Key highlights from the article illustrating the damage protectionism has done to U.S. manufacturing:
> Manufacturers have shed around 100,000 jobs since Mr Trump took office. Meanwhile, the rest of the economy has gained 300,000. The effect on actual manufacturing output has been closer to a shrug. The purchasing-managers’ index, the longest-standing survey of American manufacturing, published by the Institute for Supply Management (ism), suggests that the sector spent most of 2025 in recession
This makes sense as most manufactured goods, made anywhere, require lots of imported inputs from elsewhere:
> Even manufacturers that do the bulk of their work in America tend to import components from abroad. (Ms Robbins imports 94% of the raw materials for her guitar pedals: switches, jacks, knobs, electronics, and so on. The 6% that comes from the United States is largely packaging.) For many manufacturers, tariffs on steel have been a particular menace; steel is widely used and often imported, and America makes less than it consumes. **Input tariffs are especially damaging for exporters, which are competing with foreign factories that don’t pay the levies at all.**
The best thing for manufacturing is the best thing for growth overall. Lots of available capital, friendly regulatory environment, **and access to global markets**
LittleMsSavoirFaire on
Also today in news: scientists confirm that hitting yourself in the face with a hammer hurts, and may cause side effects including brain damage and death.
According to the rules I have to make some on topic economic argument but this was understood 400 years ago by some guy who lived with his mom.
mist_kaefer on
The last president to use the “Make America great again” slogan turned us into a supply-side economy, in addition to tax cuts to the rich in hopes that the wealth generated would “trickle down” to the less fortunate. He was also an actor before being elected. Quite a few parallels to our current president.
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Key highlights from the article illustrating the damage protectionism has done to U.S. manufacturing:
> Manufacturers have shed around 100,000 jobs since Mr Trump took office. Meanwhile, the rest of the economy has gained 300,000. The effect on actual manufacturing output has been closer to a shrug. The purchasing-managers’ index, the longest-standing survey of American manufacturing, published by the Institute for Supply Management (ism), suggests that the sector spent most of 2025 in recession
This makes sense as most manufactured goods, made anywhere, require lots of imported inputs from elsewhere:
> Even manufacturers that do the bulk of their work in America tend to import components from abroad. (Ms Robbins imports 94% of the raw materials for her guitar pedals: switches, jacks, knobs, electronics, and so on. The 6% that comes from the United States is largely packaging.) For many manufacturers, tariffs on steel have been a particular menace; steel is widely used and often imported, and America makes less than it consumes. **Input tariffs are especially damaging for exporters, which are competing with foreign factories that don’t pay the levies at all.**
The best thing for manufacturing is the best thing for growth overall. Lots of available capital, friendly regulatory environment, **and access to global markets**
Also today in news: scientists confirm that hitting yourself in the face with a hammer hurts, and may cause side effects including brain damage and death.
According to the rules I have to make some on topic economic argument but this was understood 400 years ago by some guy who lived with his mom.
The last president to use the “Make America great again” slogan turned us into a supply-side economy, in addition to tax cuts to the rich in hopes that the wealth generated would “trickle down” to the less fortunate. He was also an actor before being elected. Quite a few parallels to our current president.