The effects of tariffs...

I don't like any kind of unfair trade imbalance, and I see tariffs as well as government subsidies for businesses as both being emblematic of the same problem...They each have the same effect, that of raising the prices we all pay...I have not kept up with which tariffs were emplaced by which country and which were delayed or removed...However, I did find an example of wildly fluctuating prices while looking through Amazon yesterday...I bought new tires for my truck earlier this year, Chinese manufacture...245/70R19.5 Load Range H...I took a big chance on an unknown brand made by Chicoms, but they have served me well so far...

Beyond that the price I paid in February was $174.00 each including freight to my door, no sales tax...Yesterday the price for the same tire was $393.00 each, still including shipping...The price is now comparable to Michelin...I have no idea whether the 225% increase was the result of tariffs or just the seller taking a bigger profit...Either way I congratulate myself for buying when I did...

I'm wondering if anyone else can cite examples of extreme price differences on imported products, and can it be tied to tariffs?...:dunno:...Ben

I could give a lot of examples and still not show the full impact. We have been hit very hard by the tariffs on Al--we use Al in terms of tons not pounds. Much of it comes from Columbia but even the Al sourced in the US has "suffered" the same tariff fate, since very little virgin Al is produced in the US. I am in the midst of a major expansion and almost without exception the machinery is imported---and the crap shoot on all of this is that many of these tariffs are fluid on a day to day bases.

This is no way to run a business---much less a country. :shrug:

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Originally Posted by Dave Grubb

This is no way to run a business---much less a country. :shrug:

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Good point. One of Trumps selling points was his private sector business experience vs the typical bureaucrats. However, in this case he seems to be acting more like your local real estate salesman.

What I'm most dissapointed in is the lack of explanation for the end game of these tarriff's. We get thousands of pages every time he puts his boot in his mouth, but I have yet to see anything articulating what our national interest is - is it protecting intellectual property? Which domestic industries are being helped or saved? Is it national security? What are we doing?

Footnote: I dont follow the news cycle like I used to (I'm happier because of that), but I try to stay sorta informed. I would consider myself on the well informed end of the average American spectrum. :doh: The news that this knothead reads is completely disregarding this story.:shrug:

I just ordered a set of 275/65/r20 for $212/ea. Dick Cepeks from my local Ford dealer. Good dudesThumbup