The Price is Wrong

​Among all the talk for many weeks now about tariffs, a thought occurred to me the other day – one which I’ve occasionally heard referenced in a related way – but it strikes me as so pointed and basic, that I think it bears addressing.  And is something I think Democrats should be reminding the public repeatedly and relentlessly.

As Trump and MAGOPs try to explain tariffs, they will be oh-so great for Americans – “independence day,” in fact, as Trump loved to put it.  Creating fairness in trade and building factories across the country, filling them with jobs for Americans – all of whom will be rushing to work in factories once they are finally built in a decade, except for all those jobs that aren’t remotely reliant on factories.  Like, y’know, farms and retail stores and the service industry and business offices and such.  But, okay, putting all of that aside, the point Trump and MAGOPs want Americans to know is that tariffs will be great, great, great for them because of unfair competition with other countries with their lower production costs.

Which brings us to the point.

Let’s say that everything Trump and MAGOPs say comes true.  Let’s say the tariffs hurt imports and let’s say factories pop up here like Johnny Appleseed was busy at work and let’s say Americans rush to work in factories –

Prices here in the U.S. will soar.

After all, the whole point of businesses having their products manufactured overseas is that costs are, indeed, lower.  So, if you take that away, and add tariffs to the prices here, those price tags will rise.  And that part of the equation most of the country knows, which is why polls show they expect prices to rise.  But the thing is, even if Trump and MAGOPs’ mother of all dreams comes true, and factories sprout up and jobs flourish – it’s not like those jobs will get paid at the low rates they have in China and India and Vietnam and Sri Lanka and wherever else.  They’ll get paid at U.S. rates, where minimum wage applies – as a starting point for entry workers.  And then go up with experience and time.  So, prices for products made in the U.S. will still be higher than when they were made overseas.  Even under the ideal conditions Trump and his team and enablers are trying to convince Americans will occur.

It can’t be otherwise.  And it’s really easy to see why --

The whole point of Trump wanting to put tariffs on the entire world is that it costs less to make products overseas than in the U.S.  So, when you bring production back to the U.S., prices will have to be higher.  It can’t be otherwise.

Yes, creating more jobs in the U.S. would be a great thing.  But it just won’t work that way, not how Trump and MAGOPs want to flim flam the public.  Some factories might be built.  Some products might get built here.  And that might happen in five to 10 years.  But overall?  No, you’re not going to bring back all production back to the U.S.  And the manufacturing you do bring back will most likely all cost more.

If you want to create new jobs in the U.S., it would seem the better and more realistic way to do that is not tariffs and fanciful factories and ruining the U.S. economy, but by creating new industries that don’t already exist and which ideally wouldn’t rely on lower manufacturing costs elsewhere.  But have a basis of existence here.  Technology-based, perhaps.  Green-based, maybe.  But all that’s another discussion for another time by those who know far more about such things than me.  The point here is tariffs – and how even if they work exactly the way Trump and MAGOPs desperately want to believe they will in a perfect world, without a single hiccup or glitch, thanks to Trump and his crackerjack team of world-class experts who haven't made a mistake yet, worth mentioning…prices will still go up for Americans.

It can’t be otherwise.