Protectionist Tariffs 101
Selective Patriotism — A Tariff Tale of Two Industries
My Dearest Defenders of Justice,
Let us now descend into the heart of the beast: the place where economic fairness goes to die — the selective application of “patriotism.”
Tariff policy, we’re told, is about protecting American industries. But the devil, as ever, is in the discretion. And discretion, as it turns out, favors friends.
When China retaliated against U.S. tariffs, our farmers — draped in red caps and patriotic symbolism — were decimated. Their exports evaporated. Their markets collapsed. And what did our oh-so-principled leaders do? Did they rethink their approach? Seek international solutions? Engage diplomatically?
No. They cut checks. Massive, taxpayer-funded bailouts to farmers — $28 billion in hush money over two years. Not a strategy, but a sedative.
Now contrast that with the treatment of other industries. Small retailers who rely on affordable imports? Ignored. Tech firms needing precision components from abroad? Left to fend for themselves. Apparel manufacturers sourcing global fabrics? Unlucky. Why the disparity? Simple: one group made for great photo ops. The other didn’t.
That, my dear defenders, is not protectionism. It’s performance.
We see patriotism extended only to those who make for convenient campaign backdrops. Not to the countless entrepreneurs, craftspeople, and dreamers who make this country hum. If your crisis doesn’t fit neatly into a talking point or doesn’t come bundled in Midwestern nostalgia, you are invisible.
This two-faced nationalism — where some Americans are “real” and others are “coastal elites” or “globalists” — is a poison. It turns the promise of shared prosperity into a pageant of political favoritism.
The next time someone waves a flag and says “this is for the American worker,” ask them which one. And ask them how many zeros came after the last campaign donation that determined it.
Because patriotism should not be a purchase order.
With ever-watchful eyes,
Lady LiberTea
Editor-in-Chief of Lady LiberTea
#PickAndChoosePatriotism #EconomicInequity #TariffPolitics #LadyLiberTea