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Tariffs on the EU: Well-Intended, Poorly Executed, and Probably Going to Cost Us More Cheese
You ever try to fix one problem and accidentally create three new ones? Like when you go to tighten a wobbly table leg and somehow end up breaking the whole table? That’s kind of what these U.S. tariffs on the European Union feel like. On paper, the idea makes sense: protect American industries, pressure for fairer trade terms, and look tough doing it. But in reality? It’s starting to feel like we might be punching ourselves in the wallet.
Let’s talk basics. Tariffs are basically a fancy tax on stuff we import. When we throw those on goods from the EU—like cars, wine, or that absurdly good fancy cheese that comes wrapped like it’s going to a gala—we’re not just making a statement. We’re also making everything more expensive. You wanted brie? Congratulations, now you’re paying $3 more to fight a trade war you didn’t sign up for.
And inflation? Oh, inflation is just lurking in the background, waiting for its cue to enter stage left and ruin your grocery run. Raising import costs means companies either eat the loss (spoiler: they won’t) or pass it to the consumer (ding ding ding). So now your European olive oil is suddenly a luxury item, and the pasta night you looked forward to is blowing up your budget. It’s like we’re fighting economic fire with a very expensive flamethrower.
Then there’s the supply chain drama. U.S. manufacturers who depend on European components are now scrambling like someone who just realized they RSVP’d to two weddings on the same day. They’ve got to find new sources, change suppliers, or cough up more cash. That doesn’t help anyone—not small businesses, not workers, and definitely not the customers stuck footing the bill.
Now, don’t get me wrong. The U.S. has legitimate complaints about EU trade practices. Some of their subsidies and regulations really do stack the deck. But tariffs are the economic equivalent of sending a strongly worded text in all caps—you get your point across, sure, but it’s not exactly a conversation starter. We need smarter strategies, like targeted trade negotiations, collaborative tech standards, or investing in our own industry without setting fire to our grocery aisles.
So yeah, while the heart behind these tariffs might be in the right place, the execution feels like trying to do surgery with a sledgehammer. And until we find a better way, I’ll be over here hoarding reasonably-priced parmesan and hoping cooler heads (and lower prices) prevail.
My unorganized thoughts below.
I believe Trump winning the USA election was overall very good. I myself was censored by the Biden administration in 2021. Indirect but we now know through declassified released records it was them ordering twitter to remove and suspend anyone bringing up legitimate issues with the MRNA Jab.
Anyway that’s a topic for another day. Above I talked about a policy I think the Trump administration is moronic for doing. I tried to leave my sarcastic anarchy tone off it and make it a more digestible post for the financial crew on hive. I personally view the EU as a totally corrupt body. I want the USA to leave NATO. That’s a real punch to this corrupt regime! But this tariff stuff doesn’t do that. It just makes things more expensive for the lower class.