Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

On this Sunday, there ought to be something better to write about than Donald Trump.  No doubt there is, but here I go again.

I’d bet that many people who voted for Donald Trump had no idea of what the word “tariff” meant.

Now, they know.  Or at least they will soon.

The reality is that they – not to mention the rest of us – will play more for lots of stuff and we’ll owe the responsibility directly to Trump.

Here’s the definition of tariff:  “A tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports.”

Just think of it this way:  It is a tax imposed by one country on another country’s imports to that country.  So, it is a tax.  And, in the case of taxes, someone pays – and it will be you and me.

Here is how the Washington Post summarized Trump’s action, which I find to very negative for the U.S.:

“On Saturday, Trump imposed tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China, the nation’s three largest trading partners, invoking emergency economic powers in a high-stakes bid to compel them to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs reaching the United States.

“The president signed three executive orders establishing the measures, the first official actions of his second-term trade war, according to a White House official who briefed reporters.”

No surprise – “Trump tariffs” drew immediate retaliation from all three countries.

From the Post:

“The tariffs drew sharp replies from the leaders of Canada and Mexico, as well as immediate opposition from business and labor groups, which warned of profound upheaval throughout the economy.  For the typical U.S. household, the tariffs will mean a loss of about $1,200 in annual purchasing power, according to the Budget Lab at Yale University, a non-partisan research center.”

So, under Trump, we now are facing a trade war.

I blame Trump for this war, one we are not likely to win – and one where the effect will be that all of us will watch various prices go up at the very same as Trump promised to take inflation.

Join me in assigning responsibility to Trump.