Trade Wars?

Trump announced day-one tariffs. Ten percent on China. Twenty-five percent on Canada and Mexico.

To me, that means electronics and car parts from China. Building materials from Canada. Food and clothing from Mexico.

Though, let’s be real. Some food and clothing also come from China and Canada.

All three countries responded.

If we mess with them, they won’t just sit back and take it. Of course, they’ll hit back with tariffs on our goods.

I wonder if Trump plays checkers instead of chess. I don’t know. I play tic-tac-toe, so how would I know?

The real issue? We’re not self-sufficient.

In the 1980s, manufacturing jobs started moving overseas. Reagan’s “trickle down” economics and deregulatory policies gutted blue-collar industries. The economy shifted to white-collar work. Short-sighted.

Sure, we’ve gotten good at tech. But even coding needs hardware. And hardware? That still comes from other countries.

See the problem?

That’s just a sliver of the challenges we’re facing.

Starting a trade war before rebuilding self-sufficiency won’t end well for regular Americans. Paycheck to paycheck life is about to get rough.

Prices will inflate. Quickly.

Will companies lay people off? Or shut down altogether?

Guess it depends on the trade wars.

Then there’s talk of cutting Medicaid, food stamps, and other safety nets. Add that to the trade wars mix.

Damn.

Winter is coming.