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If you are an American, how are you preparing for the upcoming tariffs and possible trade war? (lemm.ee)

submitted 4 weeks ago by kinttach@lemm.ee to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

56 comments fedilink hide all child comments

What impact do you think it will have on you?

Are there critical items to purchase now that will be too expensive to afford next year?

Are you changing your savings or investments?

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[–] EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone 40 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)

If you are an American, how are you preparing for the upcoming tariffs and possible trade war?

I'm not. I would love to, but there's not really much I can do as far as I can see.

What impact do you think it will have on you?

Are there critical items to purchase now that will be too expensive to afford next year?

Probably a lot of things. Contrary to what a lot of MAGA morons would like to claim, tariffs very rarely ever benefit the country establishing the tariff. Very few things are actually wholly made in America nowadays. With such a global economy, even things that are marketed as "made in America" are typically not made 100% in America. And even if they are, the parts are often sourced from around the world since, with modern shipping, that's actually cheaper typically than sourcing it in-country. (Not to mention that some parts can't be sourced in-country simply because no one exists to provide that service anymore.)

Are you changing your savings or investments?

Bold of you to assume that I have any extra money to put into either of those. I put in the same amount of money every week as I have the last while: whatever I can, which isn't much. I don't get paid shit for my job, yet prices keep going up. Sadly, it's not like I have much money to adjust. :(

[–] HelixDab2@lemm.ee 12 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

tariffs very rarely ever benefit the country establishing the tariff.

Well. It depends.

If tariffs are sustained, then it can make sense to establish domestic companies that can supply the goods that were previously being outsourced. In that respect, over the long term--and I'm talking, like 20-30+ years--it could be positive. One of the things that made the US economy strong in the 60s was the fact that we had strong labor, and strong manufacturing; outsourcing our manufacturing has harmed labor and the middle class.

But that's all very long-term stuff. It's taken us 40 years to get to where we are now, and bringing manufacturing, and strong unions, back can easily take just as long. In the short term, it's going to be super-bad for the working poor and the middle class.

[–] kibiz0r@midwest.social 7 points 3 weeks ago

over the long term--and I'm talking, like 20-30+ years--it could be positive. One of the things that made the US economy strong in the 60s was the fact that we had strong labor, and strong manufacturing

Looks to me like the strong economy of the 1960s coincided with ending 20-30 years of high tariffs… Sooo…

[–] 0x01@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

A lot has changed since the 60s

[–] HelixDab2@lemm.ee 3 points 3 weeks ago

Absolutely.

But the loss of the manufacturing base, and the subsequent decrease in number of people covered by labor unions, has been one of the single largest factors that's harmed the middle class. It's not the only thing, but a manufacturing base ends up being a pretty important part.