• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Nature, Environment, History & Politics

The Valley Citizen

  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About
  • RSS Icon

Valley Farmers Facing Trump Tariffs

April 2, 2018 By Eric Caine 4 Comments

Just in time for the boycott?

News that China has imposed tariffs on American exports, including wine, fruits, and nuts, adds an ironic dimension to the monster that is Trump in the Valley. Valley farmers voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump, and are now facing consequences they should have realized but didn’t.

The farmers who used to brag about feeding the nation have almost unanimously converted to almonds, an export crop that has brought billions of dollars to the San Joaquin Valley, but leaves Valley residents vulnerable to exactly the kind of trade war Donald Trump is promoting.

The entire Valley economy has become dependent on what amounts to a monoculture, and what isn’t almonds is usually grapes. Now there are tariffs on both. What if the tariff became a boycott? This is what the vulgar among us call, “Being had by the short hairs,” a condition for which the President of the United States keeps finding ever new contexts.

But no one should expect Valley farmers to admit Donald Trump could possibly be the source of problems. Could a growing scarcity of farm labor be attributed to Trump’s punitive policies on immigration? Never. Could crippling tariffs on food products be attributed to Trump’s bottomless ignorance of trade and economics? Impossible.

Valley Republicans from congress on down to supervisors, mayors, city councilpersons, and school board members won’t admit the catastrophe that is Trump, at least not until after the November mid-term elections, and maybe not even after that. Faced with the prospect of public admission they’ve been had, most anyone prefers a studied silence.

And when you’ve been hustled by a low-brow, trash-talking con man whose credentials include membership in the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame, it’s not something you want to brag about anyway.

Trump was okay as long as he was bashing, “crooked Hillary,” and promising to take health care away from poor people. And, deep down, too many of today’s Americans think liars and cheaters—presidential candidates included—are okay as long as they’re on our side.

A president who considers the list of seven deadly sins an instruction manual and defines treason as a failure to aid and abet in looting the nation’s treasure is perfectly acceptable until he starts hurting the bottom line—but then he’s already doing that to farmers as far away as Iowa. Some Iowans fear that Trump will bring on a crisis comparable to the 1980s, when almost 10,000 farmers went out of business.

Now, Valley farmers are facing a trade war that could easily escalate into an out-and-out boycott. The delicious irony here is that when it comes to trade and immigration, Trump is simply following through on campaign promises Valley farmers didn’t really believe—after all, why would anyone believe a confirmed liar?

Trump’s punitive Republican platform was never in danger locally as long as it only punished the Valley’s poor and middle-class residents. Now that it threatens wealthy farmers, the cruel joke is on them—they’re in danger of crippling the entire Valley economy because they voted for a president they never expected to keep his word.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Featured, Politics Tagged With: Chinese tariff on fruits and nuts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Craig says

    April 2, 2018 at 8:55 pm

    So true!

    Reply
  2. Richard Anderson says

    April 2, 2018 at 10:24 pm

    This needs to be published by the San Francisco Chronicle.

    Reply
  3. S.Hansen says

    April 3, 2018 at 3:37 am

    Since we are on the subject of local farmers… Approximately 75% of California’s farmworkers are undocumented. I say we get to the root of the problem, we need to start arresting the farm owners who hire them illegally, seize their farms & bank accounts. I bet nearly everyone of the farms in Stanislaus County including those owned by local politicians knowingly hire undocumented immigrants & turn a blind eye to obviously fake paperwork to maximize there profits. Going after the immigrant is low hanging fruit, we need to go after the farm owners!!

    Reply
    • T Cramer says

      April 4, 2018 at 12:43 am

      I work for two different local Ag farms and neither hire immigrants without their papers. If we find any are not valid papers after the fact, they are dismissed. Your statement is not true for all farmers.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

Warren: Voters Must Elect Dems In Midterms Who Would Nix Filibuster To Codify Roe
Warren: Voters Must Elect Dems In Midterms Who Would Nix Filibuster To Codify Roe
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Sunday said she views the midterm elections…
talkingpointsmemo.com
A Farmer’s Quest to Beat California’s Waves of Drought and Deluge
A Farmer’s Quest to Beat California’s Waves of Drought and Deluge
Don Cameron went all in on a trickle-down survival tactic. It could help save America’s agricultural heartland—even if he doesn’t survive the new water war.
www.wired.com
Ten Ways Billionaires Avoid Taxes On An Epic Scale
Ten Ways Billionaires Avoid Taxes On An Epic Scale
This article first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative…
talkingpointsmemo.com
A South Texan?s Wild, Life-affirming Quest to Break a National Birding Record
A South Texan’s Wild, Life-affirming Quest to Break a National Birding Record
When she began her year-long bird-spotting adventure, Tiffany Kersten was lost and lonely. She ended up achieving a major milestone and finding her way.
www.texasmonthly.com
Ron Johnson tried to hand fake elector info to Mike Pence on Jan. 6, panel reveals
Ron Johnson tried to hand fake elector info to Mike Pence on Jan. 6, panel reveals
A top aide said the Wisconsin Republican senator wanted to give Pence the list of pro-Trump electors as he prepared to certify the 2020 election.
www.politico.com
Raffensperger says he wishes Fox News carried every Jan. 6 hearing
Raffensperger says he wishes Fox News carried every Jan. 6 hearing
“I think it would have helped our party heal, given [people] more facts.”
www.axios.com
'Not safe anymore': Portland confronts the limits of its support for homeless services
‘Not safe anymore’: Portland confronts the limits of its support for homeless services
Homeless encampments now spill well beyond Portland’s downtown core, dividing a city that has invested liberally in support services.
www.latimes.com
Republicans Will Do It Again
Republicans Will Do It Again
They have not been chastened by the revelations of the January 6 committee.
nymag.com
Birdman
Birdman
Bird Brother: A Falconer’s Journey and the Healing Power of Wildlife
www.earthisland.org
The Potato Roll Empire Bankrolling Christian Nationalist Doug Mastriano
The Potato Roll Empire Bankrolling Christian Nationalist Doug Mastriano
The Martins were bit players in politics, until they put Doug Mastriano one step away from becoming Pennsylvania’s next governor.
nymag.com
Roger Stone and Michael Flynn under fire over rallies ‘distorting Christianity’
Roger Stone and Michael Flynn under fire over rallies ‘distorting Christianity’
Prominent Christian leaders accuse Trump allies of spreading misinformation about election and Covid, while distorting Christian teachings at ReAwaken America events
www.theguardian.com
Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears 'moment of reckoning'
Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears ‘moment of reckoning’
As the Colorado River water shortage worsens, major cutbacks are needed to reduce most perilous risks, a federal official tells senators.
www.latimes.com
Trump Scammed Supporters Out of $250 Million for Nonexistent Fraud Fund
Trump Scammed Supporters Out of $250 Million for Nonexistent Fraud Fund
Supporters who thought they were donating to “election integrity” instead saw some of their money funneled to Trump hotels
www.rollingstone.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design