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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump is terrible for rural America by Paul Krugman
Last edited Tue May 14, 2019, 01:00 AM - Edit history (1)
Trump is terrible for rural America by Paul Krugman at the Seattle Times
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/trump-is-terrible-for-rural-america/
"SNIP.....
What about protectionism? The U.S. farm sector is hugely dependent on access to world markets, much more so than the economy as a whole. American soybean growers export half of what they produce; wheat farmers export 46% of their crop. China, in particular, has become a key market for U.S. farm products. Thats why Trumps recent rage-tweeting over trade, which raised the prospect of an expanded trade war, sent grain markets to a 42-year low.
Its important to realize, by the way, that the threat to farmers isnt just about possible foreign retaliation to Trumps tariffs. One fundamental principle in international economics is that in the long run, taxes on imports end up being taxes on exports as well, usually because they lead to a higher dollar. If the world descends into trade war, U.S. imports and exports will both shrink and farmers, among our most important exporters, will be the biggest losers.
Why, then, do rural areas support Trump? A lot of it has to do with cultural factors. In particular, rural voters are far more hostile to immigrants than urban voters especially in communities where there are few immigrants to be found. Lack of familiarity apparently breeds contempt.
Rural voters also feel disrespected by coastal elites, and Trump has managed to channel their anger. No doubt many rural voters, if they happened to read this column, would react with rage, not at Trump, but at me: So you think were stupid!
......SNIP"
LonePirate
(13,448 posts)Especially if their reason for doing so was due to being angry at coastal elites. I live in the Midwest so does that make them angry at me, too? I don't care one way or another.
MontanaFarmer
(630 posts)but they can get sucked into culture wars (guns and abortion) easily. Also, they've bought the tax cut fallacy. That being said, this newfound populism from Warren, Sanders, Klobuchar and others dealing with huge mergers, coupled with this trade disaster, has hit on something. Dems have an opportunity, maybe not to win, but certainly to "make some hay" in rural America for the first time in awhile.
lunasun
(21,646 posts)No just hateful
Emotional enough to let hate override facts and harm themselves
And if I were the Chinese, I do not think I would I ever come back to the American market .
I doubt even if they are rural Murcans biggest customer they are loved by these people .
They will bite the hand that feeds them if jealous enough of the Chinese
No way to know what they are doing to the crops before they send them to China or to control toxic additives added by deplorables
China is one place that should already know that is a possibility