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Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

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Re: Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

#481

Post by WalterBright »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #456
WalterBright wrote: post #447

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Friedman quotes attributed inflation to the actions of the Fed. As for inflation through the history of the US, see: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45081346

> Friedman quotes attributed inflation to the actions of the Fed Then this is a lie: “Inflation started the year after the Fed was created. See ‘Monetary History of the United States’ by Milton Friedman” [1]. > for inflation through the history of the US, see I’ve already pointed out how that source lies about the data it cites [2]. I will assume you’re misunderstanding what you’re reading. But it’s too close to will…

There's no need for you to be nasty.

Re: Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

#482

Post by jgilias »

typeofhuman wrote: post #474
polonbike wrote: post #451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My point of view , from Europe, is that political violence is already there in the US. As well as state violence (not just on political opponents, but also on all minorities and "people who have a different opinion"). The next step is indeed a second civil war, with 21st century characteristics (hybrid war, etc...) I am not enthusiastic about the near future for the US nor for the world.

[flagged]

That’s whataboutism though

Re: Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

#483

Post by lm28469 »

declan_roberts wrote: post #52

[flagged]

The world for 50 years: "hey let's use China as a factory. We can move all of our technology and production there and make things for cheap!"

The world now: "oh wow these dirty Chinese thieves stole everything from us how did it happen?!?"

This whole situation really is a mystery... A single variable equation the globalist brain cannot comprehend

Re: Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

#484

Post by tmountain »

typeofhuman wrote: post #474
polonbike wrote: post #451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My point of view , from Europe, is that political violence is already there in the US. As well as state violence (not just on political opponents, but also on all minorities and "people who have a different opinion"). The next step is indeed a second civil war, with 21st century characteristics (hybrid war, etc...) I am not enthusiastic about the near future for the US nor for the world.

[flagged]

What children are being “gang raped”? Your comment reads like extremist rhetoric.

Re: Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

#485

Post by lm28469 »

hippo22 wrote: post #85

I’d like to lay out an argument about why tariffs are good. The only businesses that are derailing with tariffs issues are those that import goods to sell. The argument against tariffs is that they make goods more expensive. Of course, this argument is true. But that’s not the end of the story. Because prices are higher for imported goods, demand for domestically produced goods increases. This increase in demand lead…

Do you think you just have to flip a switch somewhere in buttfuck nowhere Wisconsin and all of a sudden you get a full fledged factory and the trained workers needed to compete with China on low quality/high volume products?

Even with triple digit tarrifs Chinese goods would still be cheaper.

Re: Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

#486

Post by toast0 »

m348e912 wrote: post #460
atoav wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, a tariff can be a good measure. But for that the tariffed goods need to be selected carefully and rationally und not whatever the heck the Trump administration is doing. For example you can tariff bananas all you like, that won't spark widespread banana production in a climate that can't grow them.

Hawaii produces 6.3 million lbs per year of bananas which is a tiny fraction of the 8 million metric tons per year Ecuador produces. Labor and land cost is the primary reason Hawaii can't compete with Latin America, but long-standing tariffs could change that.

Hawaii is already heavily agricultural. Most of the non-agricultural land is reserved for conservation. Banana production would likely replace other production, and then we've got less of that stuff.

Also, shipping to continental US is limited by the Jones Act and the lack of capacity in US built, owned, and crewed shipping lines. Assuming a desire to produce things in the US, I don't think it's sensible to tarrif bananas to grow them in Hawaii, and then relax the Jones act so they can be shipped to the continental US on foreign carriers.

Re: Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

#487

Post by hippo22 »

goosedragons wrote: post #158
hippo22 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, a cogent policy would be ideal. But you can’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. America was getting their lunch eaten well before Trump. At least the tariff policy is an attempt at rectifying the situation.

Lunch eaten by whom? Who was eating the world's richest country's lunch? The only lunch eating going on is the American rich eating the poors', something that's only accelerated under Trump. The tariffs are a tax that is most disproportionate on the poor. And they are in no way, shape or form actually intelligently designed to help them. It's just stupid madness.

The American worker has had their lunch eaten by the American capitalist class in conjunction with countries providing cheaper labor. By allowing unfettered labor arbitrage (i.e. tariff-free trade) the US has allowed their working class to be completely gutted. Combined with with unfettered illegal immigration (another Democratic Party position), the assault on the American worker is immense.

Re: Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

#488

Post by tmountain »

hippo22 wrote: post #85

I’d like to lay out an argument about why tariffs are good. The only businesses that are derailing with tariffs issues are those that import goods to sell. The argument against tariffs is that they make goods more expensive. Of course, this argument is true. But that’s not the end of the story. Because prices are higher for imported goods, demand for domestically produced goods increases. This increase in demand lead…

American companies will move manufacturing offshore long before they’ll open factories in the U.S. The economics of using domestic labor for cheap goods don’t add up.

Re: Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

#489

Post by NegativeK »

typeofhuman wrote: post #476
enaaem wrote: post #457

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironically, if a civil war was going to happen it will be because Trump's overuse of the military. It is such an newbie African dictator mistake. Every time you use the military to put down civil unrest you give them an inch of your power and before you know it, they figure they don't need the regime anymore. You will never see Putin outsourcing civilian tasks to the military.

[flagged]

I'm fairly certain you've never lived in Chicago or spoken to the people in areas affected by gang violence.

Re: Six months into tariffs, businesses have no idea how to price anything

#490

Post by bavell »

ehnto wrote: post #364
platevoltage wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See this is what I don't understand. Everything you just said about China is a positive. Everything you said about China is achievable in the USA, and we at least HAD a head start on soft-power influence. Instead we should just have tariffs instead of actually making the lives of Americans better while FIGHTING affordable housing, high speed rail, and EVs. We've got an entire team of goons who would rather rack up pe…

I do think the state of progress in China is vastly underestimated by the west. It has been fast and messy, not evenly distributed, but it is staggering. The rhetoric around them is changing too, I think they are making significant soft power gains. I could easily see them filling the voids that US policy chaos is currently creating.

China has a demographic time-bomb about to go off in the next decade or two. We'll see if they can survive it.
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