Tariffs [View all]
My wife wanted new kitchen appliances, white like always, until she found out they wanted $500 more for a white refrigerator than stainless steel.
She bought stainless stove, refrigerator and a stainless dishwasher, all three, for less than stove and refrigerator would have been in white.
Purchased from a big box store 30 miles from us. Appliances came delivered last Monday by a subcontractor to the big box store, in a high cube van, straight truck with hydraulic tailgate.
Driver and helper were Black guys, English wasn't their native language but they could speak English. They were well-dressed alike in black, polite, soft-spoken, efficient, knew what needed to be done, had necessary tools with them, unlike various other previous domestic goober deliverymen.
They were talking quietly between themselves in Spanish about who needed to do what next. One of them asked where certain part or tool was, and I responded “aqui”, pointing.
One asked if I spoke Spanish. I replied, “Muy poquito y muy malo” which drew laughs. I asked where they were from and they said from the Dominican Republic.
The stove and refrigerator boxes said “Made in Mexico”.
Next February, if Von Shitzenpants does his moron 25% tariffs with Canada and Mexico, the same new kitchen appliances will be $500 more, and the Dominicans will probably get hassled whether they have papers or not.
Texas builders and California farmers are already complaining that their workers will be gone. We get lots of lumber from Canada, too, as well as cars and parts, and Mexico is already talking reciprocal tariffs.
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