Tariffs and Inflation...Ahead or Behind in Purchases?

[ProfD]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/27/cars/auto-tariffs-car-prices-impact-hnk-intl/index.html

 

Tariffs are supposed to take effect next week.

 

Hopefully everyone already bought their toys before prices get jacked up.

[ProfD]

Liberation Day came last week with fresh tariffs. They were so excited:

 

Tariffs were put on hold this week. Maybe they were rolled out prematurely. 

 

Some folks lost money due to market fluctuation.

 

Money folks made more bread  due to market manipulation. 

 

Only a 1/4 into the current administration's bid. We got 3 years & 9 months to deal with this sh8t. Unless the mid-term elections cripple or permanently injure the duck.

[Troy]

Most of the people alive today have no clue what true prolonged hardship is. We’ve had it relatively easy. No world wars, no civil wars, no Great Depression,  no plagues, no enslavement no genocides, no Jim Crow, no famine… 

 

I am optimistic by nature, perhaps that is why I believe we’ll get past all this stuff that we’re dealing with from the current administration relatively quickly.

 

perhaps it’s because I’m part of a culture that has had to deal with adversity, making a way out of no way.

 

My car is 14 years old. If the prices go up for the next few years because of tariffs,, it’s not a big deal. I wasn’t gonna be buying a new car anyway. 
 

The tariffs  on China are still in effect. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ProfD]

The tariff talks and threats seem to fluctuate like the Dow Jones Average. 

 

The main country on the hook for the highest tariff at 145% is....Chi-Na.

 

There's still a point that goods sold in America will go up in price.

 

The most hilarious aspect of this situation is the Chinese spilling the tea on where and how those over-priced handbags are made.

 

Most of the handbagis are made in China for $1,500 dollars.

 

The French and Italians slap a label on that same handbag and sell it to dumb, er, rich people at a 25x mark-up ($37,500). 

 

Of course, this isn't revelatory information to those of us who know better. Still funny though.

[Pioneer1]

Troy

Things are easy and smooth IF you're smart/talented enough to make a good living and function in this society.
Of which a lot of people are NOT.

I can't speak on other countries because although I've been to other nations, I haven't actually tried to make a living in them; however in the United States trying to afford a decent solidly middle class life for most people is NOT easy and many...a large percentage...aren't doing it.

They are being locked up, living on the street, committing suicide (directly and indirectly with drugs and reckless living), living off of other people, etc....

Yes a lot of Americans ARE "making it" and enjoying financial success.
I'm not saying it's NOT happening, however if it SEEMS like "everybody's doing fine" it could be because you don't SEE the millions of Americans who AREN'T "making it".
Millions of them are locked up and away in prisons and jails, and the numbers are increasing.

On top of that, they're IMPORTING millions of immigrants into this society (legally and illegally) to keep it up and maintain it to give the illusion that it's stable.

[Troy]

3 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Things are easy and smooth IF you're smart/talented enough to make a good living and function in this society.
Of which a lot of people are NOT.

 

The average person, in this country, is more well off today than they were 100 ago.  Perhaps in any time before in this country.

 

3 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

I can't speak on other countries because although I've been to other nations, I haven't actually tried to make a living in them;

 

Again, you can't rely on your personal observations you can read books about the subject.

 

3 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

it could be because you don't SEE the millions of Americans who AREN'T "making it".
Millions of them are locked up and away in prisons and jails, and the numbers are increasing.

 

Again, I can read about it -- I don't have to see it.  But I have travelled all over this country and a lot of the world...

 

There are millions of people locked up.  It is better than being enslaved.

 

I'm not sure why you are so down on Americans not making it relative to the past.  What do you mean by "not making it."  Do you mean not living the lifestyles you see on social media (with a huge house, multiple cars, a fine subservient wife, smart athletic kids, exotic vacations, huge bank account, good looks, health...  No one has all of that man

 

[Pioneer1]

Troy

By "make it" I mean simply being able to INDEPENDENTLY support yourself if need be.

I'm not complaining about people not being wealthy or living in luxury.
That's nice, however it's almost a given that most people aren't living like this.
If the vast majority of people were simply INDEPENDENT and able to afford their own home (house or apartment), 2 solid meals, clothes, and health care....that would be fair.
However it doesn't seem as if the vast majority of people are able to do this.
Most of them are "living off" of other people to make ends meet.

Usually either a parent or a lover.
It's one thing to live with a girlfriend or spouse and you share money and bills WHILE enjoying the comforts of companionship....as long as you don't NEED them.

And often times those who have neither often end up DESTITUTE...locked up, homeless, or dead.

This was less the case 60 and 70 years ago when ONE PERSON could get ONE JOB and support not only themselves but a family.

So today's economy doesn't sound too progressive to me.

[ProfD]

19 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

This was less the case 60 and 70 years ago when ONE PERSON could get ONE JOB and support not only themselves but a family.

Bro, there are plenty men and women who are living proof of being able to head a household today.

[Pioneer1]

8 minutes ago, ProfD said:

Bro, there are plenty men and women who are living proof of being able to head a household today.

Ofcourse.
But that's not the majority anymore.

Most men (or women) aren't supporting the entire family of children and another spouse/care-mate with one job.

Most SINGLE people or person with one a child can support themselves with one decent job, depending on the region of the country they're in.
But when you add another adult to the picture or more children....most have to rely on staying with family, picking up 2 jobs, and often times engaging in illegal activities to generate enough income.

[Troy]

On 4/26/2025 at 12:17 PM, Pioneer1 said:

So today's economy doesn't sound too progressive to me.

maybe you’re right.

 

Everybody’s gotta work the father, the mother, the kids…

 

But hasn’t that always been true for us, black folks that is? Sure there are some black families where dad‘s the breadwinner, mom stays home. Kids get to play after school…. I didn’t know any growing upand I don’t know any many today. 
 

There are circumstances where the guy can afford to raise the family himself, but the wife is gonna work anyway cause she’s gotta have her own money… being a stay at home Mom is seemingly degrading in today’s world

 

But all the kids I grew up with, we all worked as soon as we could get our working papers at 14. I was a messenger all through high school.. a lot of kids worked earlier than that, delivering the newspapers, bagging groceries. I used to collect bottles, but that was back when a nickel was worth something.

 

again, you may be right I’m pretty sure in places like New York City. The data will support that as well. 
 

 

[Pioneer1]

I don't have a problem with kids under 18 working on little odd and menial jobs like paper routes or washing dishes...as long as it's safe.

But it seems as if they're starting to relax a lot of the labor laws around the country, including the child labor laws.
Too many people are on board with it thinking it's a good thing because it gives kids a little more responsibility.

I don't.

 

I often have this discussion with immigrants who will talk about how children as young as 7 and 8 MUST work in their country to help feed the entire family because they're so poor.
They think it should be the same way here and that they'd force THEIR children here to work at that age if they could; claiming that American children are too lazy.
My argument has been and still is....if they got their children working and they're STILL poor and they end up DYING poor....obviously making children work isn't the answer.

Like that old saying you can do bad all by yourself....
If you're poor, you don't need a broke ass spouse or lover to tag along with you so BOTH of you can be poor together...lol.

 

Along similar lines, if your country or family is poor as hell and you start putting children to work and you STILL end up poor...then obviously making children work isn't the solution.
You might as well let the kids play because working isn't helping to get you out of poverty.
 

We don't want America turning into some third world country where the children are out slaving and begging....or worse...for money.

That's another reason we need to be careful who we allow into the country because a lot of these people have no problems making slaves out of women, children, the elderly, or whoever and some of them will work these people until they drop dead.
 

[umbrarchist]

The Hertz are really being put on the economy. The frequency of opportunities won't go to Zero however.