We keep hearing that tariffs are either magic or economic arson, and I don’t buy either cartoon. China spent years building its factories with cheap energy, state backing, and a whole lot of IP theft while our leaders shrugged and let towns here hollow out. So yeah, I’m fine using tariffs as leverage. But they’ve gotta be targeted and tied to an actual plan: tax breaks for domestic manufacturing, faster permits for power and plants, and training people for skilled trades instead of pretending every kid needs a four-year degree. Slapping tariffs on everything and calling it strategy is lazy. So is acting like “free trade” was free for the people who lost their jobs. I want cheaper goods too, but I’d rather have a country that can still make things when the world gets ugly.