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Trump's China Tariffs Claim Another Victim: A South Carolina TV Manufacturing Plant:
The tariffs imposed by President Trump have claimed more jobs, this time at a consumer-electronics manufacturing plant in South Carolina.
Element Electronics blamed tariffs on Chinese imports for its decision to shut down its manufacturing facilities in Winnsboro, SC, a town located about 30 miles north of the state's capital. The plant, which makes Element TVs, will maintain a skeleton crew of eight workers, as it hopes the shutdown will be temporary."
The news is especially hard for Winnsboro and its surrounding communities because of recent job losses in the area, including the shuttering of a Walmart store, the closing of a textile mill, and the cancellation of plans to construct two nuclear reactors.
Element notified the state's Department of Employment about its plans, according to Columbia-based The State newspaper, which first reported on the plant's closing. In its notification, Element stated, "The layoff and closure is a result of the new tariffs that were recently and unexpectedly imposed on many goods imported from China, including the key television components used in our assembly operations in Winnsboro."
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 09 2018, @03:41AM (7 children)
There are of course Americans who happen to be in situations that put their personal welfare at odds with the general welfare of the USA. Yeah, they'll get hurt, but so many others will benefit. Hitching your welfare to a foreign frenemy wasn't very patriotic, so I won't be shedding any tears.
The tariffs mostly come with the willingness to eliminate them if the other side does as well. China has a choice. We aren't going to have 1-sided tariffs anymore, with China resisting American goods and the US ignoring the problem.
If that doesn't work... well, we can keep the tariffs. The resulting income can be used to cut other taxes. The entire USA was funded this way before World War I introduced the income tax. It works. It's even progressive: price-sensitive people buy American, and snooty rich folk pay more for their foreign stuff. Leftists should love it!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Fluffeh on Thursday August 09 2018, @05:42AM (6 children)
You don't need tariffs to stop importing chinese made stuff. All you need is to convince the average American that it's worth paying more for the good of the country. The problem is that the average American doesn't seem to care. A cheap imported microwave might cost $50. The same product made in the US (from US parts etc) will cost a LOT more. Perhaps $200? Perhaps even more. I've done no maths on it, just spitballing. It seems really strange that the folks who cry "'Murica!" the are also the ones who can solve this deficit overnight.
Does China play nice? Certainly not. They play to win. They also play the long game. They do it well, but winning IS actually simple. It just needs support from the population rather than being forced from the top. Still, you could always start producing more stuff that the rest of the world wants. Beat China at their own game. Just sayin'.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by lentilla on Thursday August 09 2018, @06:04AM
Then you need import tariffs. Sorry. Unfortunately you have to force the great unwashed (the 80% who live paycheck-to-paycheck) to buy American, and the only way to do this is cost parity.
The unwanted effect will be that the price of everyday luxuries will rise dramatically (electronics particularly). This will disproportionately hurt the non-rich. The medium-term benefit is that the non-rich will be paid better and will be able to afford the higher sticker prices - this should take effect within a few years. The long-term benefit (couple of decades) is that the country will be far less beholden to foreign powers - and the citizens can have something to be proud about.
I really don't believe you can sell "buy American" without approximate price parity - unless you start a war to scare the population into eschewing foreign-made goods.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 09 2018, @10:18AM
After you trickled down on middle American for generations already, after the 1%ers moved production in China and let them play the 'service economy' (with less and less money in the system) at home, after you trickled them they have 'the right the credit' and fucked up the future offering them McMansions, well... it seems to me quite a gall to ask for support from them now.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Thursday August 09 2018, @03:02PM
You're absolutely correct.
I personally prefer to pay more for a well-made product that will last much longer, and employ local people to repair if necessary. That's how it was for, well, forever, until maybe 15 years ago when electronics got so cheap nobody wants to pay for repair, and I can't blame them.
An additional factor is that people like "New!" I find new stuff to be made more cheaply and much more of a PITA (dishwashers and clothes washers come to mind).
But as you said, and others are commenting, the average American doesn't care about the country as a whole, other people's jobs, etc. So we see a proliferation of Wally World- cheap disposable crap, Sears and others declining, and the average American living standard dropping- not counting the 1% of course. That's where we needed a government to do their jobs.
I remember hearing "protectionism" decried over and over. Can someone explain to me how protecting your own country is a Bad Thing? Doesn't the US Constitution say that the Govt. is to protect the USA and people? Does the Constitution limit it to military attack and protection only?
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Thursday August 09 2018, @06:12PM (2 children)
I used to buy good that said "made in USA" and had a union label. They seem to have all disappeared. Assembled in USA somehow just doesn't resonate as well.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 09 2018, @10:21PM
A union label negates Made in USA.
The best is plain old Made in USA. After that comes the helpful countries like Poland and Japan. After that comes the insignificant places like Costa Rica and Angola. After that comes the union label stuff, and the frenemies like China and France. After that comes the places that just hate America, most of them because of Islam.
From one level to a better one, there is a price premium worth paying. Depending on my mood that might be 10% or 100%.
(Score: 2) by legont on Friday August 10 2018, @02:53AM
There are some, but rare. I recently bought such a jacket - leather A-2 military flight jacket - the one ground support aviation was using during WWII. Not a Chinese one, but a real original cut deal with union label. (the whole back of the jacket is made from one piece of leather; not sewed chunks. In fact there is no sewed together parts whatsoever unless required) https://www.legendaryusa.com/Legendary-Fighting-Falcon-Mens-A-2-Flight-Jacket.html [legendaryusa.com]
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.