The Indefensible, New Defense of the Trade War

Wilbur Ross, defending new tariffs while appearing on CNBC Tuesday, 18 Sept., claimed Americans will not notice price increases because they will be “spread over thousands and thousands of products.”

This may be true for many families and individuals across the country, but will that hold true for those who are facing lost income in addition to price hikes on goods? Tariffs are essentially taxes on Americans who are buying imported goods. Currently, incomes for some, like farmers, are or could be going down due to decreases in crop prices or market losses, and money going out of pocketbooks will increase.

If farm families are forced to tighten their belts in preparation of lost revenue, this will impact our local economy. Maybe those plans for new grain bins will be put on hold, or upgrading to new equipment will be postponed. Or maybe that frugality will include cutting back in entertainment and social life, fewer dinners out or maybe deciding not to drive 100 miles roundtrip to support a local event.

Ross may be right, most Americans won’t notice these price increases, at least in the short term, but I would like to think that here, in such a small community heavily reliant on farming, those changes will be noticed and felt much sooner.

Several people have commented on the new businesses popping up. Two local businesses are finalists in the Minnow Tank contest. Business owners such as Haylie Shipp and Kari Prewitt strive to promote local shopping while also volunteering their personal time to improve different aspects of our corner of the state. With all the pride this community has for our residents and their commitment to making Glasgow and Valley County a better place to live, it would be a shame to see these businesses struggle or go under because of escalating international tensions that we have little to no control over.