Congress should block tariffs
Editor: When the United States had yet to span the North American continent, develop its immense natural resources, and was competing with the well-established trading strength of European powers for import and export market relationships, taxes on goods from abroad helped domestic entrepreneurs survive. Those taxes were also at the time the only substantial revenues generated to finance the federal apparatus. However, such taxes, or tariffs, will not serve the same purpose in a global economy. What a difference more than 200 years makes. Rather than boosting U.S. businesses and benefiting consumers, tariffs proposed by President Donald Trump may accomplish the reverse, harming the nation.
Although a businessman, Trump apparently does not understand macro-economics. His penny-wise but pound-foolish proposal has drawn fire from the European Economic Union, according to a March 14 report by Associated Press reporter Raf Casert: “European Union leader Donald Tusk urged U.S. President Trump on Wednesday not to undermine the sides’ longstanding transAtlantic ties by seeking economic gains through punishing trade tariffs.” ‘Let me be clear: instead of risking a trade war, which he seems eager to wage, we should be aiming for greater cooperation,’ Tusk told reporters in Helsinki, Finland.“EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told the EU parliament that while the 28-nation bloc would continue to seek an exemption from the U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum that could kick in next week, it will prepare countermeasures to hit U.S. goods .... ” Source: /eus-trade-chief-questions-rationale-081434742.html
One of the United States’ most popular exports is Levi brand clothing. Another is Marlboro cigarettes. American-made cars are a status symbol overseas. British, French, and Italian consumers already pay high prices to buy these and other Made-in-the-USA-labeled products.
If reciprocal tariffs boost the cost of such items beyond consumers’ reach, an already-poor trade balance will skyrocket. So will foreign resentment of perceived American arrogance. President Trump’s narrow nationalism blinds him to reality.
Perhaps Congress will see more clearly, and block his ill-considered proposal.
LANGE WINCKLER Lodi
Wisdom from Nixon?
Editor: A quote from Richard M. Nixon — “Nothing would please the Kremlin more than to have the people of this country choose a second-rate president.”
Well guess what, the Russians got their wish even though the people of America didn’t choose a second rate incompetent like Donald Trump as president, Republican politicians did! They installed presidential loser Donald Trump as president.
RON LOWE Nevada City