Tariffs shouldn't really Hurt us

[u/Sensitive-Pie-6595]

Those who live in Yard know that for so long we have been creating our own products, and buying from anywhere but the US. This goes back to the 1980s when America would give us 'string loans'... that is... they loan us $X but it can only be used to buy American products.

There was a time when in a supermarket big loooong aisles full of US stuff.

Over the years we started to quietly replace them with local products so that we didn't those loans.

We also started buying from other islands so that we had stuff from T'dad and of course, China.

Just before Trump did his tariff thing I looked at where my stuff came from.

Okay, everything that plugs in comes from China. Almost all my clothes come from China.

Now, my groceries.

I buy local stuff and stuff that comes from T'dad and every where else. Like this yogurt I use on my cereal comes from France, the other from Spain and the cereal is Jamaican. The coffee is Jamaican and I use Lasco instead of coffee mate.

The kind of flat breads/wraps i use are made in Jamaica as are the vegetables, soup, porridge, chocolate... in fact... I read labels before purchase.

if you look on the roads we have Toyota, Sukuzi... I haven't seen a US car since some years ago this Dodge.

I think Jamaica is not going to suffer very much because we wisely moved to standing on our own.

[u/xraxraxra]

The United States are far and beyond our biggest trade partners in both imports and exports. There are verifiable numbers behind this fact that appear in the gleaner every week. This will definitely have an effect on us.

[u/Sensitive-Pie-6595 → u/xraxraxra]

not if we don't buy stuff from the US. I just had cereal that is made here, coffee that is grown here.

[u/No_Cabinet7357 → u/Sensitive-Pie-6595]

We would have to find a new supplier for fuel, electronics and machinery though, as the US is currently our biggest source for those things.

On the export side, our exports are going to be more expensive for US consumers, meaning they'll probably buy less from us.

[u/Sensitive-Pie-6595 → u/No_Cabinet7357]

what if we get it direct from China? the stuff is made there, they can bring here directly

[u/AndreTimoll → u/Sensitive-Pie-6595]

We currently do that but they still use US Ports when shipping so that's going increase the price ,and they use Mexico ,Jamaica and the Panama Canal that's going put a strain on those ports leading to delays which will increase the shipping costs and that's going to lead to higher prices.

The entire region will be affected one way or the other until the alternative ports can increase their storage capacity and effiency in processing the containers.

[u/Freethinker3o5 → u/Sensitive-Pie-6595]

What if you just let china just own all of Jamaica? U think the Chinese will let you keep your culture?? Didn’t they ban bibles in china? And controlled the women’s reproductive rights?? Com on now…stop feeding yourself with American democrat/socialist propaganda…

[u/Wolfiie_Gaming → u/Freethinker3o5]

Sigh. A bunch of misinformation in your comment.

1) China isn't trying to erase other countries cultures. There's plenty of countries that have worked extensively with China, especially under Brics, to be an alternative to the US dominated markets and the reign of the US dollar and they still have all their autonomy.

2) I won't comment too much on the Uyghers, as I do believe they've done things to that group including sterilization. But for Chinese citizens, that's just straight up propaganda. They don't sterilize their women. What they did is that during the height of the 1 child policy, they'd put monetary and social restrictions on families who did have more than one child to disincentivize having more children. Having 2 children is already expensive enough as is, and not being able to use government programs will run the average family's pockets.

3) They restricted every religion. It particularly has to do with its ties to colonialism and they decided that it causes too much division amongst people, so they developed a culture around secularism. You're not gonna get pinned down and arrested for having a Bible on your person tho. I know this cause there's Jehovah's Witnesses that operate in China, though they don't have huge facilities like what they have here and in America.

[u/Jamaica-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/Freethinker3o5 → u/Wolfiie_Gaming]

Thanx for taking time out of your day to further elaborate what I basically said..however, buying a Chinese product and stamping it with a Jamaican flag for a Jamaican dollar..doesn’t make the product less made by china