Tariff pressure
The big unknown is starting to stare at us and no one seems to be saying “uncle” yet.
For years I was told about the advantages of trade. I still believe in trade and it has provided more opportunities for those of us whose livelihood depends on the export of farm products. President Donald Trump believes many trade agreements have not benefitted America and he is on a mission to change that. Other countries have taken notice, including common trade partners.
To say the trade war rhetoric has gone over well would be a misstatement as United States trading partners are offering strong rebuttals in light of Trump’s assertions America has been taken advantage of in the commerce front.
Trade remains a complicated topic in the modern era. When commerce flows both ways it can to build a healthy relationship between countries. Over time it has provided opportunities to export farm products and agricultural equipment. For the most part I never questioned it, accepting the explanations provided by lawmakers and unbiased research from public universities through their professors and graduate students as they churned out papers assessing trade opportunities and complexities.
The hardest premise is trying to equalize free and fair trade because the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If I was textile worker in South Carolina I’d be upset with trade deals that appear to undermine my industry while those who work in other industries find trade pacts lucrative.
Who decides what is a trade priority is another beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Presidents and Congress change and that makes what was once unthinkable, thinkable in terms of trade.
We are one step closer to an escalation in trade rhetoric and perhaps a true trade war. It has made Republicans sound like Democrats and Republicans sound like Democrats. In the White House, President Trump has voiced it in terms of national security in protecting industries that in some cases have long been abandoned and his presidency has allowed those voices to be heard again. It is healthy to discuss trade’s pluses and trap doors.
In the end all parties in trade have to do what they think is best.
I’m hoping that through this period the nation’s land-grant colleges will continue to do their research and provide clarity and lawmakers will carefully study it.
Trade is tough to understand. It is going to get a lot tougher now. I hope the president does not get us into a downward spiral. The times are uncertain and so apparently are trade deals.
