I’ve always considered myself a Reagan Republican. I believe in free markets, fair competition, and the idea that American innovation thrives best when government gets the hell out of the way. Free trade was part of that picture. It made sense to me—let folks compete, and the best product wins. But lately, I’ve had to take a step back and ask: Is trade really free? And more importantly—is it working for the American people anymore?
Let me explain why I’m starting to reconsider.
When We Stopped Making Things
In 1971, President Nixon took us off the gold standard. Now, most folks don’t think about that much, but it was a seismic shift. What followed has been called the “Nixon Shock.” It scrapped the Bretton Woods system, unchained the dollar, and gave our government more control over the economy. But that shift also started moving us away from being a country that makes things, to one that just…consumes them.
That just seems instinctually wrong to me – Americans are valued more as consumers than we are producers.
As Yale Insights put it, Nixon’s decision “redrew the global monetary order in an instant.” He sure did. It opened the door for multinational corporations to soar. But it also opened the trapdoor beneath the American middle class.
Back in June 1979, we had nearly 20 million people working in manufacturing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that number’s been falling ever since. And with those jobs went a way of life—good pay, pride in work, stability for families.
The Hollowing of the Middle Class
It ain’t just nostalgia. The numbers back it up. In 1971, 61% of American adults lived in middle-class households. By 2021, it was 50%. That’s not just economic slippage—that’s a cultural earthquake. It’s the slow unraveling of the American Dream. That dream used to mean that a man or woman could work hard, raise a family, and build a future. Now? Too many folks are hanging on by a thread, doing gig work with no benefits and hoping the car doesn’t break down.
Reagan’s Warning
President Reagan understood the appeal of protectionist policies, but he also saw the long-term danger. In a 1987 radio address, he said:
When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while it works—but only for a short time… They stop competing and stop making the innovative management and technological changes they need to succeed in world markets.
President Ronald Reagan
That’s wisdom. And for a long time, I took that as gospel. But what if the rules of the game have changed? What if we’ve been playing fair, and the other side’s been cheating?
Trump’s Tariff Gamble
President Trump thinks so. That’s why he rolled out the “Liberation Day Tariffs” in April 2025—targeting nearly every country. He called it a response to a “national emergency” and promised it would bring jobs back and re-light the fire of American manufacturing.
Now, I didn’t love it when I heard it. I’ve always been skeptical of tariffs. They can hike up prices for consumers and tick off our allies. But at the same time, I can’t ignore the fact that what we’ve been doing for the last 40 years hasn’t exactly been a win for the middle class either.
Of course, the markets didn’t like Trump’s move—global stocks lost over $6 trillion in value. The New Yorker called it a “meltdown.” But then again, it’s the New Yorker. That’s the kind of volatility that makes folks nervous, especially retirees and business owners.
But here’s the thing: instability is already here. It’s just been slow-burning for decades.
Lessons From Abroad
Other countries have tried tariffs too—with mixed results.
- Brazil slapped tariffs on foreign cars and gave tax breaks to domestic automakers. For a while, it looked good. But it didn’t last. Companies like Ford and Mercedes packed up and left. Today, Brazil’s auto industry is smaller than it was a decade ago, and jobs vanished with it. (Reuters)
- Australia butted heads with China during the pandemic. China hit back with tariffs on Australian barley and wine. Sales dried up, and farmers took the hit. They’ve since scrambled to find other markets. (Wikipedia)
- South Africa tried to protect its chicken industry with tariffs on Brazilian poultry. Prices went up for consumers, and trade relations soured. It’s a reminder that protectionism can come with unintended consequences. (Wikipedia)
So yeah, there’s risk in using tariffs. But there’s also risk in staying the course.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The goal isn’t to slap a tariff on everything and call it a day. The goal is to figure out how to start making things again. That means investing in our people—education, skilled trades, infrastructure, R&D. And it means rewriting trade deals so they actually work for Main Street, not just Wall Street.
Truth be told, I’m still not sold on tariffs. But I’m sure of this: what we’re doing now isn’t working. We’re managing decline instead of chasing growth.
Before the passage of the 16th Amendment in 1913, tariffs were the federal governments largest source of income. Now you are. So if we’re keeping tariffs, which are a defacto tax on the American people, lets get the federal government’s hand out of our pockets and cut federal income tax. To sleep, perchance, to dream…
But maybe it’s time to try something new, because damn sure what we’re doing is not working – at least for normie, non-elite Americans.
Regarding Trump, “We hired the chef—let’s let him cook the meal.”
Let’s see what comes out of the kitchen.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be writing more posts under the “tariffs” tag—diving into statistics, exploring the history of manufacturing towns, and getting into the nitty-gritty of what’s working and what isn’t. My gut tells me Americans are more than just consumers—we’re creators, builders, innovators. That spirit’s still in us. We just need to clear the way so it can shine again.
And maybe, just maybe, we need to quit listening to the folks who only see us as customers—and start listening to the ones who still believe in the American worker.
Let’s find out where this leads.
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