These workers might need a bailout too/Other notable stuff, including the shrinking value of the US dollar

I think I'm going to have to buy a whiteboard for my office, with the magic marker and eraser, to keep track of both the tariffs we lay on the world, then take some off, and the retaliatory ones placed on us, and then maybe some removed.

It's of course great to see a time out called on the most egregious tariff threat we've seen so far, and that includes the 2018 experience, and we all hope that TRUE reciprocity is the end result with lower tariffs around the world. But what will come with the China tariffs and the 'negotiations' that follow?

I saw the story yesterday that some in Congress are preparing another bailout of American farmers because of the China tariffs placed on them, deja vu from the 2018-2019 bailout. I'd advise them to prepare one for dock workers on the West Coast if incoming trade with China really falters, which seems to be the intent.

I went to the websites of the Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach and Port of Oakland to get a sense of the number of workers they employ, the broader worker impact on those they do business with and the exposure to China and broader Asia.

For the Port of LA, they employ about 1,000 workers on site at the docks but according to a Facts & Figures page they have, they impact 136,000 jobs in LA, which is 1 in 14 jobs in that city. In the broader five county region they influence 486,000 jobs which is 1 in 18 and for the entire US, they impact 1,400,000 jobs which is 1 in 113. Not surprisingly, their biggest trading partner is China, by far, as they are 3 times bigger than number two and three which is Japan and Vietnam. About 90% of its imports come from all of Asia. https://kentico.portoflosangeles.org/getmedia/50998557-64e2-46ad-aa43-6a7a6a505b23/2024-Facts-Figures

The Port of Long Beach is the 2^nd busiest US port behind the Port of Los Angeles. They directly employ about 500 people but claim to support 51,000 jobs in Long Beach, about 1 in 5, according to their website. In the five county Southern California region, they impact 576,000 jobs, or 1 in 20. And throughout the US, they claim that 2.6 million jobs "are related to Long Beach generated trade." But, I think that last stat includes the LA port. Who is their biggest trading partner? You guessed it, China, followed by Vietnam and Thailand. https://polb.com/port-info/port-facts-faqs/#facts-at-a-glance