Quote:Lol I don't it still cheaper to make it in China and sell it to Canada, Europe, Austriala, Brazil, Russia, ect.....


Making products in China cheaper isn't going to change.


And then in your utopian society American manufacturing would only be competively priced because of an additional tax on imports. So the price is still going up for you and me. Why the hell should I pay more? Why the hell do you want to pay more?

 

Dude, I'm getting to the age where I try not to think of a Utopian societies anymore.  There is no such thing as "a perfect world".  I know you're just being facetious when you say that, but dude, come on!  Tarriffs are not some sort of pie in the sky pipe dream of a whimsical 20 year old The_Anchorman.

 

Tarrifs have been used before to level the competitive advantage that an outside nation may have over another national.  It's actually one of the first things you learn about in Econ101.  It's a viable option.  As a middle class american, I want the playing feild leveled out for other middle class Americans.  This would be one way to do so.  And it's not that crazy.  Many countries, including China, do it.  I think Japan did it to us for a while back in the 80's as well...  They may still do it...  But I'm not sure.  This whole idea of free trade is a new concept, relatively speaking.  Before Reagan and Clinton, there was no free trade.  Each country did what was best for it's own people.  The American middle class was alot better off before it.  I'm not sure why it would be so scary or so impossible to go back to something we were doing just 30 years ago.

 

Yes, you are right that prices will go up.  But if wages increase accordingly to the fact that there's new demand for production and the supporting services (administration, logistics, IT, accounting, etc) that go along with that additional production, the labor market will tighten up, and then wages will increase as well.  If a TV becomes 20% more expensive but workers are make 20 - 40% more a month, it's an offset I think I could live with.  

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