As far as Internet comments go, the public responses to the Trump administration’s forthcoming action against unfair Chinese trade practices are a pleasure to read. The subject matter—a proposal to levy a 25 percent tariff on a list of imports from China, as permitted under section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974—is pretty dry. But that helps weed out a lot of the trolls, as does the fact that commenters are required to provide their full names, addresses, and other identifying information. There’s a charm to informed citizens earnestly engaging with their government, even if it’s nearly certain the administration is preparing to plow ahead on the tariffs anyway.
Still, the comments are illuminating in the way they underscore the global reach of seemingly small players in the American economy. Alan Wilson of Kila, Montana, owns a company that sells and services plastic-molding machinery. His comment is respectful, nuanced, and concerned about how the administration’s actions could affect his business. “Currently we sell and service a Chinese machine for the past 10 years, with some success keeping our remaining customers competitive with these machines,” Wilson writes. “This will penalize our companies to pay additional money for equipment they already agreed to, hurting our citizens not China. So please review and [provide an] exemption on items ordered prior to any new tax or tariff.”
