Has the Proton CEO acknowledged just how farcically off base he was when he said the GOP was the party of small businesses?
I was thinking about this yesterday and how stupid a comment it was to make.
The thing that’s really been getting to me, is that, I’m liberal, not pro-Trump, but the MAGA American heartland story has been really getting to me. I want to see small business, manufacturing, small town American succeed. And there’s some part of me that thought maybe Trump, as much as I don’t like him, is the thing that is needed to make that happen, but man it seems like he’s really fucking over the people who supported him the most.
> small business, manufacturing, small town American succeed
That can only happen if you ban all imports of anything those small business manufacturers would made, and be content with the prices going up so those Americans can really be paid who make those products.
If that is not possible, then it is either slavery, poorly paid illegal immigrants or back to some other low-wage country like we’ve done for the past decades.
> That can only happen if you ban all imports of anything those small business manufacturers would made, and be content with the prices going up so those Americans can really be paid who make those products. ... then it is either slavery, poorly paid illegal immigrants or back to some other low-wage country like we’ve done for the past decades.
Counterpoint: About 1/3 of Australia's GDP is small business. We have very few tariffs. We have a high minimum wage (about USD$16/hr) and it's enforced, so slavery yada, yada isn't a factor.
What you said sounds like it might be true, but in reality it ain't so.
> That can only happen if you ban all imports of anything those small business manufacturers would made
Consumers could always make this decision for themselves and pick domestic over foreign. It seems extremely unlikely, but I also see bringing back manufacturing without massive economic shock as extremely unlikely. If I want a pipe dream, it be for manufacturing to come back because consumers actually care that it comes back.
> Consumers could always make this decision for themselves and pick domestic over foreign.
In a free market, consumers _do_ decide for themselves. It is simply so, that price is the primary factor for many consumers. Especially in a society where living paycheck to paycheck is normal - but really in any society.
Price doesn't have to be the primary factor though, that was my point. People can choose for whatever reasons they want, we just don't currently seem to care where manufacturing is being done.
Price does have to be the primary factor if you need something and can only afford the cheapest option. And this is the unfortunate reality for most people in the world, including those in first-world societies.
If we are, in fact, at the point where people are only buying the necessities and we still can't afford the cheapest options the game is kind if already lost.
Quality is actually a primary factor for me, which means for any important purchases (cars especially) I choose foreign-made products.
Some of the biggest boons to small business would be universal healthcare and that's just ... you know, never going to happen under a Republican president (or a Democrat, for that matter).
It would greatly ease the burden of employing others in small businesses and it would greatly increase the safety net of would-be entrepreneurs.
It would also improve works-rights-as-capitalism because you could more easily quit abusive employers and make employers more merit-based as well.
Addendum: The $450 I spend every month on health insurance is a meaningful part of my monthly spend as I'm trying to start my business.
It’s a common misconception that Republicans are pro-business. They loathe small business and love big business. If everyone could just be indentured to one of a dozen mega-conglomerates, that would be their perfect world.
Its probably outdated rather than a misconception, there was a time when the republican party did actually push policies that helped small businesses.
That’s the same thing as being pro-business. Big business out-competes small businesses again and again. The idea of smol business being viable (see: this whole thread) is just the marketing front.
Well, it's also a US- vs the rest of the world thing. Big businesses destroying local economies, local health, local taxes, etc, is a very American problem. See [0] for a study on the topic.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7-e_yhEzIw "These Ugly Big Box Stores are Literally Bankrupting Cities" - Not Just Bikes
It’s a most-advanced-capitalist-power problem. Any other capitalist leader would have caused the same result.
Small business is viable. There are hundreds of thousands of small businesses successfully running throughout the country. Maybe I'm missing your point but this seems like a dumb thing to say.
Without proper anti-trust and monopoly enforcement, no, small businesses cannot compete with megacorps who have giant war chests to fund the literal destruction of whatever niche you call your market.
Megacorps are destructive to market forces in general.
Small businesses died because we fed all the IGAs to Walmart, through Reagan's absolutely braindead "what if we just don't prevent monopolies?" policy.
It turns out, destroying the economy of local communities so that Walmart shareholders can be even wealthier while average Americans only get a few cents cheaper on some products.... at least until the monopoly has consolidated control and can just keep raising prices for the rest of history while selectively dropping prices anywhere someone tries to compete only serves the goddamned shareholders, not Americans.
Most rural places had small grocers. Now people who live in those places have to drive an hour to Walmart, and the local economy no longer has anyone working at the local grocer. The building that used to house the local grocer now has a fourth generation of whatever sketch dollar store company bought it this year, which employs exactly one human being from the local community, and the products are terribly priced, meaning not only did we lose the money staying local with whatever kind of more expensive IGA we replaced, we didn't even get better prices for it!
Monopolies are a huge percentage of the problem. America's rural communities are dying partially because all the local businesses have been replaced by national behemoths so literally every single day to day purchase you make ships more money out of the local economy. Nobody can have a job in a rural community because every dollar that finds its way to that community gets shipped out to Walmart HQ instead of flowing around and paying tradespeople and buying local products and services.
Sorry, it would have been more correct to say that while smol businesses are viable, Republicans and other corrupt politicians siding with big business is just them siding with the winning side.
Ok I agree with this but I would add that they are only winning because Republicans side with them.
I've always disagreed with single-payer/universal/govt-supplied healthcare for various reasons, but hadn't thought about this angle.
Thank you for bringing this up
Why does it deserve to succeed, especially if it results in everyone paying more for things, and if they’re of worse quality to boot?
Labor and industries are specialized just like agriculture is. Fighting to redomesticate labor is a bit like fighting to produce bananas at scale in the USA: It’s just not practical and will cause harm to the broader economy.
They said nothing about deserve. They said they want it to succeed.
And I want a pony. But one should be realistic in their desires.
A pony is a very realistic desire. Horse property is cheap and horses themselves aren't too expensive provided you have time. Don't let your dreams be dreams.
This reads like a AI response. What world do you live in?
This critique seems to miss that Trump is putting his thumb on the scales against small business, and in favor of big business. There are macroeconomic and antitrust policies one could put in place to level the playing field and Trump seems insistent not only on not preferencing small town America, but actively opposing it.
What a surprise. Trump fucking over people. He has a history, it's not some mysterious hero who just arrived to town. Why's anybody surprised given the things he's done in past.
Nobody in Beijing or Brussels was surprised they had plans. Observe how neither of them is kissing his ass at the moment.