Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

thetariffcost.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 248 posts

Re: The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

#11

Post by convolvatron »

lenerdenator wrote: post #4

I'm trying to think of the number of people I (an American) know who considered trade with Canada to be a real issue. The answer I keep coming back to is I know zero people who considered that. Does the US have a trade imbalance that causes problems, particularly in our manufacturing sector? Yes. Can tariffs kind of help with that? Also yes. Really, you need to instill some sort of sense of duty to country in busines…

at this point one can't really assume it was about picking a tariff fight with Canada any more than the Gaza peace plan was about bringing peace to Gaza. guy is just a shit-thrower. that's his one move, throw some shit and see what he can get out of it. walk into a restaurant and claim that he's been treated so badly they're going to have to sign the whole thing over to him, and settle for 10 free meals and a pack of steaks from the walk-in.

Re: The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

#12

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

ericmay wrote: post #6

> And Canada is taxing you back This seems illogical. You can't simultaneously claim that the US is paying higher prices for Canadian goods because of US-imposed tariffs and then turn around and say only that Americans are paying a tax on buying Canadian goods on Canadian-imposed tariffs. Both countries are either paying higher prices or paying higher taxes. Canada's tariffs must also be viewed as America is taxing C…

I think you are reading way too much into that "you" in that sentence. I read it simply as a list and total of all the retaliatory tariffs that Canada is imposing, and the site emphasizes that this is obviously bad for American jobs, not that American consumers pay the tariffs that Canada is imposing.

This whole trade war with Canada has to be one of the dumbest fucking things I have ever witnessed, and that's saying a lot given the complete incompetence and buffoonery of the current US administration. First they had to imitate Idiocracy with the the WFC fight on the White House lawn, now they're imitating South Park by killing relations with Canada. Heck, a big joke in the original South Park movie was that it was so inconceivable that of all countries Canada is the one we'd have a war with, but Trump just wants to speed run to every country on the planet hating our guts.

Re: The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

#13

Post by bpt3 »

I assume the data source citations are referencing Census Department API endpoints, I would make the data sources explicit by adding links.

You also might want to consider archiving the data if you aren't already given this administration's tendency to remove data that doesn't further their agenda.

Re: The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

#14

Post by mschuster91 »

lenerdenator wrote: post #4

I'm trying to think of the number of people I (an American) know who considered trade with Canada to be a real issue. The answer I keep coming back to is I know zero people who considered that. Does the US have a trade imbalance that causes problems, particularly in our manufacturing sector? Yes. Can tariffs kind of help with that? Also yes. Really, you need to instill some sort of sense of duty to country in busines…

> Really, you need to instill some sort of sense of duty to country in business leaders, which is a far heavier lift, but this at least puts a number to it.

The bigger problem is, when consumers have the choice between cheap crap from Aliexpress et al and (vastly) more expensive made-in-, usually only the affluent who want to show off will be able to choose the latter.

And that is a socially explosive thing in the long term... the masses, especially the rural ones, really do not like it if they feel that they can only afford subpar crap while the "rich urban librul elite" gets access to the good stuff.

That is the stuff that in the best case fuels populist movements, in the worst case revolutions.

(And on top of that, often enough "made-in-" is bordering the legally required limit on domestic production or is outright just slapping a label and repackaging the Thing)

Re: The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

#15

Post by bpt3 »

Marsymars wrote: post #2

This site looks good, and it's nice that it has data sources, but it would also be nice if it was clear about who built the site.

Why does it matter? The data sources are cited and are publicly available.

It's basically just documenting the utter stupidity of a trade war with a close ally with whom we are tightly coupled economically.

Re: The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

#16

Post by afavour »

A_D_E_P_T wrote: post #5
Marsymars wrote: post #2

This site looks good, and it's nice that it has data sources, but it would also be nice if it was clear about who built the site.

Claude built the site, it's obvious from the style. Which is to say that anybody with a $200 subscription and access to Namecheap and Netlify could have built the site in one hour flat. There's no longer any need for an NGO, media nonprofit, or lobbying group to build such things; the effort required has been reduced to near-zero, so anybody can do it.

> There's no longer any need for an NGO, media nonprofit, or lobbying group to build such things; the effort required has been reduced to near-zero

Right but actually creating the thing is only half the story. You need to fact check it (especially with LLMs) promote it, approach journalists to bring it to their attention, etc etc etc.

In many ways making a web site has always been the easy part.

Re: The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

#17

Post by afavour »

ck2 wrote: post #10

imagine the level of stupid that's going down if the Dems do not also get get the Senate this administration has three boxes it reaches into to sprinkle around daily [CHAOS] [CORRUPTION] [CRUELTY] hope everyone is enjoying the billion spent on golden statues in DC while you can't afford to put gas in your car but don't worry, he still gets to fly around in his billion dollar QatarForceOne while taking $2 Million golf…

> imagine the level of stupid that's going down if the Dems do not also get get the Senate

The Senate, literally by design, does not represent the will of the people. Add things like gerrymandering on top and the uphill climb required of Democrats to capture the Senate keeps getting higher and higher.

Re: The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

#18

Post by bryanlarsen »

lenerdenator wrote: post #4

I'm trying to think of the number of people I (an American) know who considered trade with Canada to be a real issue. The answer I keep coming back to is I know zero people who considered that. Does the US have a trade imbalance that causes problems, particularly in our manufacturing sector? Yes. Can tariffs kind of help with that? Also yes. Really, you need to instill some sort of sense of duty to country in busines…

America's trade imbalance with Canada is basically crude oil. Which they get at a significant discount because it's much more expensive to export anywhere else.

America then refines it and exports it as finished product or uses it internally -- one of the reasons why America has relatively cheap gasoline prices.

This "trade imbalance" is a massive benefit to America.

Re: The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

#19

Post by ericmay »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #12
ericmay wrote: post #6

> And Canada is taxing you back This seems illogical. You can't simultaneously claim that the US is paying higher prices for Canadian goods because of US-imposed tariffs and then turn around and say only that Americans are paying a tax on buying Canadian goods on Canadian-imposed tariffs. Both countries are either paying higher prices or paying higher taxes. Canada's tariffs must also be viewed as America is taxing C…

I think you are reading way too much into that "you" in that sentence. I read it simply as a list and total of all the retaliatory tariffs that Canada is imposing, and the site emphasizes that this is obviously bad for American jobs, not that American consumers pay the tariffs that Canada is imposing. This whole trade war with Canada has to be one of the dumbest fucking things I have ever witnessed, and that's saying…

> I think you are reading way too much into that "you" in that sentence.

Sure that's fair, but on the other hand that's what was written and the framing I think is unfair and inconsistent. Of course, others may go along happily reading it and thinking wow we created these tariffs to raise prices and Canada decided to tax us!? That's worth clearing up and being honest about, in my view.

Imagine someone writes another article and frames it as though Americans are taxing Canadians with tariffs. Surely folks would want to "clear that up" wouldn't they?

Re: The Tariff Cost: analysis of the costs to Americans from new tariffs on Canada

#20

Post by cperciva »

apercu wrote: post #7
lenerdenator wrote: post #4

I'm trying to think of the number of people I (an American) know who considered trade with Canada to be a real issue. The answer I keep coming back to is I know zero people who considered that. Does the US have a trade imbalance that causes problems, particularly in our manufacturing sector? Yes. Can tariffs kind of help with that? Also yes. Really, you need to instill some sort of sense of duty to country in busines…

But does America have a trade imbalance with Canada? Canada has things that our economy needs desperately (e.g. potash).

But does America have a trade imbalance with Canada?

Yes, because Canada has a lot of cheap oil which America wants. If you deduct oil, the trade deficit runs the other way.

Post reply on HN