politics
Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!
Rules:
- Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.
Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.
Example:
- Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
- Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
- No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
- Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
- No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning
We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.
All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.
That's all the rules!
Civic Links
• Congressional Awards Program
• Library of Congress Legislative Resources
• U.S. House of Representatives
Partnered Communities:
• News
view the rest of the comments
Sounds like they're going after imported pasta.
I actually support this. There's no reason pasta can't be made anywhere. It's a very basic thing to make, if you have the right tool. Even before the tools, people were making them at home, and in quantities you need at home, that's fine. But there's no great reason why American companies can't combine flour and egg and make some pasta.
I don't think I've ever imported pasta from Italy. Why would I? It's the same thing. And I've never been rich. Let the people who are willing to pay for pasta imported from Italy pay a little more. They won't mind. Anyone who does mind can just buy American made pasta. It's the same thing.
You missed the part where everything became global. There are well known mass market pasta brands that are owned by Italian companies. The brand I sometimes buy is, and I don’t get it because it’s Italian or the cheapest, but that it’s a good value of quality for a reasonable price
Admittedly, I don't know much about pasta... But couldn't the same thing be said about like bagels? Yet anyone who has had one in NYC knows that it's simply not the case.
yeah this person clearly thinks that kraft mac and cheese is = brass cut semolina linguini.
we should have pity and buy them a meal that didn’t come from the freezer aisle.
The point is the baseline price of pasta for consumers increased. Do you really think the people who need to buy this due to cost have the time to make their own pasta?
I don't think anyone needs to import pasta from Italy, is my point.
Anyone who doesn't have the time or the resources to import expensive pasta is probably just using store brand anyway.
I use store brand and it's fine. I think it's more important to know how to prepare pasta than to use fancy imported pasta for bragging rights.
Anyway, I also use the whole grain pasta for health reasons, so you probably don't care how I prepare my pasta. It's beside the point, though. (If anyone does care how I prepare my pasta, I boil it to around 80% of al dente, where it's still inedible/not soft enough, and I let it cook the rest of the way in the sauce, that way it absorbs some of the sauce, getting some of its flavour from the sauce. This is especially important with the whole grain pasta as some will tell you it doesn't taste as good. I prefer the taste, but I like it even more when it's absorbed some sauce. And it's still al dente in my bowl.)
The imported pasta is only expensive because Trump said so!
Don't you understand that the reason they put tariffs on it is that imported Italian pasta was cheaper than American homemade pasta? It's in the freaking post. They are putting tariffs on the cheap Italian pasta to make it more expensive so the more expensive American pasta can outcompete it.
Don't you understand that most of the store brand pasta is actually made in Italy and imported by the store because that's cheaper than to contract an actual American company?
You’re assuming Italian pasta is fancy and expensive. I’m sure some is, but some is just common mass market brands on your grocery shelf. Until this nonsense started I didn’t realize the pasta I sometimes get is from Italy
The flour is different over there. I buy imported pasta because I like it better, and in southern New England, we've many descendants from Italian immigrants. Providence has like a hundred Italian specialty stores, I have three Italian bakeries within 10 miles, it's huge business here.
So the US needs to increase its pasta production by something like 1000% to meet demand? How? People made it at home because they could afford to have someone stay home to make pasta! Like really. Honest question for anyone reading this. Do you have time and energy to play Marie Poppins everytime you want to make a cheap and easy meal?
The issue is you are projecting a personal and individual mindset to a issue that's way more complex than just, people should make their own pasta. In an ideal world you are correct, but in a world with neat supply lines, infrastructure, and knowledge to implement. Why even have pre baked bread in stores people can make their own! Why have produce in the stores, people can grow their own, it's so easy! Why are we even pre grinding the flower, people can grind their own! Why are we cleaning and packaging these eggs? People can get their own chickens. This mindset doesn't work on a large scale.
I can see how you think it's a slippery slope, but most Americans will just buy the American made pasta and won't bat an eye when the imports go up.
You can argue in favour of making it yourself, and that's fine, but anyone for whom cost is a real issue will just get the store brand. It won't affect those people.
Once again how? Making pasta for 10s of millions of people isn't as easy as flipping a switch. Even if every pasta factory tripled their production it wouldn't be enough. Pasta would cost hundreds of dollars per pound in months. It's mind boggling how many people don't know how the World works. Italy makes enough pasta to feed the world but needs other things that other regions make. It would be a dumb investment for our country to suddenly take this approach with so many commodities.
Also the way terrifs work in reality. For example, if Trump just raised the price of a overseas good here to say $20. Why wouldn't all the US factories raise their price to $19.50? In capitalism they have a responsiblity to shareholders to increase prices in that way.
Most Americans will keep buying the same store brand pasta and will complain when the price goes up because either they had to swap to a more expensive American company or will transfer the tariff cost to the consumer. And you wonder why the American company is more expensive? Because if it wasn't the store brands would already work with them, and as stablished, they are putting tariffs on Italian pasta because it outcompetes American pasta companies.
You know, you could have just kept your thoughts to yourself, and then no-one would ever know you have no idea how markets and supply work, or how much effort and cost actually go into making pasta at home.
Was there any particular reason you wanted to put your ignorance on display?
Is there a reason the only two options are "import pasta from Italy" and "make it yourself at home"?
Why do you think it can't be made at factories in the US? What do US factories lack that Italy has but everyone also has in their home?
Before we talk about my ignorance, clarify that point. We can't have a valid conversation with you moving the goalposts so far.
Wow, you really don’t know anything about supply and infrastructure, do you? Dude, this is, like, econ 101. I’m sorry you got such a poor education; you should probably get your money back from whatever school you went to.
Think about it. Do you really think that the pasta companies in the US have entire production lines and factories sitting idle? Or that they only run for a few hours a day and then everyone goes home? Of course not. They’re running at capacity for as long as they can every day. They don’t have the ability to ramp up pasta production.
To increase pasta production in the US, those companies would have to either expand their current facilities, or build new ones. And despite what idiotic talking conservative heads seem to think, it is physically impossible for that to happen with the snap of a finger.
Take it from someone whose company is working on upgrading a current facility. Not expanding, mind you; just upgrading. The permitting process alone took us two years. Construction itself will be at least a year and a half. So that’s 3-4 years to build/expand a new factory, maybe more.
That means you’re looking at 3-4 years at a minimum before those US companies can replace the pasta that’s not in our economy anymore. Which means for 3 years or more most Americans won’t be able to afford (or even acquire in the first place) what is a staple food, especially for poor families. That’s what your initial comment boiled down to: starving the poor in the hopes that it might get better eventually.
And all of this is assuming the companies have the money to do all this in the first place. Even upgrades aren’t cheap; a whole-ass new building is crazy expensive. Not every company has that kind of cash, and if the banks aren’t convinced it’ll be a good return on their investment, then getting a loan for it isn’t happening either. Which delays things further as fewer companies will be able to build to meet demand.
Cost is an issue for me, I buy the import stuff when it goes on sale. The semolina/flour is different. Imported, good pasta, is white, American pastas/cheap stuff is yellow.
it’s not the same thing.
And those who care will pay the higher price and probably won't mind. I'm guessing most of them also won't be able to explain why it's not the same.
Some of them will just use the American made pasta.
Importing stuff is always higher.
sure it’s always higher. but this is now even higher for no real reason, and that’s dumb.