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Serious Side Effects
February 7, 2025
Today we’ll talk about Trump, tariffs, cycles, and DOGE. Jumping right in…
It’s not entirely clear what President Trump was trying to accomplish with the tariffs he imposed on Canada and Mexico, then postponed for a month. He’s mentioned several different reasons. He said on January 20 he was going to do this, and then he did, so there’s obviously some larger plan. He also ordered new tariffs on China, which he didn’t delay (at least he hadn’t, as of my deadline).
Without knowing exactly which problem (of many the country faces) Trump was trying to solve, it’s hard to say if tariffs were the best answer. Longtime readers know I am not a fan of tariffs. If implemented, the ones on Canada and Mexico would have had serious negative side effects on the economy. And it could still happen once the current postponement ends.
The same is true more broadly. Every government policy choice has side effects. We elect a congress and president to make those choices. Now, that’s not necessarily bad. It is just how democracy works. Election outcomes reflect the majority’s will at a specific time, but not perfectly. Everyone has their own unique set of preferences. Even if your candidate(s) win, you still won’t like everything they do. It’s a messy process in the best of circumstances. Worse, even if you share the current government’s goals, the side effects can still hurt you.
Both parties are composed of various and diverse interest groups. That goes especially for Republicans this...
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