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Fred Carpenter's avatar

Wow. Thank you and for referencing Jeff Childers work, too. We live in interesting times. "This is what Trump now must implement—an American Dividend for equal sharing of the bounty of a real productive economy."

I used to sell life insurance ( term insurance) and we had to learn the definition of a dividend, which is the return of a premium overcharge. It'll be interesting to see if an American Dividend bears fruit 🤞🙏

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Buy The Ticket Take The Ride's avatar

So this comment steers more to TRump's current tariffs rather than the history of Hamilton.

Tariffs have been a part of the US since founding, including key source for federal funding prior to income tax during civil war period and again pre WWI as pointed out by Mr. Cook's Our Country, Then and Now, Clarity Press, 2023.

Key point of a tariff is to make foreign competing products more expensive than domestic made products. This aspect of tariffs has been popular elected and non elected over the decades including the "general manager of the Nation", dominating tariff and monetary policy, the Honorable Sen. Nelson W. Aldrich of Jekyll Island fame.

So, my question and or observation is this, "what is the real reason for the world wide reciprocating tariff spat because it is not for the normal reasons condensed above?"

Trump's tariffs have boosted factory employment in protected sectors by approximately 0.4% but have reduced payrolls by 2% in industries affected by rising costs due to higher import prices.

This is a net negative impact, compounded by job losses in export-dependent industries facing retaliatory tariffs from other countries.

Broadly speaking, as we are all aware of the off shoring of American manufacturing since the late 90's often under the banner of "free trade" and the use of "globalized supply chains" which is the front phrase for low cost foreign labor. One need only remember the "supply chain" disruptions during 2020-2021emergency period.

"Manufacturing will come racing back in order to avoid the high tariff costs" it has been claimed.

But will they really? Of the top of my head I say "no" for the following:

* Capital cost of new manufacturing facilities is too great under the quarterly performance program of Wall Street, which would also dearly affect those stock options of the C suite.

* EPA regulations which were a part of the reason to leave are still in place.

* In roughly 3.5 years there will be a new president in office, "our man" this time is the discussion at the super private clubs.

* Countries such as China, Mexico, and Vietnam continue to have significantly lower production costs compared to the U.S., even after accounting for tariffs.

So recapping at the risk of a 'run on sentence', tariffs are not high enough to off set cheaper foreign production costs while regulations and costs to re shore manufacturing would destroy the current profit picture given the wait and see window is only about 3 years and very few American firms currently benefit from the traditional tariff protections of protecting their market from foreign competing products, what is the hidden agenda of the TRump tariffs?

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