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It would certainly help if people wouldn't believe flat-out lies. Like, "other countries pay the tariffs." No. They don't. How can we have nuanced conversat

It would certainly help if people wouldn't believe flat-out lies. Like, "other countries pay the tariffs." No. They don't. How can we have nuanced conversation about the trade-offs, if the leader of one political party blatantly lies about a fundamental detail of how tariffs work? 600% reduction in the price of drugs? We can't even start a discussion with people who believe this. At all. They reject any information, even their own knowledge of how numbers work.

phaedryx 1mo ago
I wish we would call them "taxes on imports" instead to reflect what is actually happening.
- MattCruikshank 1mo ago
  Merriam-Webster: "The meaning of TARIFF is a schedule of duties imposed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods." Apparently the dictionary is "woke." Wikipedia: "A tariff, or import tax, is a duty imposed by a national government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer." Oxford Economics: "Tariffs are taxes imposed by a government on goods and services imported from other countries."
  - phaedryx 1mo ago
    I know what tariff means, I just think many people don't realize it means "taxing US citizens" and not "sticking it to some country we don't like"
    - MattCruikshank 1mo ago
      Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you didn't know. I meant, "Yes, you're so damned right! It's even in the dictionary! I wish people would educate themselves and not believe lies!"
- edgyquant 1mo ago
  100% agree
edgyquant 1mo ago
I have never met anyone who thought other countries paid the tariffs. Im sure they exist but this seems more like something retractors say to make themselves feel smarter than people in support of tariffs. People who care at all about tariffs tend to know how they work. The president says a lot of really stupid things and those stupid things are highlighted, but that’s not indicative of the average and one of the main talking points about tariffs is that they increase costs in order to incentivize local suppliers

phaedryx 1mo ago

I wish we would call them "taxes on imports" instead to reflect what is actually happening.

MattCruikshank 1mo ago
Merriam-Webster: "The meaning of TARIFF is a schedule of duties imposed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods." Apparently the dictionary is "woke." Wikipedia: "A tariff, or import tax, is a duty imposed by a national government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer." Oxford Economics: "Tariffs are taxes imposed by a government on goods and services imported from other countries."
- phaedryx 1mo ago
  I know what tariff means, I just think many people don't realize it means "taxing US citizens" and not "sticking it to some country we don't like"
  - MattCruikshank 1mo ago
    Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you didn't know. I meant, "Yes, you're so damned right! It's even in the dictionary! I wish people would educate themselves and not believe lies!"
edgyquant 1mo ago
100% agree

edgyquant 1mo ago

I have never met anyone who thought other countries paid the tariffs. Im sure they exist but this seems more like something retractors say to make themselves feel smarter than people in support of tariffs. People who care at all about tariffs tend to know how they work. The president says a lot of really stupid things and those stupid things are highlighted, but that’s not indicative of the average and one of the main talking points about tariffs is that they increase costs in order to incentivize local suppliers