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Surviving Trump’s Tariffs

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By Maya Mackey

Trump’s tariff war increases every day. It’s only been a week and he’s already declared and reneged a tax increase on products shipped from Colombia. While Colombia and the U.S. have quickly squashed their beef, there are several other countries that American consumers rely on for goods.  Increased tariffs will mean paying more, or having a shortage of goods, as countries may begin to refuse trade. Countries currently under threat by Trump include Russia, China, and India.  There is a 25% tariff on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico as well as a general threat to Europe and the UK to buy their gas from America, even though the U.S. is not the greatest exporter of gas to begin with.

Potential products under attack for increased taxes include computer chips, mainly imported from Taiwan to help run our everyday tech. Taiwan is the biggest supplier of the parts that make Apple products run efficiently. The newest version of the iPhone currently retails at $799 but the next drop could skyrocket to over $1,000 if Trump gets his way.  Trump is also suggesting increased taxes on pharmaceutical drugs and products.  Your prescription meds may skyrocket. One of Biden’s most successful stints was capping insulin at $35.

Aluminum, copper, and steel are also on his list–metals needed to produce U.S. military hardware and automobiles. Another catastrophic ordeal will be a food shortage that will inevitably create even more inflation around groceries as markets will compete to get food on their shelves. We do not need to despair however. We must simply become more thrifty and innovative.

When it comes to food, there are several communal efforts in place right now to help families circumvent their needs for quality and affordable food. I wrote about the community fridge movement earlier this month, where people volunteer to buy and stock up food in refrigerators around the city of L.A., including Inglewood. 

You can also download the Too Good to Go app on your phone. Too Good To Go aims to eradicate food waste in America. How it works is you search the different restaurants with offerings in your area. They create “surprise” bags full of pastries and food that are fresh enough to consume but not fresh enough to “sell” under the guise of capitalism. You pay a small price for the fresh pastries (like $4.99 for a dozen donuts at Krispy Kreme) and pick them up during a chosen time window. 

If your hands are too full to drive crosstown picking items up, the Social Justice Learning Center in Inglewood runs a program called “Food For Thought Produce Pickup” where they will distribute fresh produce to a school in the neighborhood and families can pick what they want. Whatever produce isn’t picked becomes compost and is planted back into the earth, a win for families in need and a win for the earth and climate change. The South Central Farmers run a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program where they deliver boxes of farm-to-table produce to your home. You can choose between a one-time delivery or a recurring monthly drop off. Buying directly from a California farm ensures that you skip out on foreign tariffs and if money becomes too tight a resource, the free food in any local community fridge should help you get by.

When it comes to the other imported goods like tech, consider decreasing your consumerism. Don’t upgrade your phone every six to twelve months. Keep your phone in good shape and own it until it actually stops running properly. Get an extended warranty on your tech products if you can and if you must replace them, consider buying them refurbished in order to decrease hazardous waste and disincentivize overseas suppliers from increasing the prices of what has now become an essential good. The next four years will be a sprint and we cannot be lulled and distracted by our old mindsets and clutch for comfort. It is time to adapt, innovate and organize like never before. Where our government fails, the people will prevail. 

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