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Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

bloomberg.com

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Re: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

#791

Post by pstuart »

erkt wrote: post #756
Y_Y wrote: post #727

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://bid.cwsmarketing.com/lot-details/index/catalog/167/l... I love that I can buy a pallet of miscellaneous medical supplies, and also that someone who specifically wanted them but now can't pay for them has to go without.

The point is to inflict cost to create incentive for domestic production. Obviously the inconsistency on tariffs undermines this position but the pandemic made it very clear that there are domestic security implications for not having important products produced state side. Its not like the $500 cost of a saline bag has anything to do with its production cost. It seems credit liquidity and confidence in long term pro…

The point is to replace income taxes with tariffs. Domestic production is "desired" but this is not how to rebuild domestic production capability.

Re: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

#792

Post by tim333 »

alistairSH wrote: post #684
cranium wrote: post #580

The 145% tariff is so absurd I wouldn't be surprised to see cheap chips glued to the item to exploit the exceptions. "Oh yeah, that's not a shoe: it's the protective case for an ESP32 WiFi router".

Sort of the inverse, but didn’t Ford import Turkish-built Transit Connect vans with full interiors, only to strip those out upon arrival in Baltimore, as a means of skirting the Chicken Tax?

Seems something like that. I googled it to see what chickens had to do with transits.

>The "Chicken Tax" is a 25% tariff on light trucks imported to the United States, established in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This tariff was a retaliatory measure against European countries, including France and West Germany, which had imposed tariffs on U.S. chicken exports.

This whole business gets rather silly. Viva free trade.

https://www.carscoops.com/2024/03/ford-pays-u-s-365-million-...

Re: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

#793

Post by _heimdall »

__s wrote: post #790
_heimdall wrote: post #781

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know enough about the republican party's campaign finances to know whether Trump controls most or all of it. Even if he does, though, it doesn't have to work that way. Congress has a duty to uphold the constitution, not to play political money games. The fact that they aren't willing to is a large part of why we're in this mess. What we need are leaders that actually have principles they're willing to fight f…

Their point is that without concerted effort the elected officials will follow Trump as long as elections in red states align with Trump's political funding > Congress has a duty to uphold the constitution, not to play political money games Those political money games will filter out opposition in congress as long as Trump is able to have yes men elected into congress

Sure, and if both of those problems are fundamentally just how politics is going to work now we'd be better off throwing out the system entirely and starting fresh.

Short of that, we need voters electing based on ideals and principles and we need those elected to actually follow the ideals and principles that got them elected.

Re: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

#794

Post by _heimdall »

dmd wrote: post #784
_heimdall wrote: post #782

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And that would be the point when congress impeaches the president for dereliction of duty. The system is surprisingly simple, it just requires leaders willing to actually uphold it.

Ok, but (a) they won't, and (b) if they do, who carries out the actual removal of the president from power? ... oh, right, the executive branch, again. Oops.

If your concerns are only procedural, surely congress could fix that if they cared. If they actually had the vote to impeach they could likely have the voter to either pass new law or amend the constitution to ensure the removal is enforced.

Re: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

#795

Post by soulofmischief »

jijijijij wrote: post #375
owenversteeg wrote: post #247

I’m not seeing anyone discuss this here, so I figured I’d raise an important point: this style of tariffs is crushing for US manufacturing. While a universal tariff with no exceptions incentivizes domestic manufacturing, a selective tariff with specific industry exceptions is absolute poison. You might think, as the authors of this exemption did, “well then we will exempt computer parts.” Then people will simply impo…

> Your computer parts factory likely runs using a large amount of imported raw materials, imported machines, and imported tooling, and there are no tariff exemptions for those broad categories… so you’re screwed. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display at your local 24/7 news feed for more than eight years, so there’s no point in acting surprised about it. You’ve had plenty of time to lodge…

Keep your sympathies, it's a narrow-minded view to assume all Americans wanted this. We didn't. And it's not like we had a real, ethical choice. The runner-up was going to be business as usual with foreign politics, enabling genocides and engaging in proxy wars and regime changes for the control of energy and resources. Many people did not believe either candidate was legitimate or shouldn't be in prison.

Re: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

#796

Post by fundad »

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS wrote: post #525
fundad wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah he’s obviously in no state to decide on policy. We don’t know who is running things but it’s not him, a number of factions moving the direction a little bit in their favor whenever they get the opportunity. And of course there is massive insider trading going on too.

Genuinely curious what your take is on Biden's competency during his presidency.

My take is Biden sounds old. The sitting president sounds brain-damaged and unquestionably is in no condition to be making such impactful decisions. The wavering we see right now is because the different factions making the decisions are struggling against each other.

Re: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

#797

Post by ash_091 »

erkt wrote: post #766
thfuran wrote: post #746

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump has been spouting the same shit about trade deficits and the US getting ripped off for several decades. I think he legitimately believes high tariffs are a good idea to "fix" trade deficits.

It’s not about trade deficits-it’s about becoming an independent manufacturer again. Whether or not anyone international buys what we make is secondary. Wealth is disproportionately allocated to those that benefit from globalization but the vast majority of Americans are hurting from it, even if a OLED TV costs nickels.

That is a valid use case for tariffs. I'm not convinced the evidence supports that being the reasoning in this case though.

Development of manufacturing takes time. If that were truly the logic behind the tariffs, wouldn't it make more sense to slowly ramp up tariffs on particular categories of goods with a long notice period to allow time for industries to develop?

Also why all the talk about "punishing" other countries for "taking advantage" if the real goal is to bring manufacturing home?

Re: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

#798

Post by gnarlynarwhal42 »

t-writescode wrote: post #478
techpineapple wrote: post #431

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing that’s really been getting to me, is that, I’m liberal, not pro-Trump, but the MAGA American heartland story has been really getting to me. I want to see small business, manufacturing, small town American succeed. And there’s some part of me that thought maybe Trump, as much as I don’t like him, is the thing that is needed to make that happen, but man it seems like he’s really fucking over the people who su…

Some of the biggest boons to small business would be universal healthcare and that's just ... you know, never going to happen under a Republican president (or a Democrat, for that matter). It would greatly ease the burden of employing others in small businesses and it would greatly increase the safety net of would-be entrepreneurs. It would also improve works-rights-as-capitalism because you could more easily quit ab…

I've always disagreed with single-payer/universal/govt-supplied healthcare for various reasons, but hadn't thought about this angle.

Thank you for bringing this up

Re: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

#799

Post by Terr_ »

Aurornis wrote: post #524
righthand wrote: post #95

Why is no one highlighting how this is repeating history 8 years ago? I don’t get it, there’s this magical reporting gap where all of this is new strategy but it’s the exact same strategy. Why don’t we acknowledge this instead of searching for some new angle? Here are a bunch of links from 2018/2019: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/13/apple-dodges-iphone-tariff-a... https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/investing/t052-s00…

> Why is no one highlighting how this is repeating history 8 years ago? Because it’s not? The tariffs which are currently in effect or soon to go into effect are so far out of line with anything in modern history that there is no comparison. The reason everyone is panicking is because people expected more of the same as 8 years ago but instead we got something massively worse, without a hint of cohesive strategy, and…

> without a hint of cohesive strategy

It's all quite cohesive once one stops the futile search for an underlying strategy that enriches america, and instead looks for evidence of a strategy that enriches Trump.

"These insects infected with cordyceps show no hint of a cohesive strategy for staying alive..."

Re: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

#800

Post by thfuran »

erkt wrote: post #766
thfuran wrote: post #746

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump has been spouting the same shit about trade deficits and the US getting ripped off for several decades. I think he legitimately believes high tariffs are a good idea to "fix" trade deficits.

It’s not about trade deficits-it’s about becoming an independent manufacturer again. Whether or not anyone international buys what we make is secondary. Wealth is disproportionately allocated to those that benefit from globalization but the vast majority of Americans are hurting from it, even if a OLED TV costs nickels.

If you think that Trump's goal is to help the average person at the expense of the capital class, I have a few bridges to sell you.
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