Tariffs on China how long will the pain last?

www.cbsnews.com...

Construction, transportation, telecommunications, machinery manufacturing, and computers and electronics companies will feel the greatest impact from the tariff hike, according to Moody's.

They got the above statement wrong, the people that will feel the greatest impact are the consumers, most likely the middle class. We always are.

So I'm old enough to remember when all the manufacturing jobs started going. I remember it so clearly. My boss and I had a long discussion about it. One by one they all went to China, India or Mexico.

I actually agree with the solution in the article, bring manufacturing back home. The problem is that it takes a while, like 10-20 years. Can Americans endure that kind of timeline?
The other problem is that Americans became addicted to low cost items. It didn't matter if the quality was questionable, Americans just love cheap junk. I know I know, there are some of us that put quality over quantity or price, but as a whole that is not what America has wanted.

The other big issue is that Americans want to be environmentally friendly, at least here. It's a lot easier to ignore it when it is in a different country far far away. Manufacturing in general is very polluting.

Like I said, there is going to be pain, how much will people endure?

a reply to: JAGStorm

I refuse to buy cheap junk and in the end it costs me less I think.

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: JAGStorm

I refuse to buy cheap junk and in the end it costs me less I think.

I'm the exact same way, but a lot of people just care about low price and that's it.
I've seen it so many times. For example, have you seen the dollar store. The stuff in there
is very questionable, but people love it.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Well considering how we let it happen...by we I mean the citizens of the US...we will have to lay in the bed we made. Sucks that most of those that will really feel the effects probably weren't old enough to vote when it was happening but, that's life. We the people are ultimately responsible for our republic!

So how is that a problem?

We should lift tariffs so that stupid people that impulse buy junk can keep doing so? All the while continuing the downward trajectory of our nation.

I'm fine with some short term pain resulting in long term gains.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Here is the biggest question:

Why did those jobs leave in the first place?

I think people need to learn from history a bit here and see how at one point England and the UK were the champions of manufacturing and ultimate capitalist machines, but they lost it all to the American machine due to it's massive land size and ability to ship globally.

Bringing jobs back to the US is a tricky solution, and it will take corrections in markets and economies over time to adjust. For one, people will want decent pay, livable wages. Second people are going to be worked harder and employers will look for alternatives to cut costs to feed the consumer economy.
The trades are already being streamlined to basically you're either a specialist, or a jack of all trades millwright type situation, where you are either really good at what you do, or you are good at multiple things. Tech is the same way because of software advancements.

The UK witnessed massive labor reform and workers rights after the industrial revolution, long before WW1 and 2, the company owners were looking for alternatives to move manufacturing elsewhere, but of course circumstances due to war prevented them, so the US picked up the slack and brought massive prosperity and built a strong middle class.
But, in the 80s the same thing happened to what the situation was in the UK, company's were already thinking ahead for massive profits, and here we are, no world war to get in it's way, and a global free market was created from it.

So is bringing jobs back the US going to solve the, what ever problems are happening?

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: JAGStorm

I refuse to buy cheap junk and in the end it costs me less I think.

I'm the exact same way, but a lot of people just care about low price and that's it.
I've seen it so many times. For example, have you seen the dollar store. The stuff in there
is very questionable, but people love it.

They do love it. But will they actually be worse off if they pay a little more and get better quality?

a reply to: strongfp

We need to automate as much as possible.

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: JAGStorm

I refuse to buy cheap junk and in the end it costs me less I think.

I'm the exact same way, but a lot of people just care about low price and that's it.
I've seen it so many times. For example, have you seen the dollar store. The stuff in there
is very questionable, but people love it.

They do love it. But will they actually be worse off if they pay a little more and get better quality?

Or if they stop buying needless stuff and actually SAVE some of their money?

A lot of the people that complain about having no savings are the ones pissing it all away on crap they don't need.

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: JAGStorm

I refuse to buy cheap junk and in the end it costs me less I think.

Same... The cheap junk only causes more "junk". Broken, useless, landfill junk!


I'm all about bringing the business back home. Give americans jobs again!

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

Automation is a huge thing in China right now.

And to be honest, it is the future. Will the average US citizen accept automation tho? How will they cope with basically being second hand to a machine.

We used to make steel in America, now we make happy meals and worship clowns!

How long will it take to replace the heavy Mfg infrastructure.

a reply to: JAGStorm

The US can do just fine without China. If all trade with China stopped tomorrow, we would see some small interruptions and scarcity in a few things until those gaps were filled either internally or with other trading partners like S. Korea, Japan, or Vietnam.

China's economy could not take the hit of the US not buying their products and no longer being allowed to legally steal technology.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Here's the problem, we can't have it all and survive. Free trade, minimum wage, and strict environmental protections and business regulations combine to destroy America's production sectors. Something MUST gives and tarrif implementation was a great first step. The back breaking regulations and redundant overreacting environmental controls need to be loosened and the entire country needs a national "Right to Work" law. That would return the USA to having the strongest middle class in the world and return us to the top of the global production mountain... exactly where we belong.

As for consumers having to pay a bit more, that's short term and will ease once the country resumes domestic production and manufacturing. We'll be fine.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Here's the problem, we can't have it all and survive. Free trade, minimum wage, and strict environmental protections and business regulations combine to destroy America's production sectors. Something MUST gives and tarrif implementation was a great first step. The back breaking regulations and redundant overreacting environmental controls need to be loosened and the entire country needs a national "Right to Work" law. That would return the USA to having the strongest middle class in the world and return us to the top of the global production mountain... exactly where we belong.

As for consumers having to pay a bit more, that's short term and will ease once the country resumes domestic production and manufacturing. We'll be fine.

a reply to: strongfp

Why did those jobs leave in the first place?

EXACTLY.. Those jobs left for two reasons, cheap labor to produce cheap junk..

a reply to: JAGStorm

Less long than new taxes levied to pay for any social program.

How many manufacturing jobs have been brought back because of the tariffs?

a reply to: JAGStorm

Tariffs on China how long will the pain last?

I don't know but I'm totally out of the market except for some 420 stocks. I don't think the bubble will last indefinitely.

Happy Mothers day!!

Clinton, Bush and Obama created this mess and it's needed fixed for decades. This is one of the things Trump is doing that most people are for, even many if not most Democrats in office.

Not long ago people were saying crazy stuff like China will buy the US or they will overpower us due to the way Bush and Obama dealt with it.

What will happen if anything is it will allow more products created here at home, creating better manufacturing jobs, to compete and companies to grow.

China has no honor. They steal intellectual property without even hiding it, they cheat on trade deals so they are liars.

China is getting hurt far more than we are. Their dominance was artificial and always has been. We stop buying, China's economy collapses, so Trump has the upper hand. This is what he's best at. He certainly took care of the NAFTA problem and remember all the boohoo hype that never materialized from that?

This is one case where people need to lay partisan garbage aside and knock of the partisan propaganda.