The Trouble With Tariffs

Imagine that you’re in the market for a new car.

You’ve narrowed it down to two models, a Ford that costs $35,000 and a BMW that costs $40,000. You’re weighing whether it’s better to save $5k by going with the Ford, or to spend a bit more to get the extra features and prestige of the BMW.

Donald Trump wins re-election and immediately puts a 20 percent tariff on all foreign-made goods. The BMW now costs $48,000 due to an $8,000 dollar tariff.

That may be a deal breaker. If the BMW is now out of your price range, you’ll buy the Ford.

On the other hand, if you really want a BMW, you might be willing to pay more to get it, even after the price hike.

But here’s the important point. BMW is not going to pay the extra $8,000. The German government is not going to pay the extra $8,000. The European Union is not going to pay the extra 8k.

YOU are you going to pay it! That 8 grand comes out of YOUR wallet.

It’s not magic money that suddenly appears to help our country. It’s a tax that the government has imposed on YOU, the American consumer.

Consider also retaliation. Europe may fight back by putting a 20 percent tariff on American goods. That means fewer sales, which could lead to layoffs and economic hardship in the US.

Tariffs are a bad idea, a terrible idea, a horrible idea. Tariffs punish consumers and harm the economy.

Vote wisely.

The Cage

Locked in a cage

Of my own making

The stress that I have piled upon myself

A warehouse

Of aggressive expectations

Feeling all the more tense

And urgent

As I sense

That time is running short

I have the key

To unlock the door

To free myself

But have I the awareness

To use it?

Domestic Crime

A migrant didn’t go on a shooting rampage in a Georgia school. An American citizen did.

A migrant didn’t give that kid access to an AR-15. An American did.

Migrants didn’t let the assault weapons ban expire. Americans did.

Migrants didn’t smuggle that weapon across the border. An American store sold it.

Migrants didn’t pass laws that let nearly anyone buy a gun. Americans did that.

Migrants didn’t lobby against red flag laws. Americans did.

Foreign politicians didn’t take campaign contributions from the gun lobby. American politicians did.

Migrant crime? How about we focus our attention on something real, like Americans killing each other in mass casualty events? Because that happens every damned day.