In today’s world of global trade, the notion of “free and fair” seems to have been tossed aside like yesterday’s news. American businesses attempting to spread their wings in foreign markets are instead met with a barrage of tariffs reminiscent of speed bumps in a parking lot. Take a look at the numbers and it becomes clear—American products face staggering taxes nearly everywhere they try to land. The European Union, which touts itself as both an ally and a patron of free trade, imposes an eye-watering 40% tax on American goods. Some friends they are.
Imagine trying to sell a Texas T-bone steak in Canada? It’s enough to drive any rancher to the brink. Unfortunately, the good-neighbor act has long since packed its bags north of the border. Canadian tariffs have turned their dairy and meat industry into a fortress impervious to competition. This isn’t just a case of one country giving another the cold shoulder. Bluntly speaking, it’s an economic blockade masquerading as policy.
It’s not just our northern neighbors playing hardball. Japan, with all its bullet trains and tech-savvy populace, slaps a hefty 50% tariff on anything with a “Made in the USA” label. And let’s not even get started on Switzerland, whose chocolate-covered nationalism hits a whopping 72% tariff on American imports. Oddly enough, this government tax is one of the few Swiss things that’s not neutral.
As the scrolling list of global tariffs that target our goods trails on like a doomsday ticker, one glaring truth emerges—American industries are racing in a marathon with leg weights, while others run the course carefree. China, often marketed as the world’s factory, isn’t playing fair. Their 64% blockade against American imports laughs in the face of free trade principles. It’s like someone handed them the Monopoly board, and they’re hoarding all the hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place.
The world may have grown accustomed to American patience and generosity, but perhaps it’s time to rewrite that narrative. The United States doesn’t need to be the world’s charity case, especially not when it can manufacture nearly everything within its own borders. Let’s face it: when it comes to global trade, maybe it’s time to stop giving everyone else a free pass. America can stand strong, make its goods competitive, and keep the wealth where it belongs—right here at home.
