TG, mostly. Tires ? Eyup, TGs. Radars ? TG. Ink? Oh you bet it's a TG.

So, what would be the aim of tarriffs on TGs? Protecting national industry, giving it room to develop or maybe even forcing multinationals to relocate/create the industry inside the country.

So, TGs are where globalization starts clashing really, really bad with tarriffs. Because you see, with globalization, there's been a global dispatching of production facilities. So you'll have part A that's produced in Italy with resources from Greece, part B that's made in Australia with Indonesian resources, part C that's made in Brazil with stuff from Zambia, etc.

the funky stuff happens when you need to combine parts A and C in a US plant, but then have to send the result over to Mexico to weld part B on top. And then you have to get it back into the US. Double tarrifs, you say? Yepperino, my dear student, double tarrifs. On this incredibly simplified exemple. Imagine what that looks like when there's 3 or 4 more parts involved.

At that point the question is : is it cheaper to pay the tarriff conga line or to just send the US parts of the production line overseas ?

"That sounds like the opposite of the stated goal" you say, with the blazé impassivity of someone that saw it coming a hundred miles away. Yes, yes it does. That's why tarriffs have to be manipulated very, very carefully, especially on transformed goods and intermediate steps of the production process, because it can stack up real fast, real bad.

Sometimes though, paying the tarriff conga line IS the better option, especially for sensitive processes that require a well-trained workforce with in-depth theoretical knowledge of very specific fields and access to training for cutting-edge machines, which is only found in the United Staaaaa ... what do you mean, Europe ?

So yeah, very sensitive, tarriff with care. And in either case, expect cost increases, which WILL be recouped with increased sale prices, leading to a domino effect.

And now, the finished products. The end of the line. The consumer targeted stuff. What you buy online and in shops.

What's the aim of tarriffs here ? Same as before, protect native industry, give it room to develop and force multinationals to relocate the production plant into the country.

At this level, you'll see similar considerations as with the TGs, with one tiny added funky detail : the costs of the two previous steps pile up here. Indeed, the tarriffs on TGs and raw ressources are liable to eat up the profit margins of the finished products, and since profit margins are sacred and must be preserved at all costs, well the simple solution is to simply increase the price of the end product in proportion to the other cost increases. And that means shit costs more for people.

"Well, that's awful" you say, and you are right. But we're getting started. It's time for another trip through early 2000s deviantart, say it with me : INFLATION !!! Except instead of your favourite character being turned into a balloon, we're talking about the content of your wallet losing value. And it's going to hit every industry that has to suffer those tarriffs. At which point the entirety of society faces a dillemma : do we increase salaries accross the board (with the associated widespread price increases) or are we chill with a global reduction in the amount of shit people can buy ?

And that's where it starts getting funky (derogatory, fear inducing), because if enough industries are hit with tarriffs, either choice is bad.

Increase salaries ? You speed up inflation and reduce confidence in your money, making exports admitedly more interesting but imports far less so, and when you are a globalized economy where there are imports everywhere at various levels, it gets spiky really fast.

Going the "tough luck fucko" route ? Well first off, rude, second off : congratulations, you are reducing the overall economic activity in your country, creating unemployment and poverty, reducing confidence in your economy and, if things go really, really poorly, starting a recession (WHOOOOO!!! Who wants to sleep under a bridge ?).

Now, is this a doomer prophecy ? No. No it's not. We have to keep in mind that systems, including economic systems, can adjust their course after starting in a new direction. It's rather unlikely that everything will consistently go bad in the worst way possible. But.

A lot of that is dependant on precision political decision-making, and the person soon-to-be in charge of these decisions in the USA has made it clear that he does not intend to listen to outside opinions or do precision. And considering his last go at it, I believe him. So I'm not optimistic. I don't think the US economy will collapse, that would be absurd, but I don't see the US having a good time either.

It's going to be very, very complicated, and it will depend a LOT on what fields are actually affected, in what proportions, etc.

And keep in mind, I haven't even talked about retaliatory tarriffs (from the people whose products you put tarriffs on). Or political tensions inside the US, that's something I don't feel qualified to talk about. Or the non-economic effects on geopolitics. Or the effects on the global economy.

If I had to make a prediction, I would guess that quite a few production lines will be reorganized to either have long stretches inside the USA or to be entirely divorced from them for as long as possible. Some products may become economically non-viable when it comes to the USA. Some US companies may find themselves no longer economically viable due to reliance on tarriff-affected outside goods and resources. It's hard to guess how large the impact will be, but there WILL be an impact, and most of it will likely be felt by the USA. Because tarriffs aren't paid on expedition, they're paid on reception.

So, as a French, all I can say is : bonne chance.

[alyfoxxxen]

How Trump’s tariff threat pushed Canada’s Trudeau to brink of resignation | Donald Trump News | Al Jazeera

[scottguy]

Wow! Kudos to Lawrence O'Donnell for taking the NY Times to task for "sane-washing" Trump statements while simultaneously lying about WHO pays tariffs.

What The New York Times calls a “disputable policy assumption,” MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explains that that is just the Times “sane-washing” Donald Trump’s tariff lies. Lawrence explains why the media’s “sane-washing” of Donald Trump means that Vice President Harris won’t just be debating Trump in the first presidential debate, she will also be debating the news media reviewers of the debate.

Sept. 9, 2024

[evil-peanut-butter-addict-sam]

POLITICAL RANT!!!

1 IF YOU ARE A TRUMP SUPPORTER FUCK OFF!!!

I'm taking this from my friend on twt

'trump is a rapist, racist, sexist, homophobe, transphobe, will take away rights of woman, poc, queer ppl, will make abortions and gender affirming care illegal, he will cause mass inflation and start wars and More'

if your not a Christian your also done for.

'he also plans on taking away the department of education so he can make students learn whatever he wants so they can be uneducated and be worker drones trump will cause mas inflation and make taxes more on the average citizen and kamala will lower the cost of things, give more money to start-up small businesses, first time home buyers etc'

My friend is neurodivergent, poc, trans. gay, not christian, afab

And I'm neurodivergent, genderfluid, bisexual, not christian

So me and my friend have lost all possible rights we could have had.

Thia next quote I'm taking from 'lakerfan1234000' on twt

'now that Trump might become president again.

- Palestinians will no longer exist.

- Ukraine will be taken over by Russia (Russia will attempt to move further into Europe).

- We will be paying 3k more per year because of Trumps tarrifs.

- Our taxes will stay the same, but don’t worry because Elon Musk will see his taxes go down!

- Women will no longer have access to healthcare.

- Mass deportation of both illegal and legal immigrants (terrible for economy).

- 6 Trillions will be added to the debt compared to Harris who was only going to add 2 trillion.

leader of our country is a sexual abuser, pedophile, rapist, racist, who tried to overthrow our government.'

this shit is fucked. As someone who supports palestine this will be horrible and evem worse for the people there. If you do support palestine please go reblog peoples stuff supporting them as much as possible. I highly recommend going to support @northgazaupdates they are constantly updating and are great at keeping up.

there are many other things I want to rant on that I probably will rant on about, for now reblogs are highly appreciated to spread the word, and I will now be going to school.

[tengritexas]

Alright here we go chat

Im playing an interesting game endorsing a candidate on tumblr but Im going to anyways. You can like it not like I dont care its cool.

This blog is aimed to remain apolitical but in the past few months its become increasingly hard to do so. Im now at the point where I must encourage you to vote.

I will be publicly endorsing Donald J Trump. And while Im certain that upsets most of my followers its important to clarify Id rather be your friend and win a heart than win a mind.

I do this for the sake of perserving a good conscious for myself

My reasons for endorsing Donald J Trump are as follows

-The shift of Taxes to Tarrifs:

Under the Trump administration you will not be taxed on tips or for working overtime. Instead that money will come from Tarrifs placed on China which will double as support for american factories and american jobs.

-The chronic health epidemic:

Robert Kennedy (under the trump administration) aims to stop the chronic health epidemic which I think is crucial not only for American youth but also for global health moving forward

-Defunding of CIA operations

Literally just yesterday multiple agencies raided a man over a rabid squirrel in what almost seems like a twisted comedy sketch.

Keep it plainly there are 2 sides of the CIA, one of which does not like you and wants to keep (what I believe) very important spiritual discoveries from the public eye. These discoveries need to become more publicly available

UNDER TRUMP, the CIA lost considerable funding which I believe has led to both assasination attempts. Trump hires private investment firms our of fear that this previously mention sector of the CIA acts autonously and unconstitutionally. This was briefly mentioned in the NASA UAP hearings of 2023

-Media machines/Smoke and Mirrors

I believe the media machine is a marvel of the elite class that currently rules America. I still have not been presented with a case of how Harris will solve the very real and very critical issues (thats not to say they arent there I merely havent seen them) her campaign has been essentially smoke and mirrors. If she wins it appears to me more so a victory for the media machine (which I have a personal vendetta against) than it being because of her capabilites

-Moral conscious and the Eagle Pass Crisis

I am a Tengrist and believe I should not disturb the natural order of things. Harris as the border czar has disturbed the natural order of Texas autonmy. She has done something which seems to me extremely irresponsible. Threatening to shoot Texas rangers and sending in national guard is something I will take serious. Those are my friends, my brothers, the people I see in class and you will not threaten my neighbors.

- The global stage and forever wars

While I think Trump makes overly ambitious claims that "the ukraine war will end in a month" and "israel will stop fighting in a month". I still think this is comperatively more optomistic than his counterpart. I personally do believe Trump having the only administration in which no war started is remarkable. The track record favors Trump here (though I do not believe he will wave a wand and create peace)

- What I do not see on the ballot

I have not seen any suggestions or signs of Trump wanting to take away any rights that the American people already possess. There seems to be this idea that we will move backwards. He supports LGBTQA+ platforms, He supports many diverse universities. Even recieved endorsements from Trans communities. I have seen people argue that your rights are on the ballot, I have not seen this to be true unless you are of the 1% that owns bump stocks (he did want to ban those but its related to guns)

Its your vote, and I suggest you vote your conscious as well. But I hope youll take these points into consideration.

For the sky, for the ground, for the soul.