We as workers are losing ground. Bush, tax cuts to take jobs overseas. Trump, tax cuts to bring jobs back. I say put tariffs on all goods made overseas and brought in regardless, then let the cards fall where they may. With foreign-made products not selling because of higher prices, the companies will gladly pay for said relocation of production.
Screw 'em.
My only issue here is we've been down this circular road before.
Election of 1888:
Tariff policy was the principal issue in the election of 1888. Benjamin Harrison took the side of industrialists and factory workers who wanted to keep tariffs high, while incumbent Grover Cleveland strenuously denounced high tariffs as unfair to consumers.
Harrison won. In 1890 the McKinley Tariff was enacted. The tariff raised the average duty on imports to almost fifty percent, an act designed to protect domestic industries from foreign competition.Protectionism, a tactic supported by Republicans, was fiercely debated by politicians and condemned by Democrats.
The Election of 1892:
In the only presidential race that featured two former US Presidents (I think), Harrison lost to Cleveland.
Two reasons: 1) The Grange Movement (a populist third-party effort) drew voters away from Harrison and 2) the McKinley tariff proved to be unpopular as costs for basics rose, in some cases, dramatically.
In general I'm for protective tariffs, but I think we'd be better served by repealing NAFTA and giving American businesses incentives to keep facilities and employees in the US. It would be much cheaper for me to fire all of my developers and hire firms in India and Belarus for pennies on the dollar, but so far I've resisted out of my core belief in the US economy. I believe that by hiring and paying employees, I keep businesses I want and need (from restaurants to clothing stores to gas stations) open.
I lost a contract I really wanted because my competition saw our bid and on their "best and final offer" lowballed us by farming their development out to Croatia. I have no respect for that, but I did wonder how much longer I could hold out. Had that bellowing shrew been elected? I had resigned myself to doing at least some of that. Cutting American workers so I could compete with firms that went outside the US. On a side note? The project that was farmed to Croatia? It failed. Cost the agency several hundred grand and was never delivered. I had to spend a lot of my own development time and money trying to help them get it to work after the fact. Last I heard it was going back out for bid in April. I'm sure they'll make the same mistake again.
A 40-50% tariff won't work, though. We've seen that film before.
Study history. You'll learn things.