Trump Suggests Tariffs Could Be Placed on iPhones and Laptops Imported From China

[Greenmeenie]

Bernie Sanders has an even stronger anti-outsourcing stance: https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/-sanders-statement-on-carrier-and-outsourcing
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The map linked on comment #289 shows pretty regionally divided votes, with blue on cities. It's correlated with a US population heat map.

I also don't think people are adopting opinions from other states over the Internet, nor do they bring up controversial political opinions in groups where they're the minority. I couldn't (i.e. would actually face negative consequences if I did) say anything anti-Israel in my Jewish-majority school, or pro-Israel in my SJW college, or pro-Trump at my tech job.

Oh, and let’s not forget Slavery. Back in the 18th century, a direct election system, the North would outnumber the South, whose many slaves (more than half a million in all) of course could not vote. So the South proposed an early version of the Electoral College, which threaded the needle between democracy and racism by letting the slavocracy count each African American in chains as three-fifths of a person. Slavery, and its rendering black people as fractions, ended, but the Electoral College lingers. As I said...times have changed. Slavery is no more, and instant communications are ubiquitous in even the most rural sparsely populated areas. The electoral college is pointless today. There is no reason to continue it. None. <drops mic>

 

[fairuz]

Gotta love how in 2 years traditional liberals everywhere have gone 180 on all their biggest things Now I'm seeing a lot of Pro-Capitalism, Anti-Taxes, Anti-Russia.

I don't live in the US anymore. What happened while I was away? Is it all just anger about Clinton losing election? Seriously, Democrats used to hate when Republicans would talk about Russia being number one geopolitical foe (Remember that Obama line in debate with Romney?), Capitalism/free markets being good, and taxes/tariffs being bad

I also find this hilarious. And Hillary Clinton's stance on gay marriage.

 

[Alaxlmartin]

Bernie Sanders has an even stronger anti-outsourcing stance: https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/-sanders-statement-on-carrier-and-outsourcing
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The map linked on comment #289 shows pretty regionally divided votes, with blue on cities. It's correlated with a US population heat map.

I also don't think people are adopting opinions from other states over the Internet, nor do they bring up controversial political opinions in groups where they're the minority. I couldn't (i.e. would actually face negative consequences if I did) say anything anti-Israel in my Jewish-majority school, or pro-Israel in my SJW college, or pro-Trump at my tech job.

https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trump-tariffs

 

[fairuz]

Oh, and let’s not forget Slavery. Back in the 18th century, a direct election system, the North would outnumber the South, whose many slaves (more than half a million in all) of course could not vote. So the South proposed an early version of the Electoral College, which threaded the needle between democracy and racism by letting the slavocracy count each African American in chains as three-fifths of a person. Slavery, and its rendering black people as fractions, ended, but the Electoral College lingers. As I said...times have changed. Slavery is no more, and instant communications are ubiquitous in even the most rural sparsely populated areas. The electoral college is pointless today. There is no reason to continue it. None. <drops mic>

The differences between regions and industries didn't end with slavery. They replaced human slaves with mechanized equipment, same thing to them in the end. Also your argument doesn't even make sense because the Electoral College was created after slavery had ended.

Rural areas don't have ubiquitous communication, not even close. I don't know where you live, but you can drive for 2 hours in California and end up in towns where nobody uses cellphones because there's no cell service, plus home internet is severely limited (e.g. expensive satellite plans).
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https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trump-tariffs

I'm not sure if this is meant to be a disagreement, but in that press release, he's only upset about Trump targeting Europe and Canada. In this article he's still pro-tarriff and opposes free trade: "Instead of imposing piecemeal tariffs on our trading partners, he should comprehensively and fundamentally re-write all of our failed unfettered trade policies to stop the race to the bottom and lift living standards in the U.S. and throughout the world." (Specifically calls for taxing Chinese imports in there too.)

 

[MacCurry]

What's different now that demands the system be different? They knew even back then the differences between urban and rural areas.

This is correct. The difference is between urban and rural. It is demography vs. geography.

 

[barbu]

Have you talked to a real Canadian lately? I’m up there often and buddy I’ll tell you... they hate their socialist healthcare. I personally know individuals who have waited upwards of 5 months for a basic doctors visit. If their system was so good

You have not the first clue about what you are speaking. 5 months for a doctor visit? Are you on crack? Maybe 5 months to get an MRI. A doctor visit in any city takes about five minutes. Plus, we can actually go and get fixed up without choosing between crippling debt and much worse health down the road. We voted Tommy Douglas, the architect of health care, as the greatest Canadian of all time. You are lying or woefully misinformed. Either way, never ever speak with authority about us again.

 

[leman]

Wait, only iPhones? What about every other smartphone or laptop? Frankly, I couldn’t care less of Americans had to pay 10% more an all consumer electronics. Would be a nice lesson for voting a clown with dictatorial ambitions into the office.

At any rate, U.S. should seriously think about rewamping their archaic limited elitarian indirect “democracy” to a true democratic system. It’s not 18th century anymore and the voters are not uneducated idiots that need “better men” to represent their interest. Oh wait...

 

[Greenmeenie]

The differences between regions and industries didn't end with slavery. They replaced human slaves with mechanized equipment, same thing to them in the end. Also your argument doesn't even make sense because the Electoral College was created after slavery had ended.

Rural areas don't have ubiquitous communication, not even close. I don't know where you live, but you can drive for 2 hours in California and end up in towns where nobody uses cellphones because there's no cell service, plus home internet is severely limited (e.g. expensive satellite plans).
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I'm not sure if this is meant to be a disagreement, but in that press release, he's only upset about Trump targeting Europe and Canada. In this article he's still pro-tarriff and opposes free trade: "Instead of imposing piecemeal tariffs on our trading partners, he should comprehensively and fundamentally re-write all of our failed unfettered trade policies to stop the race to the bottom and lift living standards in the U.S. and throughout the world." (Specifically calls for taxing Chinese imports in there too.)

What I wrote about Slavery & the electoral college clearly said it was an early precursor to the electoral college reasoning.

Lastly, why we should switch to a popular vote is simple.
By electing our President solely based on who the majority of our population selects, without the inclusion of an Electoral College, the vote of every American citizen would hold equal weight and significance. Under this new system, when we vote for President we would actually be voting for President, not instructing ‘electors’ on how we want them to vote. The will of the American people would always be executed and honored, and could never be thwarted.

With the Electoral College, the voting power of the people has been diluted and unequally distributed across our nation. It’s time that we begin to amend our broken process.

 

[KiwiAdventure]

Trump's steel tariffs is why GM just laid off everyone.
GM was closing world assembly factories long be Trump put tariffs in place.
Go Trump.


Congratulations Trump voters, you played yourself.

The US economy is a globalist one that seeks open borders and free trade. The quicker you understand that, the better off you will be in this country.

Apple is doing exactly that by designing products by brilliant engineers in Silicon Valley, while having them built by cheaper, lower educated people in China.

If a person in China can build something for cheaper than in America, LET THEM - that is economic efficiency. An efficient economy will always win over an corrupt, inefficient one. Americans should only do jobs that only Americans can do, like high-end services jobs. Our economy is based on massive higher-education - the best in the world. No other country has a university system like ours, and we should take advantage of that.

We don't want Americans to perform manual labor that oxen can do. We only want engineers and scientists and artist - people that can create value with their minds.

New York, Silicon Valley and Hollywood are good examples of the kind of economy the US should be going forward.

A good example of complete economic failure is Russia - their economy is entirely based on selling things they find on the ground. When was the last time anyone bought something designed/made in Russia?

 

[MacCurry]

That’s my point. Times have changed. Systems should change with it.

Then change the constitution, but that won't happen. Either that or secede like Confederate states did and you'll start a civil war. Nobody would like to see that. So quit complaining and campaign to win the electoral college. It's been done by Democrats before and they can do it again. One day the tables will be turned and it will be the opposite party complaining about the electoral college. If we went by popular vote, we would have Kanye West as president.

 

[fairuz]

You have not the first clue about what you are speaking. 5 months for a doctor visit? Are you on crack? Maybe 5 months to get an MRI. A doctor visit in any city takes about five minutes. Plus, we can actually go and get fixed up without choosing between crippling debt and much worse health down the road. We voted Tommy Douglas, the architect of health care, as the greatest Canadian of all time. You are lying or woefully misinformed. Either way, never ever speak with authority about us again.

We can simply buy health insurance in the US and never have issues. I'm a healthy person and like being able to pay less because of it. I'm still not so much against the idea of gov't healthcare, but Obamacare ended up taxing everyone who didn't support it (like the self-employed who don't have lobby groups), which is very uncool.

And maybe Canada is better at this, but the US is idiotic spending-wise when it comes to these things. Just the frickin website for Obamacare cost at least $2Bn initially for what was effectively an info-site with some really broken signup procedure. To look at the bigger picture, all public spending is 10X the cost for the same outcome as anywhere else, and separately we don't even have national IDs for ideological reasons. The country just isn't set up well for socialist-style programs.

 

[Greenmeenie]

It’s funny too. Even Trump thought he was going to lose the electoral college. In fact, the week before the 2016 election, he was talking about how the electoral college should be abolished. He was so convinced with his inflated ego that he’d win the popular vote but lose the electoral college he was saying how the system was rigged. He had to do a complete 180 however when he lost the popular vote but won the electoral college. Suddenly it was millions of illegals voting that lost him the popular vote. Lol. What a pathetic idiot. Lol.

 

[fairuz]

What I wrote about Slavery & the electoral college clearly said it was an early precursor to the electoral college reasoning.

Lastly, why we should switch to a popular vote is simple.
By electing our President solely based on who the majority of our population selects, without the inclusion of an Electoral College, the vote of every American citizen would hold equal weight and significance. Under this new system, when we vote for President we would actually be voting for President, not instructing ‘electors’ on how we want them to vote. The will of the American people would always be executed and honored, and could never be thwarted.

With the Electoral College, the voting power of the people has been diluted and unequally distributed across our nation. It’s time that we begin to amend our broken process.

In urban areas, the people still aren't equal in a popular vote. There are big influencers. Move to a rural area if you want more influence in the system we have.

 

[Starfyre]

Apple would do well to make sure we get good deals on Macbooks before the tariffs hit.

 

[Greenmeenie]

Then change the constitution, but that won't happen. Either that or secede like Confederate states did and you'll start a civil war. Nobody would like to see that. So quit complaining and campaign to win the electoral college. It's been done by Democrats before and they can do it again. One day the tables will be turned and it will be the opposite party complaining about the electoral college. If we went by popular vote, we would have Kanye West as president.

Lol. Kanye? We’ve already got a celebrity President, and he lost the popular vote by 3 million. As much as I knock America(cause that’s the beauty of America)...I give us the credit for being smarter than that. Given the choice, I believe the majority of Americans are not stupid, and would not vote for Kanye...or as it turns out for Trump. I welcome them amending the constitution(as we have done before) and switch to the popular vote. Because at least when you lose the popular vote...you know that the majority of America rejected you. Heh heh heh. Truth hurts eh Trump. Lol

 

[MacCurry]

We can simply buy health insurance in the US. I'm a healthy person and like being able to pay less because of it. I'm still not so much against the idea of gov't healthcare, but Obamacare ended up taxing everyone who didn't support it (like the self-employed who don't have lobby groups), which is very uncool.

And maybe Canada is better at this, but the US is idiotic spending-wise when it comes to these things. Just the frickin website for Obamacare cost at least $2Bn initially for what was effectively an info-site with some really broken signup procedure. To look at the bigger picture, we don't even have national IDs because it goes against American values. The country just isn't set up well for these programs.

The ACA (Obamacare) was challenged in the SCOTUS for regulating non-economic activity by the federal government using the Commerce Clause. SCOTUS declared in constitutional, but did say that the ACA was a tax.

 

[fairuz]

Lol. Kanye? We’ve already got a celebrity President, and he lost the popular vote by 3 million. As much as I knock America(cause that’s the beauty of America)...I give us the credit for being smarter than that. Given the choice, I believe the majority of Americans are not stupid, and would not vote for Kanye...or as it turns out for Trump. I welcome them amending the constitution(as we have done before) and switch to the popular vote. Because at least when you lose the popular vote...you know that the majority of America rejected you. Heh heh heh. Truth hurts eh Trump. Lol

If it were a popular vote, all candidates would have played differently. Trump could just as easily have positioned himself to win it.

 

[MacCurry]

Lol. Kanye? We’ve already got a celebrity President, and he lost the popular vote by 3 million. As much as I knock America(cause that’s the beauty of America)...I give us the credit for being smarter than that. Given the choice, I believe the majority of Americans are not stupid, and would not vote for Kanye...or as it turns out for Trump. I welcome them amending the constitution(as we have done before) and switch to the popular vote. Because at least when you lose the popular vote...you know that the majority of America rejected you. Heh heh heh. Truth hurts eh Trump. Lol

DT won by the Electoral College and that is ALL that counts in the system we have. So you must live with it along with the rest of California.
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Apple would do well to make sure we get good deals on Macbooks before the tariffs hit.

The tariffs need to be in the 18% range which is what other countries put on US products at a minimum.

 

[ryuok]

Apple is such an important card, it would be silly for Trump not to use it at some point. The US is ready for reindustrialization, and those who still believe in globalisation are holding up the progress. If you think this is just Trump being Trump, you are dead wrong. He is merely matching on the inevitable path of reversing globalisation which has failed terribly for most Americans. Obama was the one who paved the way for him by creating energy independence. So the path is clearly bi-partisan.

 

[fairuz]

The tariffs need to be in the 18% range which is what other countries put on US products at a minimum.

Europe also imposes spec regulations that are deliberately meant to reduce American competition in tech, both hardware and software. This has been happening at least since the 60s. I sure don't want us to follow suit in that respect, but it's something to consider when we call them "trade friends."

 

[Ramchi]

if that is the case, wouldn't building the iPhones in America be cheaper? I though I saw some articles few years ago saying that the iPhone would only cost like 5% more if build in the USA?

I am not sure about "just 5% more" but the cost of labour in USA considering minimum wages exist in US for exceptionally good skills to assemble complex products in big volume, it will most likely be far more expensive.....than importing from overseas.

You need skills and volume (already Tim Cook had mentioned once that China offers work space where millions of mobiles are built in one place unlike USA)....

IMO very long shot unless USA imports highly skilled cheap work force!!!
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Europe also imposes spec regulations that are deliberately meant to reduce American competition in tech, both hardware and software. This has been happening at least since the 60s.

Even in our country there are special duties levied for certain types of products from other countries especially Mobile Phones, electronic etc.. primarily durto currency exchange valuation..

 

[Greenmeenie]

DT won by the Electoral College and that is ALL that counts in the system we have. So you must live with it along with the rest of California.
[doublepost=1543300740][/doublepost]

The tariffs need to be in the 18% range which is what other countries put on US products at a minimum.

Hey man, i’m livin’ with it. And if the midterms are any indication... we’ll only have to live with it for another 2 years. Lol. Providing of course Mueller doesn’t drop a bomb and ruin Trump’s day sooner. But hey, I could be wrong. I was as shocked as anyone when Trump won in 2016. Hillary winning the popular vote not withstanding, I was a Bernie supporter and wasn’t a huge fan of hers. But still, I thought she’d win. So did Trump. By all inside accounts he and his entire staff thought he was going to lose. Who knows what’s gonna happen in 2020. We don’t even know what Dems are running or if Trump will get a challenger in the Republican Party like Kasich or Romney.

 

[MacCurry]

Apple is such an important card, it would be silly for Trump not to use it at some point. The US is ready for reindustrialization, and those who still believe in globalisation are holding up the progress. If you think this is just Trump being Trump, you are dead wrong. He is merely matching on the inevitable path of reversing globalisation which has failed terribly for most Americans. Obama was the one who paved the way for him by creating energy independence. So the path is clearly bi-partisan.

This is true. The problem that comes up is that the US for several decades has promoted globalization. Now that it has happened, it hasn't worked entirely in favor of the US. So the US wants to change the rules again. Many countries in Asia have a long memory and remember European colonization and exploitation. They will remember this event of the US trying to change the rules and in turn be reluctant to enter partnership with the US. We in the US may not care what the rest of the world thinks as employment and manufacturing at home is more important.

 

[nexusrule]

Have you talked to a real Canadian lately? I’m up there often and buddy I’ll tell you... they hate their socialist healthcare. I personally know individuals who have waited upwards of 5 months for a basic doctors visit. If their system was so good, why do supplemental health insurance plans exist up there? So people who can afford private insurance can skip the lines. Why do they need private doctor clinics if the government system was so great?

Everything in this planet has a cost, NOTHING IS FREE. You know how Canada pays for its social healthcare? Ask a Canadian what their income tax is. It’s on average 40-55% of gross pay.

Same goes for education and the Cortez gal in NYC.. she’s refused over and over to explain how the heck she’s going to pay for her ideas.

Great ideas, but NOBODY WANTS TO PAY FOR IT.

Sure it’s a better model to make 2-300k of debts to get a degree. I am a UX designer and my partner is a scientist. We work at a big tech company and a prestigious university both employing people from all over the world. We spent probably 12-14k euros each on university. Our salaries are the same than our American colleagues except we have no debts at all.

 

[fairuz]

This is true. The problem that comes up is that the US for several decades has promoted globalization. Now that it has happened, it hasn't worked entirely in favor of the US. So the US wants to change the rules again. Many countries in Asia have a long memory and remember European colonization and exploitation. They will remember this event of the US trying to change the rules and in turn be reluctant to enter partnership with the US. We in the US may not care what the rest of the world thinks as employment and manufacturing at home is more important.

I think globalization has worked well for us. US economy is dominating in tech, the new most-valuable-industry. We're taking the best people from the other countries for every industry, not just tech. American businesses even make money abroad and bring it in. Meanwhile all the other countries are realizing whatever inferior government and economy they have can't face the reality, and things are falling apart even in Europe.

Funniest is that things like Facebook and Instagram would otherwise be a net negative on our economy (waste of resources to build and waste of time to use), but this way there are more foreign users than domestic so we take the ad revenue at their loss. Maybe I shouldn't even tell them that.