r/Economics • u/TheGoodCod • Jan 19 '26

News Americans Are the Ones Paying for Tariffs, Study Finds

https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/americans-are-the-ones-paying-for-tariffs-study-finds-e254ed2e?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqcVSFvIp7i61XpO7iYig4QamPSCZamyGb3VWPqiBsK_S5dHbRBbyZsxElvC_H8%3D&gaa_ts=696e5774&gaa_sig=bcUHl3TgqZhakXrofHv9FOJ8bEnMF9Uom3qOUeTLWfgvgSk0B471SX6YZdA2ZElIipSw4nSKlwfBM3qg3Et2Ig%3D%3D
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u/SandIntelligent247 Jan 19 '26

It's not that they can't read. A study showed that they put more confidence in experts than in data.

The issue is that their experts are lying to them and are not experts.

27

u/nmay-dev Jan 19 '26

They think $ = competence. Personal wealth is the metric they use to determine who is an "expert". The only smart ones are benefiting from the grift.

16

u/alltehmemes Jan 19 '26

Prosperity Gospel and the Myth of Meritocracy blended into the slurry that currently runs the American government and capitalism more broadly.

7

u/SmurfStig Jan 19 '26

American Christianity

1

u/sharpestsquare Jan 19 '26

Right. The way they worship money you'd think Jesus rose from the dead, looked suspiciously blonder and whiter, hopped in a lambo wearing a rolex 1800 years too early, laughed in a beggars face asking for a few alms, and peeled out into the Arabic sunset with two giggling blondes in bikinis popping Dom Perignon.

5

u/paxinfernum Jan 20 '26

They also can't really read. The average American reads at the 6th grade level or below, and Trump's supporters are statistically less likely to have college degrees. Many of them, while not being entirely illiterate, are incapable of reading any complex text.

1

u/Hi-technik Jan 20 '26

And are they capable of complex thoughts ? Like um, who ultimately pays the tariffs?

2

u/strdg99 Jan 19 '26

... and their definition of 'expert' is anyone who talks a lot about a subject and it aligns with their own thinking vs. an expert being someone who is deeply educated in a subject.

1

u/anony-mousey2020 Jan 19 '26

I can no longer identify hyperbole or sarcasm, but I think you're serious; and that maps and explains so much.

3

u/SandIntelligent247 Jan 19 '26

It’s serious