jeremycady on Nostr: Some people like to point to America’s pre-1913 economic growth as proof that ...
Some people like to point to America’s pre-1913 economic growth as proof that tariffs are good for the economy. “See?” they say. “We had tariffs, and we grew like crazy!” But that’s an oversimplified, cherry-picked view of history.
Let’s be real: raising tariffs today doesn’t recreate the pre-1913 economic environment.
Before 1913, the U.S. had no income tax. Americans actually kept what they earned. The government didn’t have a direct pipeline into your paycheck. That alone made a massive difference in individual prosperity and economic freedom.
We also had a real gold standard. The government couldn’t print money out of thin air. There was no Federal Reserve manipulating interest rates, inflating away your savings, or creating trillions in artificial demand through debt.
Back then, if the government wanted to spend money, it had to actually have it. Tariffs were one way to fund a much smaller government—because there was no income tax and no central bank to create funny money.
Today? It’s a totally different beast.
Now, if the government raises tariffs, it’s not replacing any other tax—it’s adding on top of the existing tax burden. You still pay income tax. You still get hit with inflation. The government still racks up debt like a drunken gambler with a stolen credit card. And the Federal Reserve will just keep printing more fiat dollars to keep the machine running.
In other words, you don’t get the benefits of the old system—you just get more government taking more of your money, in more ways.
If you want to have a conversation about tariffs, fine—but let’s talk about it in the right context. Bring back hard money. End the Fed. Kill the income tax. Shrink the government. Then maybe we can have a real conversation about whether tariffs make sense in that kind of environment.
Until then? Tariffs today are just another way for a bloated, broke government to shake you down.
Let’s be real: raising tariffs today doesn’t recreate the pre-1913 economic environment.
Before 1913, the U.S. had no income tax. Americans actually kept what they earned. The government didn’t have a direct pipeline into your paycheck. That alone made a massive difference in individual prosperity and economic freedom.
We also had a real gold standard. The government couldn’t print money out of thin air. There was no Federal Reserve manipulating interest rates, inflating away your savings, or creating trillions in artificial demand through debt.
Back then, if the government wanted to spend money, it had to actually have it. Tariffs were one way to fund a much smaller government—because there was no income tax and no central bank to create funny money.
Today? It’s a totally different beast.
Now, if the government raises tariffs, it’s not replacing any other tax—it’s adding on top of the existing tax burden. You still pay income tax. You still get hit with inflation. The government still racks up debt like a drunken gambler with a stolen credit card. And the Federal Reserve will just keep printing more fiat dollars to keep the machine running.
In other words, you don’t get the benefits of the old system—you just get more government taking more of your money, in more ways.
If you want to have a conversation about tariffs, fine—but let’s talk about it in the right context. Bring back hard money. End the Fed. Kill the income tax. Shrink the government. Then maybe we can have a real conversation about whether tariffs make sense in that kind of environment.
Until then? Tariffs today are just another way for a bloated, broke government to shake you down.