Setting the Record Straight on Tariffs

The Trump administration is gearing up to slap some hefty tariffs on U.S. imports, taking us back to the good ol’ days before World War II.  Trump plans to flex his emergency executive authority muscles by imposing a 25 percent tariff on Canada and Mexico, and a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods. Because nothing says “Let’s make America great again” like starting a trade war with our closest trading partners, right?

But hey, who needs a fair economy, prosperity for working people, environmental protection, or climate sustainability anyway? Certainly not Trump, because his tariff ideas aren’t about any of that. Nope, they’re just designed to make things more expensive for American consumers and screw over working folks. But hey, at least we’ll all be paying more for stuff, right?

And let’s not forget the potential for retaliation from other countries. Foreign governments and consumers are already sharpening their knives, ready to hit American goods and companies where it hurts. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is all fired up, ready to respond in a “purposeful, forceful but reasonable, immediate” manner if Trump goes through with his threats. Because nothing says “friendly neighbor” like starting a trade war, right?

But hey, who cares about potential consequences, right? A recent study suggests that a trade war with Canada could totally backfire on us. I mean, we export more stuff to Canada than anywhere else, and without all that sweet Canadian energy coming our way, we’d actually have a trade surplus with them. So yeah, let’s just keep poking the bear and see how that works out for us. Sounds like a great plan, right?

Seems our president must have failed Economics 101 in college!