@hightor,
Quote:‘Empty shelves, higher prices’: Americans tell of cost of Trump’s tariffs
US consumers say price rises caused by president’s tariffs contradicts his promise to make life more affordable
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/19/trump-tariffs-us-consumers
After reading the above article, I was reminded of a history lesson.
Quote:The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and corn enforced in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1846. The word corn in British English denotes all cereal grains, including wheat, oats and barley.[1] The laws were designed to keep corn prices high to favour domestic farmers, and represented British mercantilism.[a] The Corn Laws blocked the import of cheap corn, initially by simply forbidding importation below a set price, and later by imposing steep import duties, making it too expensive to import it from abroad, even when food supplies were short. The House of Commons passed the corn law bill on 10 March 1815, the House of Lords on 20 March and the bill received royal assent on 23 March 1815.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_Laws
Back then the true aristocracy were landowners. Industrialists were jumped up and viewed as grubby by the landed gentry.
Like today the very rich used tariffs to increase/consolidate their wealth while the poor starved. It was overturned by industrialist's lobbying because they were the ones having to pay higher wages so their workers wouldn't starve.
Lets hope these tariffs don't last thirty years.