How Do Montanans Feel About Canadian Tariffs?

If you've spent any time watching the news or on social media, then you've heard about the tariffs that President Trump has placed on China, Mexico, and Canada. One of the big questions many Montanans have is how will that affect us?

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I've yet to see a debate without personal feelings involved.  It seems that with our current President, you either love him or hate him.

There are a lot of things that he does that I disagree with, but I will say that I like the fact that we have someone in office who puts the country and its people first, or at least tries to. The downside of that is what we have here.

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So, why tariffs? Before we dive into that, here are some things you might not know about Montana.

Why is President Trump adding tariffs to Canada?

What is the reason that our President is so keen on those? While there are more than likely several reasons, one of them is to help bring jobs to America. If you paid any attention to what the man has been saying the last 9 years, you will know that his goal is "To Make America Great Again." That seems to include increasing production of factories while adding more American-made products.

For those of us who are a certain age, we will remember when "Made in the USA" was a big deal. There was a time that even Walmart was big on American-made products. Of course, this was before we became so dependent on things from other countries.

The question for many is, can we go back to those days? The President certainly thinks so, and if we do, how will that benefit Montana?

Montana is a major supplier of agriculture, livestock, forestry, energy, and minerals. This wouldn't change with the tariffs in place; in fact, it would likely increase. According to critics, there's a downside to all of this.

With a 25 percent tariff on all goods and a 10 percent tariff on gas and oil, many of the Montana towns that border Canada are worried about how it will affect their businesses. Then, there is the Canadian side of it. Most of the machinery that farmers and ranchers use to produce crops and livestock comes from the United States.

In the end, does anyone win? I don't know the answer to that, but I'm guessing that at some point, there will be a compromise made, and if I'm a betting man, it will be a compromise that will benefit the United States and its people. half of us just won't agree with it.

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How do you feel? Are tariffs on Canada a good or bad idea? Let us know by sending us a message on our app.