Reply to “The Cost of Trump’s Tariffs,” letters, Jan. 4:
Lois Eisenberg wrote a letter saying how Donald Trump’s use of tariffs would be a bad thing for our economy. She said, “(Many) economists agree that the costs to each American household is likely to be a few thousand dollars a year if Donald Trump’s tariffs are imposed.”
Tell me, are those the same economists who said Donald Trump’s economic plan would be catastrophic to the country when he came into office the first time? Those same economists who said Joe Biden’s plan was good for the country? They were wrong both times, very wrong.
You say that costs in this country will go up due to the tariffs. Do you realize that if a car from Mexico or Japan will cost $10,000 more, then most people will simply buy American-made cars, since they will be cheaper, which will push our economy ahead further? It will also allow for him to make deals with these other countries and expand our growth. That doesn’t hurt us, it helps us.
Much of the lumber that we get from Canada could come from our own country. However, some states, like California, have essentially put the loggers out of commission. Maybe that will force us to start up production again. This too would bring jobs to our country.
How about tariffs on oil? Yes, that would bring the cost of oil and gasoline up but it would force us to drill for oil here and lower the prices. During Trump’s last term this country was energy self-sufficient. Thanks to Biden, our oil production was reduced drastically. He caused pipelines to be shut down, we jobs lost in that industry, and we are now dependent on foreign oil. You are now paying nearly twice as much for gasoline than you were under Trump’s administration.
You ended by saying, “I can assure you that the voters who voted for Trump didn’t know and don’t know the complete ramifications of Trump’s tariffs.”
You are right, but neither do you. We don’t know the ramifications yet because he has not implemented them. Joe Biden, on the other hand, did implement some tariffs that hurt us a lot. Biden is not a businessman; he is a career politician who knows very little about the economy. Trump is light years ahead of him. I am sure that he will use tariffs and the threat of tariffs properly, to our advantage, and in this country’s best interests.
William Mann
Santa Clarita