Oh it’s not just the tariffs that will raise prices, wait until there are no migrant workers to pick all the fresh fruit and vegetables in the fields. Who will pick them? Americans won’t do the job. Wait for your hand picked tomato costs $10 each, IF you can even get any because they have rotted in the fields unpicked.

Isn't it illegal to pay migrants less than the minimum wage, to not withhold the FICA taxes, or to not provide other mandatory employee benefits? It seems to me that the legal way to do it is to import the tomatoes.

Tariffs are intended to bring jobs back into the United States, thereby balancing trade. An additional benefit is a reduction in taxes. If the size of government can be cut by 80%, then taxes can be reduced to zero like in the 1800s. Since 80% of the government is not within the enumerated powers limited by the Constitution, the reduction is required by law. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Except for Elon. He is in for a world of whirlwind profits. Such a coincidence that he backs this idea 100%, don'tcha think?

My coffee comes from Brazil, Columbia, Nicaragua, and Mexico. But the bags my coffee is packaged in, is made in China. Yours probably is too. Enjoy your new $4/cup kpods.

Well then we need to just all stop eating tomatoes then, since the whole point of this thread is to encourage people to buy American-made only to avoid tariffs.

The plan is to yes - impose tariffs on China. But the plan also includes ALL imports, not just Chinese imports. Anything that comes in from outside our borders will have a tariff - a price hike - attached to it.

Y'all need to start saving up.

My taxes are less than my expenses. The cost of inflation is higher than any taxes saved, for MOST Americans. Only the wealthiest will benefit from this "trickle down" concept. This was proven in the Reagan Administration.

Also, in the 1800's, businesses didn't have the expense of paying their workers, or paying unemployment insurance, providing health insurance, workers compensation. Why not? Because they OWNED those workers. The workers were slaves. If they worked themselves to death, they became fertilizer and were replaced with a fresh batch right off the boat.

Actually hired employees were paid pennies, most of them worked 10-12 hour shifts just to afford to live in squalor. Disease was common, health care was mostly non-existent and experimental. Indoor plumbing was considered a luxury for the wealthy.

Not interested in going back to the 1800's, but I'm sure there are some Amish farms in the US you could move to, to enjoy that lifestyle if you really want it.

So, Boeing machinists will not be getting the 38% pay increase(over 4 years) or the $12,000 signing bonus?

Richard Nixon: His visit to China in 1972 was crucial in thawing U.S.-China relations after years of isolation. While this opened diplomatic channels, it was more about normalizing relations rather than directly promoting trade.

Jimmy Carter: He furthered the normalization process by officially establishing diplomatic relations with China in 1979, which facilitated increased trade but was more about political engagement.

Bill Clinton: He played a significant role in the normalization of trade relations with China, especially by signing into law the U.S.-China Relations Act in 2000, which paved the way for China's entry into the WTO in December 2001. However, this was more about facilitating China's integration into global trade frameworks rather than initiating China's trade engagement.

The thing about less expensive stuff from China, is that China has a loonnnggg history of corporate espionage, stealing our R&D and then ignoring intellectual property rights.

They have very cleverly (and purposefully) placed their students into our top research universities and aerospace companies since at least the 1980's. How do you think they went from complete isolation in the 1970's (Nixon era's ping-pong diplomacy) to nearly matching our jet, nuclear sub, and aircraft carrier technologies? I know they are historically credited with creating fireworks (gun powder) and pasta, but I suspect they stole those from other cultures hundreds of years ago also. Aside from art or literature, I cannot think of anything modern they have actually invested in, developed, and created from scratch. They are thieves of other cultures.

From my previous professional life, I have first hand experience they have sent over hundreds of pregnant women to have their babies born as U.S. citizens, only to return them to China shortly after birth. Imagine! Future Chinese government officials and military officers who are also American citizens who cannot be denied access or employment.

This may sound far-fetched, or paranoid, or "conspiracy-theory" to some but look back over the last 5 decades. China and Chinese citizens have almost always played the long game. Remember the old saying, "Three generations from Shanghai to Stanford?"

We have caught many of their government and military members and their families acting on China's behalf in our country. Even Nancy Pelosi's chauffeur and the New York Governor's Chief of Staff. Here's the thing: you send over one Romanian gymnast or one Cuban baseball player or one Russian ballerina, and they are slipping their handlers and seeking asylum. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese in America, from one of the most repressive communist nations on the globe, and no one is seeking asylum? Why is that? Family members at home threatened with imprisonment and torture, maybe? They've set up police stations on United States territory for the sole purpose of enforcing their laws on their citizens who are here for God's sake!

If one doesn't see the danger of casually buying Chinese stuff, even though it is cheaper, I fear one is short-sighted, anti-American, or ignorant. Maybe all three. Essentially you're buying cheaper things (cameras, electronics, pharmaceuticals, etc.) that were stolen from us in the first place, and now you're helping them make their thefts profitable. We're buying back from the thieves the very things they stole from us. They think we are suckers coming and going. They are right.

They are giving us something though. New York City has 2.5 times the national average in T.B. cases. A staggering 89% of their T.B. cases are from foreign born immigrants. According to New York City's most recent Annual Tuberculosis Survey, the largest single origin country of that 89%? Chinese immigrants. https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downl...ual-report.pdf

Do I still buy things that are Chinese made that I can't find made in America? Yes, but I do so knowing full well I have little other option. I will pay more for American made when I have the opportunity to do so, and I strongly encourage you to do the same.

How long will it take for the US to switch to making the things that China makes? One year? 5 years?

I agree about the "critical pharmaceutical". And "Corporations enriching themselves."

That's why top economists are against the concept.

Without all wages going up how is anyone going to afford these no existent American made products. The last time the US hit China as stated and stopped buying Soybeans from the US the US government had to give farmer $18 billion to keep them from going under. That money was our tax money that should never have been needed to prop up farmers. On top of all this we would not have enough workers to fill half the new jobs that would come back to America.

We should blame the poor US public school system (keeping property taxes down for the benefit of large property owners). Also to blame is the US healthcare system controlled by insurance executives and NOT Medical Doctors.

The US has an edge in robotics and A.I. For labor, machines have advantages over human labor. Examples would be no sick leave, no health care costs, no transportation to work, and no personality friction.

You forgot to add "anymore"...

Why will there no longer be "migrant workers"?

The US issues hundreds of thousands of migrant agricultural visas each and every year... No one has ever suggested that program should or will stop...

That's probably true, but US executives may keep a lot of that tax money. And the US government will get less tax REVENUE. So the national debt MAY (?) go up and/or government agencies that provide help and support for middle class citizens may go away. Or both things may happen ?

Immigrants keep the cost of labor DOWN for the BIG employers and raise up the costs of education, rents, road traffic, and hospital costs. The US needs to determine its most efficient population.

We should start many factories in all the South American countries in order to keep those population from traveling north.

How's that working after all the factories we started in Mexico?

As I understand it, the Florida minimum wage is $13 per hour plus the FICA taxes of about 7 percent, so a migrant worker makes about $30K per year. Also, the employer must offer affordable health insurance for the worker as per the ACA law. Are you suggesting that employers are not compling with these requirements?

My point exactly………too long .

The US is practically at full employment. We are the envy of the whole world. If we invested more money in public primary and secondary schools, we would all have higher salaries and benefits.

We need tighter immigration because we have too many people in the US. Just look at the traffic. And since the Us is a top polluter, then less population means less cars.

Or spend the money that goes to schools more efficiently getting rid of most of the administrators and the dept of education and giving that money to teachers who can teach.

Don't worry. No environmental controls is coming here.

We should take the worst repeat offender criminal American citizens, strip them of their citizenship, and deport them.

We also should stop restricting women's rights to their bodily autonomy. If a woman doesn't want to breed, she should be allowed to - not breed. No matter how she ended up pregnant in the first place. HOW - is none of your business. But if the concern is "too many people" then one very obvious solution is to get out of the way of a pregnant female who doesn't want to be pregnant.

No, the US is not at full employment:

Unemployment rate
In October 2024, the unemployment rate was 4.1%, which is higher than the 3.8% rate a year earlier.

Prime-age workers
The employment rate for prime-age workers (25–54 years old) was 80.6% in January 2024, which is below its peak of 81.9% in April 2000.

Long-term unemployed
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was 1.6 million in October 2024, which is up from 1.3 million a year earlier.

The US government is committed to full employment, and the government is empowered to achieve this goal

As for the envy of the world…….we definitely aren’t that


Quality of Life…

Beyond the essential ideas of broad access to food, housing, quality education, health care and employment, quality of life also may include intangibles such as job security, political stability, individual freedom and environmental quality. Through all phases of life, these countries are seen as treating their citizens well.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-cou...uality-of-life

Best countries to live for quality of life…..

1. Denmark
2. Sweden
3. Switzerland
4. Norway
5. Canada
6. Finland
7. Germany
8. Australia
9. Netherlands
10.New Zealand
11. UK
12. Austria
13. Belgium
14. Japan
15. Ireland
16. France
17. Luxembourg
18. Spain
19. Iceland
20. Portugal
21. Italy
22. UNITED STATES….
23. Singapore
24. Poland
25. South Korea
26 China

This is nonsensical. Deport them to where? Have you ever heard of the 14th amendment?

Wouldn't you need to get rid of the unions first?

And yet many people promise to leave, but don't follow through.

I can think of three steps to making this country secure.

Codify via Amendment:

1. USSC = 9;

2. Even if you were born here, if one or both parents (up for debate) were not citizens at the time of your birth, neither are you. No anchor babies;

3. Outlaw foreign ownership of property/land and American based corporations- especially strategic industries (energy, food, pharma, etc.).

Sure, Taiwan can have a few 85°C outlets here, but that corporation is based in Taiwan. They cannot own our meat producers or our food facilities. Two sea-salt foam coffees, please.

There is a lot of evidence that undocumented workers are not being paid minimum wages, rather being paid in cash. Tell me how many people here have been asked by those they hired to please make the payment in cash, or to make out the check to them personally, not the name of their company. Some of that is tax fraud, some is to avoid other gov't regulations like minimum wage.

The ACA absolutely does not require most employers to provide health insurance. What made you think it did? ACA only requires employer coverage IIF there are 50 or more full time employees. So keep your work staff at 49 and no requirement. Additionally there is no requirement for full employer coverage and everyone still in the workforce knows how the employer who used to pay 100% of the bill went to 90% then 80% etc even while the cost went up.

So when the cost now is 25000 for family coverage and the employee is paying 8000 plus of course the copays and deductibles.

For real numbers, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics data for this year
For persons employed in private sector at businesses with fewer than 50 workers:
Only 56% have an option to get coverage and only 60% of workers elected to get that coverage. The employee is charged 1/3 of the premium for family coverage across all size private employers.

Some of that is to avoid reporting income. Not only for tax purposes, like you stated, but for lowering or eliminating child support orders and for accessing more welfare eligibility as well.

It seems hypocritical to promote immigrant workers to compete with China when we don't enforce our own minimum wage law. Also, paying employees in cash is illegal. So, we are promoting illegal activity to compete with China.

I knew about the 50 employee rule for the ACA, but many people don't know that, before the ACA, there was no requirement for employers to provide any health insurance to employees.

The Heritage Foundation has determined that the Constitution is no longer appropriate and needs to be changed. They are running this country as of January 20, 2025 (one might argue they're already running it, but I try to avoid hyperbole).

The Constitution can be further amended, and the 14th can be repealed with new amendments. Just like the amendment that created the prohibition, and the one that repealed it.

They can be deported anywhere, really. Whether the country on the other end accepts them or not is not America's problem. They could be deported to an island somewhere. Or America could vote to annex Guam as a military prison (it's already an American territory) and send them all there.

That would be item 1 on improving schools.

I think it should read;

No environmental controls "Are" coming here.

But......Most of us do believe strongly in Global Warming and for years we have reused, reconditioned, saved, recycled and worn clothes until they faded or wore out. We don't take Aluminum throw aways to pot lucks and many of us drive Hybrid cars. We save our money and we try to take care of our possessions and keep them both clean and working. Our parents sent our lunches in Wonder bread sacks and we used bread bags inside our boots too, when we were small. I don't think that most of us are unaware of the causes of Climate change but we just do not see a plausible way to stop it as the world is involved and people will not soon give up gas engines. They are used to manufacture things we all need. It is a very difficult thing to try to solve. But some of us carry reusuable bags to the grocery and some of us reuse the plastic bags for when we walk the dog.