In the meantime: "The [Chinese] Ministry of Commerce said then that it could impose tariffs in two stages: first, a 15 percent duty on
120 products, including fruit and wine, and then, after further
assessing the impact of the United States’ tariffs, a 25 percent tariff
on eight other products, including pork, an important moneymaker,
especially in farming regions in states that voted for Mr. Trump."
I am hoping the tariff on pork will reduce the price of bacon, which is now $8.99 for a pound package. Yes, NY is over-priced, but this is ridiculous. When we stop exporting pork to China, I expect to go back to the $4.99 a pound. And the farmer's will have seen the downside of voting for Trump.
My goodness. We used to say all news is local. Tip O'Neill said all politics is local. But now you say all tariffs are local. About the only things left that is global are refugees.
ReplyDeleteI am not allowed to celebrate cheaper bacon because bacon is Not Good for Us. Neither is bratwurst -- and I can't tell whether it is affected by the "other frozen pork" -- but is allowed, grudgingly, because the Decider grew up 30 miles from Milwaukee, fer Pete's sake, ainna.
A lot of the Chinese tariffs go on finished steel. The Trump giveth to the steel industry, and the Trump's way of giving taketh away. He can't say he wasn't warned. Our steel companies won't be able to sell it to China with the tariffs on top of the higher prices Comrade Trump was hoping to help them achieve. Stand by for other countries accusing us of "dumping" steel.
My buddy, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, is not gonna like that pork tariff. I follow Grassley's Twitter feed as a kind of bellwether of "normal" Midwest Republican thinking (and because it's hilarious, often unintentionally). Nothing about the pork tariff today, as he's likely sleeping off wife Barbara's Easter ham. But when he wakes up he's not gonna be happy.
ReplyDeleteTom, you can now buy reduced-salt pre-cooked bacon at Kroger in a box by the "real" bacon. Expensive, but super thinly sliced and pretty palatable. I use it to flavor bean soup or salads. Or two slices on a BLT when the lettuce and tomatoes come in in the garden.
Whatever crap they gave me for my blood pressure is working so well that I passed out yesterday. Doc said this morning to frontload water in the morning, stay hydrated (64/oz of water on top of whatever else I drink), and eat a couple of salted crackers if I feel woozy. I think a strip of bacon would be positively medicinal. Today am at 112/64, down from 150/106 last week, and feeling much better.
Jean - holy smokes. Whatever you're taking now, don't stop.
ReplyDeleteYes, immediately fixed the problem. Had not realized how lousy I felt until it went away.
DeleteI doubt that pork producers who also happen to be Evangelical Christians voted for Trump out of economic self-interest. Can anyone think of an economic self-interest reason for voting for Trump? Nothing springs immediately to mind.
ReplyDeleteSee today's Times: Will Trump Crash the Farm Economy?
Deletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/01/opinion/trump-tariffs-agriculture-economy.html
I hope my near and dear family members in agriculture are paying attention. They held their nose and voted for Trump because of Supreme Court nominations. Hope they really, really like Neil Gorsuch.
ReplyDelete