Alibaba's Jack Ma backs down from promise to Trump to bring 1 million jobs to the US

[Benton]

(09-20-2018, 10:56 AM)Au165 Wrote: Tariffs don't take into account the technological factors at play today. They are an archaic tool that doesn't work in today's world because the options aren't pay people here to make it or pay them there, now there is a third option of let a robot make it. If things cost to much to make here or abroad robots will be made to eliminate the human cost. It is not science fiction it is happening. Heck McDonalds and other fast food joints are adding kiosks to prepare for the point when worker wages exceed the cost of automation. There will come a time eventually where you order on a kiosk and a machine builds your big mac. It'll create mid level programming and technical servicing jobs but not the production and unskilled labor jobs people think these Tariffs will bring back.

To the bold, we aren't there yet. And if we get there, that's where the balance comes in. Consumers and workers have choices. Government can legislate to encourage consumer decisions that promote American jobs, or they can legislate to encourage consumer decisions that promote jobs in other countries.

Personally, I don't use kiosks. It put someone out of a job in the name of increased profit. If no one used them, companies would be forced to stop doing it or see customers go to another competitor.

Tariffs help. We need more of them. And we need a realistic look at tying wages to the economy, tax reform and other economic foibles otherwise we're going to be stuck in deficit spending forever.