• aesthelete@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I think there’s room for reasonable tariff policy, but unfortunately the US is a nuance-free land full of extremists so Trump’s terrible implementation will make tariffs radioactive for another generation if there’s a large public backlash.

    It doesn’t need to be absolutely free trade with slavers or tariff man hell. We could raise the standard of living by allowing free trade but imposing tariffs – or even outright bans on imports – from places legalizing slave labor and other close to slave labor conditions. But obviously none of that fits into Trump’s dumbass worldview.

    • Laser@feddit.org
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      24 hours ago

      Tariffs in my opinion can be a way to protect a given national industry against price dumping, especially when subsidies are involved, or if you have a specific capability in mind that you want to build nationally, but then I think subsidies are a better way, maybe in combination. But putting blanket tariffs against countries is in most cases not the best idea

      • aesthelete@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        Yep 100% agree.

        Both “free trade” and big stupid blanket tariffs are extremist positions and it’s America so they’re the only positions discussed.