THE ERA OF TRUMP

[Okeefenokee]

Tariffs is a seperate issue, the reason why tariffs wont work, is that the markets will compensate for them, with a tariff, the US dollar will go up against the Mexican Peso, probably more than the amount of the tariff, so that just makes it even more advantageous to shift work to Mexico.

With a countervailing duty, the money gets taken from the American consumer and funneled into the pockets of the corporations.

With a tax, nothing changes on the corporate balance sheets, but the money is then being extracted directly from the American consumer and funneled to Washington.

All protectionism is a scam, but there's different types of scams therein.

The Chicken tax, and the price of a hollowed out rusted VW bus don't agree with you.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=2009931

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... ESC&page=0

The tariff absolutely achieved it's goal. Imports of cheap VW buses dropped, and the rarity has their prices sky high today. You can get them real cheap in east europe, though.

The Euro is a high value currency, so tariffs against German imports wouldn't crash it down against the US dollar, the Mexican Peso however, completely different story, the Peso would go spiralling down against the Dollar, making it even cheaper to make products in Mexico, you wouldn't help American workers, all you would do is harm Mexican workers, by making them work for less, which would harm American workers, when that caused more work to be shifted to Mexico not less, the only people who would be making out like bandits, would be corporate shareholders.

But the Euro didn't exist in 1980. It was the Deutsche Mark.

[Smitty-48]

But the Euro didn't exist in 1980. It was the Deutsche Mark.

I'm just saying, in general, tariffs against Mexico are counterproductive, I'm not in favour of tariffs, but if you are going to tariff, tariffs against Germany makes more sense; high currency, high end products, and it wouldn't cause more offshoring, whereas a tariff against Mexico, would backfire and cause the opposite of the stated desired effect, that would drive the Peso down against the Dollar, causing more offshoring not less.

[Okeefenokee]

But the Euro didn't exist in 1980. It was the Deutsche Mark.

I'm just saying, in general, tariffs against Mexico are counterproductive, I'm not in favour of tariffs, but if you are going to tariff, tariffs against Germany makes more sense; high currency, high end products, and it wouldn't cause more offshoring, whereas a tariff against Mexico, would backfire and cause the opposite of the stated desired effect, that would drive the Peso down against the Dollar, causing more offshoring not less.

Yeah, you're right it's different. I think. Tariffs on foreign cars to protect American cars is a different thing in 1980. Are Fords still American cars if they're made in Mexico?

[Smitty-48]

Most Fords sold in the US are already made in the US, but I don't think the people who buy Mercedes, are going to buy an American made Ford, just because you make the Mercedes more expensive, the Mercedes is a status symbol, you don't buy one because they're cheap, and that pretty much applies to all German products.

[Okeefenokee]

Most Fords sold in the US are already made in the US, but I don't think the people who buy Mercedes, are going to buy an American made Ford, just because you make the Mercedes more expensive, the Mercedes is a status symbol, you don't buy one because they're cheap, and that pretty much applies to all German products.

Mercedes are made in the US, too. My sister used to have a daily run from Charleston to the plant in Alabama.

[Smitty-48]

Most Fords sold in the US are already made in the US, but I don't think the people who buy Mercedes, are going to buy an American made Ford, just because you make the Mercedes more expensive, the Mercedes is a status symbol, you don't buy one because they're cheap, and that pretty much applies to all German products.

Mercedes are made in the US, too. My sister used to have a daily run from Charleston to the plant in Alabama.

Yeah, the shitty ones, I wouldn't touch an American made Mercedes with a ten foot pole, just like I won't buy a Japanese car made in North America neither.

I don't like North American made cars, because North Americans are lazy, and they do a shitty job, I buy from the Japanese, because they do better work. I would buy from the Germans, but I can't afford their high end stuff.

[Okeefenokee]

Most Fords sold in the US are already made in the US, but I don't think the people who buy Mercedes, are going to buy an American made Ford, just because you make the Mercedes more expensive, the Mercedes is a status symbol, you don't buy one because they're cheap, and that pretty much applies to all German products.

Mercedes are made in the US, too. My sister used to have a daily run from Charleston to the plant in Alabama.

Yeah, the shitty ones, I wouldn't touch an American made Mercedes with a ten foot pole, just like I won't buy a Japanese car made in North America neither.

I don't like North American made cars, because North Americans are lazy, and they do a shitty job, I buy from the Japanese, because they do better work.

I like my German tools. Get 'em while you can.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Up against the Mexican Peso, it's all relative, the dollar wouldn't go up that much overall, the Mexican Peso however would go crashing down, so against the Mexican Peso, the US Dollar would be yuge, at which point, even cheaper to do work in Mexico than it is now, tariffs against Mexico just makes Mexico even more of a sweat shop as you go,

...which creates more starving, frightened people trying to get in here. This should end up wonderful. Absolutely the best. What can go wrong? Believe me.

I think it might even out, because the tariffs would drive the Peso down, so they'd be poorer in real terms, but at the same time, they still have very high unemployment, lots of people hanging around Monterrey looking for work, so if the Mexican Peso went down, that would shift even more jobs to Mexico, they would probably be taking work from China at that point, so could even out in the end, Peso's worth less, but more Mexicans having jobs which at least paid some Peso's. I think they'd probably take that, as things are right now.

It's not like they actually buy the products they make, so a lower Peso is not going to impact them that much, better to be working, so they can feed their kids, it's not like they are saving up to buy Air Jordan's.

.....how are those jobs going to Mexico, exactly? In this hypothetical, there's a 20% import tax/tariff on the goods coming here for sale. Those jobs will be going to El Salvador or Zimbabwe or some other hellhole, to exploit other people.

I'm just saying, in general, tariffs against Mexico are counterproductive, I'm not in favour of tariffs, but if you are going to tariff, tariffs against Germany makes more sense; high currency, high end products, and it wouldn't cause more offshoring, whereas a tariff against Mexico, would backfire and cause the opposite of the stated desired effect, that would drive the Peso down against the Dollar, causing more offshoring not less.

Nevermind, it looks like we're on the same page.

[Smitty-48]

A tax would be a better deal for the government than a tariff, unless of course, the blew the money on an idiotic Wall to Nowhere, at which point, you got hosed, which is usually what happens with taxes, which is why I oppose them as much as a I oppose tariffs.

The Smitty Plan, would be to charge tolls at the border, bi-national toll lanes, one lane for Americans, toll free, another lane for Mexicans, big toll, then take that money, and invest in real border security and jobs; get better interdiction for bombs and contraband, hire more agents to man the posts, while at the same time, shorter line ups for Americans at the border.

[K@th]

idiotic Wall to Nowhere

I love you Smitty. For real, if we weren't both married I would offer to show you my whips. But I love Nerd and you dig your wife, so... bff?