I misquoted the Japanese Tariff as 10%, which was pretty dumb in that I just purchased Japanese gear from Japan. The tariffs with Japan are set, but understanding such a complicated system is difficult and has been for years, but now, even items purchased that cost less than $800 are included. My $300 purchase cost me $45 in tariffs plus DHL collected their fees. The total was $63.32. eBay sellers in Japan must be having a major slow down in purchases.
ilkka_nissila wrote:
In socialism, the means of production are owned by the state; this is not largely the case in Sweden where 90% of industry is privately owned. While the US has lower taxes, the costs of living, health care, and education are much higher. The US government just bought 10% of Intel stock, didn't it, so ... hmm ... sounds a bit like move towards socialism right there.
In reality both are mixed economies.
I think that there is a general confusion here that is understandable. I think many wrongly, in the classical sense, assume that a Socialist Welfare State is a Socialist State. Just like there is a confusion as to which side of the extreme political spectrum have historically been considered fascists.
Ronny Olsson wrote:
I wrote it as a joke
of course there are a lot of different things between different countries
Ronny
I agree!
I also accept being corrected on that a Socialist Welfare state isn't a Socialist state.
My statement wasn't meant to be scientifically accurate.
Related to this thread, in today's CBC news:
"U.S. inflation stays high but prices rose less than economists forecast
Consumer prices increased 3% in September from a year earlier"
I am less concerned about the prices on items that a small group of privileged buyers (like myself) can afford.
I am more concerned about the cost of living for the other folks.
I wouldn't want to live in a place where the daily bread becomes unaffordable.
Don't like tariffs? Build it in the US or convince your country to have fair trade with the US. We have been subsidizing the world for too long. Time to rein it in.
I am sick of sending my money to other countries or giving it to people who don't work.
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.” ― Margaret Thatcher
"Don't like tariffs? Build it in the US or convince your country to have fair trade with the US. We have been subsidizing the world for too long. Time to rein it in."
Don't like economics? Just pretend it doesn't exist!
bwcolor wrote:
I misquoted the Japanese Tariff as 10%, which was pretty dumb in that I just purchased Japanese gear from Japan. The tariffs with Japan are set, but understanding such a complicated system is difficult and has been for years, but now, even items purchased that cost less than $800 are included. My $300 purchase cost me $45 in tariffs plus DHL collected their fees. The total was $63.32. eBay sellers in Japan must be having a major slow down in purchases.
You've had it good for years then ! In the UK the Govt. want their pound of flesh for anything imported over £100 and I can't ever rememeber it not being that way !
That said not every seller/importer collects for the Govt. so sometimes some items will slip past the Customs / Inland Revenue.
Gregory Edge wrote:
Don't like tariffs? Build it in the US or convince your country to have fair trade with the US. We have been subsidizing the world for too long. Time to rein it in.
I am sick of sending my money to other countries or giving it to people who don't work.
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.” ― Margaret Thatcher
I'm not at all sure you understand how this all works. In fact I'm 100% certain you do not !
Subsidising the world ! Oh dear God. The US has only ever done what benefits the US, whether that's in the long or short term. And most countries are exactly the same - that is the promise their Govts. made to their people. So they outsourced to China because it benefited US industry to do so. It helped their bottom line and increased profits to their shareholders. They didn't do anything out of charity - they did it out of greed and to undercut home produced goods. They literally cut their own throats but are now trying to allocate blame elsewhere.
Example : people buying at any major store in the US continue to buy the cheapest product or thereabouts. The vast majority will not buy a product made in the US but costing x2 as much, even if the quality is much higher. This has been proven time and time again. Even when customer surveys said it would work - it didn't and US companies went bust. People say one thing but when it comes down to actually putting their hands in their pockets ... the proletariat go for the cheapest option yet again.
The US simply can not just set up factories and produce what is being imported. They just don't have the logistics, the machinery (all made in China), the expert labour force and most importantly, the supply chains.
Most people simply don't understand how this works in China. Every city has some product/technology they specialise in : want socks? You buy in this town. Want computers? You buy in that town. And so on. Each town will have dozens, if not hundreds, of factories specialising in that tech/product line.
Why? Because each of these towns/cities has a massive infrastructure for that tech/products. They have a supply chain for all of the parts/machinery, they have repair shops that specialise specifically in that tech, they have labour, with decades of experience, that are trained and expert in that tech, they have the supply chain of raw materials for that tech.
All of this massively reduces costs : labour, sourcing, maintenance and transport. It can not be replicated overseas as it took decades to build up. At least not without massive long term investment that the US Govt. are unwilling to subsidise. We're talking trillions. And still prices will be higher and the general populace and sourcing directors will go for the cheaper option, the one that benfits their home budget the most and that for companies improves their bottom line.
Gregory Edge wrote:
Don't like tariffs? Build it in the US or convince your country to have fair trade with the US. We have been subsidizing the world for too long. Time to rein it in.
I am sick of sending my money to other countries or giving it to people who don't work.
What kind of joke is this?
Let's take a look at the data.
The U.S. faces persistent trade deficits (importing more than exporting) and budget deficits (spending more than taxing), contributing to a growing national debt.
The U.S. is paying more interest on its debt, now more than $30 trillion, than it spends on national defense.
The U.S. deficit for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 was around $1.8 trillion.
The United States recorded a trade deficit of $52.8 billion in September 2025, the largest trade deficit was with Ireland ($ 18.2 billion), followed by Mexico ($ 17.8 billion) and the EU ($ 17.8 billion). The gap with China narrowed to $11.4 billion, while that with Vietnam remained little changed at $14.4 billion. The deficit with Canada was $4.9 billion.
You are not subsidizing anyone: you are simply living beyond your means. And the response to such a living like a grasshopper has been to impose tariffs.
Knut. wrote:
… it influences the prices of our gear. And that makes us antsy 😉
More than that, it drives up prices for everything. Suddenly if you're a pro you've got clients looking for ways to cut back, photography is an easy target and is already in a stress position. Big business are salivating at AI, maybe your weddings will decide to look for someone cheaper.
Gregory Edge wrote:
Don't like tariffs? Build it in the US or convince your country to have fair trade with the US. We have been subsidizing the world for too long. Time to rein it in.
I am sick of sending my money to other countries or giving it to people who don't work.
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.” ― Margaret Thatcher
tell me you don't know how tariffs work without telling me you don't know how tariffs work.
US has turned into mostly exporting services rather than actual consumable products. there is no trade deficit. there are several YouTube videos from real smart economists will explain this to you.
and even if you move manufacturing here in the US...never mind the fact that it would take ages to have a fully functional end-to-end American-made product...the labor and import of raw materials will be so prohibitively expensive it would be near-impossible to turn a profit...just look at the US automotive industry where it's moving most of the labor outside the US despite the tariffs.
so before talking down on anyone it helps to know the facts first...otherwise you will just embarrass yourself. same goes to the people who liked your comment...which is kinda worse, to be honest.
dalegaspi wrote:
US has turned into mostly exporting services rather than actual consumable products. there is no trade deficit. there are several YouTube videos from real smart economists will explain this to you.
yep..true...there _IS_ trade deficit looking at OVERALL totals. but i could argue it's never that simple...you cannot just look at one total and that's it...but honestly i'm too smooth-brained to understand that completely.
but the point of this is that the way this administration thinks that other countries are being unfair and taking advantage of the US...and that US is "subsidizing the world" or whatever batshit reasoning they have.
...and their solution is to slap tariffs on everything. tariffs has its place and it's used to protect certain industries where US can compete...but you cannot slap tariffs on everything and expect US to magically have those products and compete with a lower pricepoint _and still turn a profit_ ..and right now it just makes everything more expensive without the benefits (well, it's certainly paying for that new WH ballroom :-/ ). that's what happens when you listen to quacks like Pete Navarro.
it is also worth noting that this administration is using tariffs as a shakedown tactic.
And I'm sure the man who pioneered fracking of shale oil resources is a donor out of the goodness of his heart. And the difference between a bribe and a donation is purely semantic. And a unicorn was spotted at Bosque del Apache NWR
Trump's tariffs toll
