Protectionism: The Washing Machine Edition

Author: cj little and Jeff Parker
Published: Thu 30 Jan 2025
Episode Link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nnsnspdcst/episodes/Protectionism-The-Washing-Machine-Edition-e2tigtp

(0:00) Pre-Show

(0:53) Open

(1:06) National Escape Day

(1:19) cj's week: Cameras, Cables, & AI

(2:45) Jeff's Week: Oh, Mary, Eureka Day, & Concert for America

(3:32) Headline: Why everyone is freaking out about DeepSeek

(12:16) Protectionism: Tariffs, Quotas and Subsidies

(41:35) cj’s recommendation: The Vergecast - How The Future of Sports Streaming Died

(43:35) Jeff’s Recommendation: A Real Pain

You’ve likely heard talk recently of tariffs and protectionism to support the United States, its industries, and jobs. On the surface, who wouldn’t want some help and support for their job or company? But dig just a little deeper and, unless you’re an economist, the whole picture will probably surprise you.

While tariffs may be effective at achieving their stated targets, at what cost does that success come? And who pays for it? Perhaps you’ll generate some jobs, but who is paying for those jobs? And what does it cost them? Farmers certainly don’t want the price of their grain to decrease, but if it’s held artificially high, can everyone still eat? In this episode, the guys discuss some examples of both net-negative and net-positive forms of protectionism, including tariffs.

Headlines

Why everyone is freaking out about DeepSeek | The Verge

What AI experts are saying about DeepSeek R1

Here's what DeepSeek AI does better than OpenAI's ChatGPT | Mashable

Watch Alibaba Says Its AI Model Is Superior to DeepSeek - Bloomberg

Segment

Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 - Wikiwand

International Trade Commission: Tariffs Hurt Consumers

Chicken Tax

The Production Relocation and Price Effects of US Trade Policy: The Case of Washing Machines

Protectionism - Wikiwand

Corn Laws - Wikiwand