To the Editor,
Back in November, over 60% of Mohawk Valley voters supported Donald Trump for President. This was not surprising given the economic challenges that have long faced the residents of the valley and voters’ desire to seek a change they hoped would deliver some improvement in their day-to-day lives. In fact, it is safe to say Donald Trump is president today due in large part to the support of working-class and middle-class voters, like the ones throughout the Mohawk Valley. However, Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico should concern valley residents.
While the tariffs are on any products brought into the US from Canada and Mexico, here are the products most likely to become more expensive for Mohawk Valley households in the coming days and weeks. (Source: USA Today, 3/3/2025)
Cereal (Canada and Mexico)
Flour (Canada)
Milk (Canada)
Avocados, Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, Cabbage (Mexico)
Fruit Juices (Mexico)
Beer (Canada and Mexico)
Liquor (Canada and Mexico)
Coffee (Mexico)
Tea (Mexico)
Spices (Mexico)
Processed Fruits and Nuts (Mexico)
Meat, Fish, and Seafood (Mexico)
Sauces and Seasonings (Mexico)
Baked Goods (Mexico)
Prices on these products will be going up because, regardless of Trump’s claims that tariffs are paid by the exporting sellers, the reality is tariffs are paid by the buyer importing the goods. Generally, the cost of the tariff is passed on throughout the rest of the supply chain and, ultimately, is paid by the last buyer, which is usually the person or family who buys the goods at their local grocery, drug, or department store.
It is this reality of who actually pays for tariffs that Mohawk Valley households need to recognize as a threat to their economic well-being. These tariffs will create price increases that Mohawk Valley households will have to pay, including those households that are already challenged in making ends meet from week to week.
If you want to lodge your opposition (or support) for these tariffs, you can contact Congresswoman Elise Stefanik at https://stefanik.house.gov/contact or the White House at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
Michael McCarthy
Little Falls, New York
It’s only temporary so y’all need to relax!!
Thank you for sharing this very important information. Please don’t be fooled by thinking it will be temporary and will “fix itself”.
So You like being ripped off by China, Mexico, and Canada! You must be a democrat
Bobo,
Thanks again for your comment.
Actually, I’m not registered with either party and voted Republican prior to 2016. I admit that, so long as the Republican party maintains its cult of personality under Donald Trump, I’m unlikely to vote for a republican because the type of moderate republicans I have supported in the past are unlikely to survive any primary for public office and end up on the final ballot.
That said, I hear a lot about how other countries have been “ripping us off” because we have a trade deficit with them. However, given the size of our economy and our general unwillingness as consumers to pay more for USA made products, we have little choice but to buy products made abroad.
Furthermore, given the reality that China, Mexico, and Canada will not be paying a single penny of any tariff (because tariffs are paid by the buyer in the US), the real “rip off” is how the increased prices we’ll pay for things will end up supporting the inevitable tax cuts President Trump, with help from the republican congress, will disproportionally deliver to the top 5%. Just the kind of “reverse Robin Hood” tax policy that will continue to drive up the deficit at the expense of the working class.
Thanks,
Mike McCarthy
Little Falls, NY
Mike,
Egg prices are down and so is gas. It’s crazy how this is what you are caring about. If Harris won we would have Ukraine getting billions from our tax dollars, an LGBTQ+ driven agenda, an open southern border. ICE is fixing that really fast thanks to Trump. I’ve realized that left wingers like yourself are not scientists or geniuses, you guys are just activists. Complaining about solving everything while doing nothing. Sure when I walk into a store and see all those things skyrocket in price I will swipe my card and not think twice about it. You get your news from USA Today which is almost as bad as TJ’s comment above.
Don B.
Don B.
First of all, thanks for your comments. While you clearly disagree with me on a few points, I’m willing to bet that if we were to meet over a cup of coffee or a cold beer, we’d find we have much more in common than one might suspect.
That said, I’d like to respond to some of your comments on what you perceive my political position to be.
Your first comment:
“Egg prices are down and so is gas. It’s crazy how this is what you are caring about. If Harris won, we would have Ukraine getting billions from our tax dollars, an LGBTQ+ driven agenda, an open southern border. ICE is fixing that really fast thanks to Trump. ”
My response:
My focus on tariffs is due to my belief the increased prices for everyday goods will have more immediate and pronounced negative effects on Mohawk Valley households. While the other issues you raise are important for our country to address, their effects, positive or negative, will not be felt to same extent as the increased prices Mohawk Valley families will experience should the tariffs be eventually implemented for more than 24 hours.
Also, just to be clear, I support our continued efforts to keep Ukraine free of Russian rule as whatever the cost we bear now will be a small fraction of the cost we will bear, in lives and money, should Russia be allowed to gain control of Ukraine and encourage them to invade another, possibly NATO, country. I also support ensuring LGBTQ+ people have the same rights as straight people while I can appreciate the concern parents have in the very rare situations where a transgendered girl is allowed to compete in sports against cisgendered girls. I also support fixing the southern border problem but prefer it be done as part of an overhaul of our current immigration policies.
Your second comment:
“I’ve realized that left wingers like yourself are not scientists or geniuses, you guys are just activists. Complaining about solving everything while doing nothing.”
My response:
I think your characterization of left wingers is needlessly demeaning and inaccurate. It implies that “right wingers” are naturally more intelligent and prone to use logic and evidence when arriving at their beliefs and positions. I strongly disagree and believe there are some “wingers” on both the left and right whose positions are based on considered thinking and some that are based on strong emotions. I also think the presence of activists in each party is probably pretty similar. I see people at “Right to Life” rallies and well as “Choice” rallies and think the proportion of “complainer” and “doers” is similar across both groups.
Your third comment:
“Sure, when I walk into a store and see all those things skyrocket in price, I will swipe my card and not think twice about it.”
My response:
I guess you’re in one of the Mohawk Valley households in a position to gladly pay more for things when the cost increases are due to the actions of President Trump that you support. Good for you. Maybe you’ll also donate time or funds to your local food pantry or thrift store to help out your neighbors who are not as fortunate.
Your final comment:
“You get your news from USA Today which is almost as bad as TJ’s comment above.”
My response:
I rarely get news from USA Today. I only referenced that article because it was the one I found most accessible via a Google search. (A lot of other sources were behind paywalls, and I didn’t want to limit any reader’s ability to fact check my source. While it’s true my primary news sources (NY Times, National Public Radio, Public Broadcast System, Forbes, etc.) would all be considered left-wing by you, I take comfort in knowing they can almost always back up their reporting with independent facts and figures and only report information they can collaborate from more than one source.
While I doubt my response will have any effect on your positions, I felt it important to honor your sharing of your thoughts by giving them a thoughtful response.
Thanks, again, for taking the time to respond.
Mike McCarthy
Little Falls, NY
Mike,
Why are you telling me to donate stuff? You have too much time on your hands, I didn’t need each part of my response to be dissected. I appreciate it.
I agree 100%!!!!