“WE ARE A COUNTRY THAT IS NOW BEING RUN WITH COMMON SENSE” – President Donald J. Trump, posted to Truth Social, Feb. 2, 2025
President Donald J. Trump, who was sworn-in recently to begin a second, historic term as our head of state, is also, president of another organization. That’s right. Trump is also the president of the Tariff Fan Club.
Trump, who has referred to tariffs, or import taxes, in the past as one of the greatest inventions ever, announced sweeping, aggressive tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China in a move that some economists were predicting could result in a full-blown trade war.
Those tariffs, although not congressionally authorized, were supposed to go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, but the president put those moves on hold, and proclaimed big wins with Mexico and Canada, and concessions from both nations.
Now I’ve lamented for years in this space of how our government has descended into full-blown “Idiocracy,” but this might be the dumbest move yet.
A 25% tax on all products imported from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% on Chinese goods is not a good idea and never was. The main problem, as many pundits who are having to give a primer on economics to Americans, have noted, the countries on which these taxes are levied, do not actually pay them. American companies importing the goods pay the tacked-on taxes, and of course, the ones who get the old middle-finger in it all are, yeah, you guessed it: We the People.
Now, your humble Libertarian-minded scrivener will, as you can probably guess, decry all taxation as a form of theft, but in my old age, I have mellowed a bit, and will make some concessions on the purpose of (some) taxation, but this is beyond the pale.
Although one of the issues that needs clear focus and attention (strengthening our country’s borders) did get more security detail from both bordering nations in those aforementioned concessions, the questions of what did all of this cost and how long will it last loom large.
At the heart of the matter is the flow of black-market drugs flowing across our borders, namely the scourge of Fentanyl and illegal immigrants. The tariffs were announced by Trump as a punitive measure to these nations. China, although not a bordering nation, is a significant source of Fentanyl, and also an enormously significant trading partner.
We Americans are, for the most part, are law-abiding citizens who do not want Fentanyl, or any deadly black market drugs, in our country. We didn’t ask for that deadly scourge, nor do we want it within our borders, and on the same hand, we did not ask for tariffs, nor do we want them.
Although the plow has been slowed (at least until March 1) on this subject concerning Mexico and Canada, there’s still that pesky matter of China, when the president announced Tuesday morning that those 10% tariffs would be enacted.
A 10% across the board tariff on Chinese goods is a pain, sure, but there are some that are subject to additional tariffs, f’rinstance the 100% tariff on electric vehicles, a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum product. So, expect most of your electronics to be costlier, and if you’re wanting a tie from the Donald J. Trump Collection, well, that, too, will be subject to those tariffs.
Trump, in his first term, wielded tariffs, but back then, inflation was not much of a problem. In 2025, however, it’s a battle we’re still fighting, and one that this presidential administration promised to tackle.
In a Truth Social dispatch, Trump announced that in the “Golden Age of America,” there will be some pain, but it will all be worth the price that must be paid. To me, this is unacceptable and unnecessary, and I am far from the only one who feels this way.
The cultish blind faith that large swaths of the public have placed upon U.S. presidents for the past couple of decades is beyond the pale, whether it’s the out-of-the-box adoration for Obama or the mania around Trump that more resembles the sort of fanfare that used to be reserved for pop stars, it’s disturbing. But bad policy is bad policy, and We The People are taxed enough, already.
