$800 De Minimis Import Tax Exemption Set To End Friday
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Now,now, we can't talk about regions or pot-lucks around here
Back about fifty years ago all of the world’s social and economic problems were solved by a think tank in the William Carter Residence Hall at 5030 Cherry KCMO.
I was a hard sell on free trade. My argument was if they’d ever drive by the shotgun houses and tar paper shacks of Cedar County, they’d support a protective tariff for the Lee’s bib overall company by Greenfield.
If those men’s wives weren’t able to work at semi skilled clothing factory jobs those men would all lose their rocky, hardscrabble, brushy farms.
What persuaded me was that the way to improve life in the Ozarks was to trade our world class milk products there for blue jeans and bib overalls made in places that were better at making blue jeans and bib overalls. I never was quite comfortable with it, but I bought into “comparative advantage”.
At the time Lee jeans were close to $20 and bib overalls close to $30. Levi’s cost more, of course, made in San Francisco instead of Cedar County Missouri.
Hiland Dairy is still at Springfield.
The smallest dairy farm left now around Humansville milks 800 cows using 100% South American work visa laborers (???) and you seldom see the workers who live in a metal sided two story dormitory when they aren’t milking. The nearest Walmart is 20 miles away.
And Humansville looks so Deliverance level ghetto today my wife insisted I buy her a $200 pocket nine the last time I visited.
I can see why rural people are angry.
Capitalism steamrolled them under.
And the rich capitalists blamed cheap commie labor.
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Missouri has detected measles in the state following outbreaks in several states and countries. In 2025, seven cases have been detected and confirmed in the state. Measles is highly contagious and can be life-threatening to anyone who is not vaccinated. Measles can be prevented with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. DHSS is working with local health departments to investigate and respond to prevent further spread.
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Although other bad news always makes the top of the page, daily those who follow agriculture news can see the coming farm crisis looming.
NCGA: Corn is 'Unprofitable' at Current Price Levels | Hoosier Ag Today - https://www.hoosieragtoday.com/2025/08/27/ncga-corn-is-unprofitable/?amp=1
Normally the government buys about 2 billion dollars worth of crops, mostly wheat, to feed poverty stricken nations and support crop prices through USA AID. That’s gone.
Of far more importance to farmers each year the government spends about 80 billion for feeding America’s poor, and children and seniors. Those programs are dramatically shrinking due to the BBB.
There’s a huge swath of the nation headed towards economic catastrophe and no good way out. Even if the trade war ended tomorrow those trade deals were years, even decades in the making.
Who would want to make a trade deal with us now?
If the government does as they have done previously and bail out crop producers that only adds to the problem of too many crops and not enough market demand. They’ll plant more acres next year to lower their losses. They have million dollar combine loans and land loans to pay. And next year the farm bail outs are more expensive.
So long as we don’t hit our national credit card limits this will be a slow motion train wreck in the heartland.
NCGA: Corn is 'Unprofitable' at Current Price Levels | Hoosier Ag Today - https://www.hoosieragtoday.com/2025/08/27/ncga-corn-is-unprofitable/?amp=1
Normally the government buys about 2 billion dollars worth of crops, mostly wheat, to feed poverty stricken nations and support crop prices through USA AID. That’s gone.
Of far more importance to farmers each year the government spends about 80 billion for feeding America’s poor, and children and seniors. Those programs are dramatically shrinking due to the BBB.
There’s a huge swath of the nation headed towards economic catastrophe and no good way out. Even if the trade war ended tomorrow those trade deals were years, even decades in the making.
Who would want to make a trade deal with us now?
If the government does as they have done previously and bail out crop producers that only adds to the problem of too many crops and not enough market demand. They’ll plant more acres next year to lower their losses. They have million dollar combine loans and land loans to pay. And next year the farm bail outs are more expensive.
So long as we don’t hit our national credit card limits this will be a slow motion train wreck in the heartland.
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Yes this is a big pain in the ass, freezing three packages that were going to the US. If you are buying from Europe just message the seller and in most cases they will gladly make some necessary adjustments, especially if the payment doesn’t go through the platform they are selling on.
Although a small grain market by market share all the true bourbon whiskey for sale around the world is made from USA grain in Kentucky and Tennessee, and some little from other states.
Those distilleries support a lot of jobs.
And they are being devastated in the trade wars.
www.newsweek.com
And exports of expensive varieties of American wine are falling all around the world.
Canada's retaliatory tariffs have left the U.S. wine industry reeling
America’s wineries have worked hard since the days of the Porter Wagoner Show to improve American wine, and export it.
Daddy and the Wine
Historically, all trade wars come to an end when governments realize there are no real winners, only losers on both sides.
Lookie what’s still on the US Senate website.
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As the economists predicted, the high tariff proved to be a disaster. Even before its enactment, U.S. trading partners began retaliating by raising their tariff rates, which froze international trade. The tariff fight solidified Hoover’s ties with Republican regulars, but it shredded his standing among his party’s progressives. Most of the progressive Republican senators who had campaigned for Hoover in 1928 wound up endorsing Franklin D. Roosevelt for president in the next election. Nor did the tariff sit well with the voters. In 1932 they turned the majority in both houses over to the Democrats, by large margins. The voters also made clear their disdain for the Smoot-Hawley tariff by booting both Reed Smoot and Willis Hawley out of office that year.
www.senate.gov
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It would be so wonderful if tariffs were a magic bullet economic solution.
But no nation has ever taxed it’s way into prosperity.
They grow prosperous producing what they do better than other nations.
Those distilleries support a lot of jobs.
And they are being devastated in the trade wars.
Multiple Kentucky whiskey distilleries file for bankruptcy
Mounting debt and falling demand are increasingly defining the state's storied whiskey industry.
www.newsweek.com
And exports of expensive varieties of American wine are falling all around the world.
Canada's retaliatory tariffs have left the U.S. wine industry reeling
America’s wineries have worked hard since the days of the Porter Wagoner Show to improve American wine, and export it.
Daddy and the Wine
Historically, all trade wars come to an end when governments realize there are no real winners, only losers on both sides.
Lookie what’s still on the US Senate website.
——
As the economists predicted, the high tariff proved to be a disaster. Even before its enactment, U.S. trading partners began retaliating by raising their tariff rates, which froze international trade. The tariff fight solidified Hoover’s ties with Republican regulars, but it shredded his standing among his party’s progressives. Most of the progressive Republican senators who had campaigned for Hoover in 1928 wound up endorsing Franklin D. Roosevelt for president in the next election. Nor did the tariff sit well with the voters. In 1932 they turned the majority in both houses over to the Democrats, by large margins. The voters also made clear their disdain for the Smoot-Hawley tariff by booting both Reed Smoot and Willis Hawley out of office that year.
U.S. Senate: The Senate Passes the Smoot-Hawley Tariff
1921: The Senate Passes the Smoot-Hawley Tariff
www.senate.gov
It would be so wonderful if tariffs were a magic bullet economic solution.
But no nation has ever taxed it’s way into prosperity.
They grow prosperous producing what they do better than other nations.
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I love tariffs. I wish they were higher. Are even quadrupled. Then you could pontificate more.Although a small grain market by market share all the true bourbon whiskey for sale around the world is made from USA grain in Kentucky and Tennessee, and some little from other states.
Those distilleries support a lot of jobs.
And they are being devastated in the trade wars.
Multiple Kentucky whiskey distilleries file for bankruptcy
Mounting debt and falling demand are increasingly defining the state's storied whiskey industry.
And exports of expensive varieties of American wine are falling all around the world.
Canada's retaliatory tariffs have left the U.S. wine industry reeling
America’s wineries have worked hard since the days of the Porter Wagoner Show to improve American wine, and export it.
Daddy and the Wine
Historically, all trade wars come to an end when governments realize there are no real winners, only losers on both sides.
Lookie what’s still on the US Senate website.
——
As the economists predicted, the high tariff proved to be a disaster. Even before its enactment, U.S. trading partners began retaliating by raising their tariff rates, which froze international trade. The tariff fight solidified Hoover’s ties with Republican regulars, but it shredded his standing among his party’s progressives. Most of the progressive Republican senators who had campaigned for Hoover in 1928 wound up endorsing Franklin D. Roosevelt for president in the next election. Nor did the tariff sit well with the voters. In 1932 they turned the majority in both houses over to the Democrats, by large margins. The voters also made clear their disdain for the Smoot-Hawley tariff by booting both Reed Smoot and Willis Hawley out of office that year.
——U.S. Senate: The Senate Passes the Smoot-Hawley Tariff
1921: The Senate Passes the Smoot-Hawley Tariff
It would be so wonderful if tariffs were a magic bullet economic solution.
But no nation has ever taxed it’s way into prosperity.
They grow prosperous producing what they do better than other nations.
If you like the tariffs, just wait until November 1st and see what health insurance has in store for you this year.
I mean, what's a 17% increase, tis but a scratch!
Those of us officially in geezerdom pay about $175 a month deducted from our Social Security checks for gold plated single payer government health insurance called Medicare.
Doctors and receptionists love to see us geezers on Medicare!
But when millions lose their Medicaid and marketplace insurance and employers drop plans and the number of uninsured rise, then we fortunate geezers will have fewer providers and steeper premiums and will wait longer and drive further for all the inevitable maladies geezerdom brings.
Without even discussing the immorality of favoring the well to do retired geezers over struggling working families, or taxing their necessities and small luxuries like coffee.
All governments put a spin on their policies.
But they can’t spin low farm commodities prices—
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Based on current price and yield expectations, for the 2025/2026 marketing year, the revenue shortfall (that is, crop revenue1 minus total costs) is expected to be the largest for cotton at $339, or 38% below breakeven. Other crops such as grain sorghum are projected at $174, or 40% below breakeven, and corn at $161, or 19% below breakeven. Wheat is the “least loser” with a $96/ac. shortfall. Importantly, for every major U.S. field crop, the projected revenue in 2025 is below the projected cost of production, marking the third year in a row of low or negative economic returns, on average, for crop farm families.
Terrain | Crop Margins Likely to Remain Tight in 2025
Terrain provides exclusive insight and confident forecasting for a more resilient agricultural economy. An exclusive offering of American AgCredit, Farm Credit Services of America and Frontier Farm Credit, three leading Farm Credit Associations.
www.terrainag.com
The farm sector and all the industries it supports is steaming towards the iceberg.
And while tariffs do favor the few, the American farmer is the first casualty of any trade war.
How many years will the taxpayers support a Soviet style farming industry that perpetually loses money, for every crop, on every acre?
And one where every disposable dollar of farm income is borrowed money or taxpayer subsidies?
Take a tour of all the little Humansvilles of the Ozarks to see what happened when the government abandoned small dairies about forty years ago.
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The one thing I have not seen mentioned, yet, is most shipping (on the retail level) from Europe to the US will simply not occur. The UK and several other nations have suspended this type of shipping because they do not have a mechanism in place to collect the tariffs.
As someone that, is headed to Europe soon, the 15% would surely curtail the amount of gifts sent back to the states. This is just bad for everyone,
‘BTW IBTL
As someone that, is headed to Europe soon, the 15% would surely curtail the amount of gifts sent back to the states. This is just bad for everyone,
‘BTW IBTL
Wonder if and/or to what degree this will affect restocking Peterson pipes by US retailers.
Laudisi will have to relocate Peterson production in the US
SPC stopped their VIP Discounts on them if thats any indication?
Savinelli as well.
Could be wrong, but I’d assume they get imported in large lots and thus, probably already paying import duties. It’s not like they import 1 pipe at a time.
I still have 5% listed as a discount for Bronze for Peterson and Savinelli.
Seems like every day another country is stopping mail of packages to the US, due to confusion regarding what to charge due to tariffs and taxes (Of course, a tariff IS a tax that gets paid by US importers who, at their discretion, pass the increased cost on to you). Today, Mexico declared that they would not send mail to the US until they got more clarity about how to charge for any new tariffs or taxes. That brings the total to about 30 countries that have suspended or limited postal services to the US.
The Yale Budget Lab estimates that tariffs will increase the cost of normal purchases by $2400 per household for 2025. Think of that as a tax hike.
In the meantime, the confusion grows.
The Yale Budget Lab estimates that tariffs will increase the cost of normal purchases by $2400 per household for 2025. Think of that as a tax hike.
In the meantime, the confusion grows.
I have that for everything but the specifics for Savinelli and Peterson dropped and those were significantly higher.
No biggie but it would’ve been nice to be notified instead of them just disappearing. That compounded with 2 of my last 3 Petersons having serious fill and stem fitment issues kinda sealed the end of current production Pete’s for me.
Ah. Silver or Gold? Highest I ever had was silver I was surprised when I dropped back to bronze. Didn’t realize it was a yearly thing.
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