E.J. Antoni

Now, you throw on a benefits package, let's say, of another $40,000 or $50,000 for that worker, and all of a sudden, what looks like a $50,000 worker is to the rest of the world is actually about $150,000 in terms of total compensation costs for that factory owner. Conversely, you can send that job overseas and avoid most of that regulatory burden, avoid a lot of that benefits package, let's say.

And you throw on top of that the fact that we tax manufactured goods at a lower rate when they come in from overseas than when they're made here at home. And all of a sudden, it's a no-brainer to send those jobs overseas. burden would be a tremendous boon for the American economy and for the American worker.

And you throw on top of that the fact that we tax manufactured goods at a lower rate when they come in from overseas than when they're made here at home. And all of a sudden, it's a no-brainer to send those jobs overseas. burden would be a tremendous boon for the American economy and for the American worker.

I think so. It's very much a carrot and stick approach at the same time. We saw it in more distant history as well, and it produced exactly the same results. We forget that during America's golden age, when we saw our fastest rates of sustained economic growth, we didn't even have an income tax. The federal government fueled itself entirely basically based on tariff revenue.

I think so. It's very much a carrot and stick approach at the same time. We saw it in more distant history as well, and it produced exactly the same results. We forget that during America's golden age, when we saw our fastest rates of sustained economic growth, we didn't even have an income tax. The federal government fueled itself entirely basically based on tariff revenue.

And so this idea that somehow increasing tariffs or relatively high rates of taxes on imported goods is somehow going to crash the economy or cause runaway inflation, I'm sorry, nothing could be further from the truth. Again, America's golden age had exactly those circumstances, high tariffs, except we didn't have high inflation.

And so this idea that somehow increasing tariffs or relatively high rates of taxes on imported goods is somehow going to crash the economy or cause runaway inflation, I'm sorry, nothing could be further from the truth. Again, America's golden age had exactly those circumstances, high tariffs, except we didn't have high inflation.

We actually had slight deflation during that period of about a tenth of percent per year. So again, there was no runaway inflation. There was no widespread unemployment. It really was America's golden age. And I think it's a key component to repeating that economic success.

We actually had slight deflation during that period of about a tenth of percent per year. So again, there was no runaway inflation. There was no widespread unemployment. It really was America's golden age. And I think it's a key component to repeating that economic success.

No, it wasn't, and it really demonstrates her complete economic illiteracy and also her ignorance of history. Again, just recent history, because under the first Trump administration, every dollar that was imposed of tariffs, only about 19 cents out of each of those dollars was actually paid for by American consumers. The other 81 cents about...

No, it wasn't, and it really demonstrates her complete economic illiteracy and also her ignorance of history. Again, just recent history, because under the first Trump administration, every dollar that was imposed of tariffs, only about 19 cents out of each of those dollars was actually paid for by American consumers. The other 81 cents about...

was paid for by overseas producers like Chinese steel producers, for example. The reason being is that if they tried to pass the full cost of the tariff on to American consumers and American businesses in the form of higher prices, then American consumers and businesses would simply choose an alternative that would at that point have been cheaper.

was paid for by overseas producers like Chinese steel producers, for example. The reason being is that if they tried to pass the full cost of the tariff on to American consumers and American businesses in the form of higher prices, then American consumers and businesses would simply choose an alternative that would at that point have been cheaper.

So maybe that was importing from another country like Sweden and getting our steel from there. Or maybe it was getting our steel from domestic producers here at home, whatever the case may be. So you have to always keep in mind what we like to call tax incidents, which tells us not who is actually literally paying the tax, but who is actually paying the tax.

So maybe that was importing from another country like Sweden and getting our steel from there. Or maybe it was getting our steel from domestic producers here at home, whatever the case may be. So you have to always keep in mind what we like to call tax incidents, which tells us not who is actually literally paying the tax, but who is actually paying the tax.

In other words, just because a Chinese company is writing the check to the treasury doesn't mean that they're ultimately the ones bearing the cost. Now, in this case, they were. Again, it was about 81 cents on the dollar that they actually had to pay. But that's just one example of what would happen if we continue this policy.

In other words, just because a Chinese company is writing the check to the treasury doesn't mean that they're ultimately the ones bearing the cost. Now, in this case, they were. Again, it was about 81 cents on the dollar that they actually had to pay. But that's just one example of what would happen if we continue this policy.

Now, that stands in stark contrast to domestic taxes, like the income tax or like a sales tax, where no matter where the tax incidence is, either on the seller or the buyer, it's still falling on an American.

Now, that stands in stark contrast to domestic taxes, like the income tax or like a sales tax, where no matter where the tax incidence is, either on the seller or the buyer, it's still falling on an American.

And so the difference between tariffs here and any of those strictly domestic taxes is that the tariffs are essentially causing foreigners to help pay America's tax liability instead of putting the entire burden on the American people.