Nope, China Still Isn't Paying Those Tariffs!

Tariffs, tweets, and totalitarianism today in the Reason podcast

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Nope, China Still Isn't Paying Those Tariffs!

Yesterday, President Donald Trump warned that tariffs on Chinese imports may still go up "very substantially" while continuing to insist that China is paying the tariffs. That's…not accurate, as Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, Peter Suderman, and special guest star Eric Boehm discuss in today's podcast. We also check in with Congress' lonely libertarian Rep. Justin Amash (R–Mich.), who is positioning himself as the not-so-loyal Republican opposition. We ask whether anyone can even trust their eyes anymore as the president calls off infrastructure week in a fit of pique over a standoff with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D–Calif.) and tweets a doctored video. And we wonder what the E.U. election results mean for the future of populist authoritarianism.

Trump Says China Is Paying for His $16 Billion Tariff Bailout to Farmers. That's Simply Not True by Eric Boehm

House Freedom Caucus Too Busy Scolding Justin Amash To Care About Today's Bipartisan Budget Apocalypse by Matt Welch

Chernobyl on HBO

Exhalation, short stories by Ted Chiang

Fleabag on Amazon Prime

The Group by Mary McCarthy

Subscribe, rate, and review our podcast at iTunes.

Audio production by Ian Keyser.

What are we consuming this week?

Eric Boehm

• Chernobyl

Katherine Mangu-Ward

• Fleabag

Nick Gillespie

• The Group by Mary McCarthy

Peter Suderman

• Exhalation by Ted Chiang

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Comments

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I can wait until all the Trumpista chime in here about how the Chinese are too paying those tariffs!

[Brandybuck]

How dare you impune the Glonous Leader!

[Crusty Juggler - Lawbertarian]

Actually tariffs are good.

[Dillinger]

losing sleep over tariffs?

[creech]

Trump, the economist, says "we lost $500 billion to China" last year.
Talking about balance of trade, I guess. Last week, he gave his golf caddy a check for $500 for doing a "tremendous" job during his round with Tiger et al. The caddy was so pleased at having a check with Donald's signature on it, that he didn't cash it, framing it instead and putting it over his mantle. Then Trump complained that he, Trump, "lost" $500 when the check was never cashed.

[Ken Shultz]

"And we wonder what the E.U. election results mean for the future of populist authoritarianism"

What do you mean by "populist authoritarianism"? Is that how you're referring to democracy these days?

Or maybe by "populist authoritarianism" you mean Macron and Merkel trying to inflict environmental and immigration policies on their people--over their objections and against their will?

We're getting it from all over the spectrum at Reason these days. A few weekends ago, they were telling us about "libertarian paternalism".

https://reason.com/2019/04/28/the-problem-with-nudging-peopl/#comment-7770859

People exercising their votes on issues that are well within the proper purview of democracy is now "populist authoritarianism"?

Are we into pretending that properly declared wars are unconstitutional now, too--but only if we oppose them? Is there any legitimate place left for democracy in Reason's collective imagination or is "freedom" now all about unaccountable elitists imposing liberty from above?

If people vote for an open immigration system, that's democracy I guess? When people vote against an open immigration system, is that what makes it "populist authoritarianism"?

At some point, we beclown ourselves.

[AlmightyJB]

The left here and in Europe facilitated mass illegal immigration against the wishes of a large portion of their populations starting earlier this decade. It backfired on them politically and now they want to throw tantrums and call everyone names. Had they just gradually increased immigration each year, they would not be in this position. They got greedy and screwed themselves. The longer they fail to acknowledge that they're the ones that screwed up, the longer the populist will take advantage of the anti-elitist sentiment.

[Curly4]

But yes China is paying those tariffs. That is the importer of the goods from the US that China has put tariffs on they are paying the tariffs. Now the products that the importers here in the US are importing from China the US customers are paying. But then again both countries are paying in lost sales which will reduce each countries GDP somewhat. But both countries could improve each countries could GDP by signing a trade agreement. If the US has as much access to their markets and can do business there as easily as their companies has to the US markets and do business here both countries will benefit.
Yes there will be pain on each side but when the agreement is made the pain will be equal on both sides and not a major pain for US companies and a minor pain for Chinese companies as has been since China has opened up to trade.

[Last of the Shitlords]

Did it TEALLY take all four of them to write this shit?

Really?

[Blowhard Woodchip]

For the record, China is paying the tariffs directly into the U.S. treasury, which is helping to lower the national debt bigly; Mexico is paying for hundreds of miles of big, beautiful Wall™; POO* didn't boink a former nude model and a current porn actress while his legal wife was recovering from childbirth; all POO's failed business transactions and bankruptcies were stunning successes the likes of which the world has never seen; POO didn't dodge the draft with the help of his rich daddy and a pliant doctor friend who invented "bone spurs" because POO is a True Patriot who wanted to make America great (again); POO isn't a pathological liar -- on the contrary, he is an extremely stable genius who does not spend 65% of his waking hours watching Fox News and gossiping on Twitter; but Hillary.

*President Orange Obstruction

[Millennial Lawyer]

Somebody should inform the proprietor of this establishment that it has just printed FAKE | NEWS