The fundamental question here, is that americans, INDIVIDUALLY, even in the face of all these issues like illegal immigration, intelectual property theft, subsidies from other countries, etc etc... wouldn't like to spend more of their hard earned money on things that they know could be cheaper... Otherwise, all americans or at least a vast majority of americans, on an attempt to hurt Mexico in a way to make it curb illegal immigration to the U.S. would boycott mexican products individually(in other words, they would individually CHOOSE to pay more for other alternatives, in order to do this) and the end result would be the same as this tariff. But, we all know that that is not the case. Hence the need for government to FORCE a segment of the american people to pay more to achieve a "political goal". This type of collectivist thinking is something that TRUE republicans should condemn, because the more they praise it, the closer they get to their idiot opponents(a.k.a. democrats). To me, america was founded in individualism and true americans should defend this fundamental AMERICAN principle at all costs and if they want something that supposedly requires them to hurt this same principle, they should either find an alternative or not do it at all. The only thing that differentiates americans from other countries was this concept and the more they turn their back on it, the closer they get to all the flaws from shithole countries such as mine.
Obviously if you give any American a piece of paper with two boxes, one saying "I prefer cheaper items" and one that says "I prefer more expensive items", everyone will check the "cheaper" box. But this isn't how this works at all. Product pricing is determined at market place. Americans won't even know where a product comes from unless they look at the "made in" tag/label. Few actually do this. No. If you have product A that is made in the states and product B that is made in Mexico, normal free market rules will apply. Either the company making product B (from Mexico) will raise price to cover the tariff, passing the cost on to consumers and product A sales will gain as a result, OR the company making product B will maintain price and eat the cost, forcing margin compression until they are unable to do so in the future. Probably the latter. And Americans will go back to their bread and circuses, with this being the latest news headline for their distraction and amusement. There will be little actual, direct consumer impact.
For those of you advocating the "lets all just roll over and go tits up because there is nothing anywhere, anytime that will ever help" you have about 23 dem candidates waiting for your vote. And for those of you who are arguing that some of the steps that must be taken will cause hardship for Americans for all while, then fine. Choose your poison. You have a goddam spreading cancer in your belly and you wont allow any surgery unless someone will prove to you that it will not cause you to go through a painful period. No one can give you those assurances, so prepare to die in the long run or step up to the difficult steps that must be taken to save this country from a total, total, total relentless invasion. Which one you gonna choose? Yeh, I thought so. Generations of Americans died face down in the mud to preserve this country and now we have fucking pussies worried about whether they are going to pay more for their microwave or large-screen TV.
There will be no hardship from Americans outside of the owners of the stocks that are impacted, anyone invested directly or indirectly in the Mexican Peso, or anyone working for the operations that manufacture products in Mexico.
That is my point. And they shouldn't do it. One of the advantages of a true free market is that you can always have a high degree of confidence that you are getting the best for the least, usually simply by picking the cheapest option, even though nothing stops you from getting more expensive alternatives if you CHOOSE to do so for whaterver reason. This is the way it should be, so individuals can spend time on actually useful things, like producing themselves goods and services that compete in their own free markets too. No need to be a genious to see where I'm going with this... Given that the American economy is still relatively free, I would bet on the former, rather than the latter. Either way, as you said yourself: it is(or should be, as it used to) a matter of principle. And the fundamental AMERICAN PRINCIPLES are Individualism, Personal Responsability and Freedom. Which can be summed up in "small government". Tariffs are just one more of the countless examples of departure from these principles.
You just don’t get it. This hair brained move by Trump, if someone doesn’t stop him, will INCREASE illegal immigration by causing a down turn in the Mexican economy. The exact opposite of what you want. Man, you still can’t count three steps ahead.
As to prices and the belief that established producers of products in competition with Mexican producers will simply win out and keep their price stable, NO they will not. Prices will go up across the board and stay there.
Tariffs have to be done on a united front. All trump is doing is crying like a little baby and throwing a temper tantrum. He needs to go back to the negotiating table like an adult would.
The lefties blame the surge immigration on the combination of a booming economy in the U.S and the rising shitholerization in the central american countries. Your solution: Make sure the we are reduced to the same level as all the other countries by watching our country decline all while building their economies up. We are experiencing and will continue to experience massively surging invasions until the laws are changed allowing us to block the invaders from entering and to be able to toss them out if apprehended, and ending the bullshit asylum claims. If Trumps actions cause an even greater surge, then so be it. Let those images be before the public in the 2020 elections. It is a pivotal election and if Trump does not take both the white house and the house and maintain the senate then we are fucked. Most likely, we are fucked because he will either not take the house or the republicans will have anti-trumpers or pussies in their ranks. In the meantime, Commie Boy in Mexico who is just elected can be thinking about whether he is going to be able to deliver on his campaign promises without the help of Trump. But I get the fact, that without a change in laws, we cannot stop the onslaught unless we improve the economies of every country between Texas and Tierra Del Fuego at the tip of South America. You pussies have a plan to keep things simple by just taking down the wall, and watching North America and South America just all become peanut-buttered together. Your hero Beto, stood right there in El Paso and said he would just take the wall down and let the kumbaya begin. Guess what? They are not sending their best people.
Yeh, your ilk argued that Trump was not able to stand up to the North Koreans. Now we find out that half the negotiating team was executed for not being able to stand up to him.