Do we just let him build a wall, both physical and metaphorical around the US.
There are a few billion other customers in the world and those in the US are going to have less money to spend anyway.
We should do what China is doing and take the opportunity (even if has been forced upon us by Trump) to turn away from the US and look elsewhere.
They have become an unreliable ally, no longer a trusted partner, so we need to make other plans and deals.
To bring it back home, I’m lucky that I can buy my hearing aids from the EU, but what about those Americans who will have to pay the US import tarrifs while losing what healthcare benefits they have left.
As Abram says above- it appears HAs (as final product) are exempt from the tariff circus. The situation for Switzerland is that it exports truckloads of pharmaceuticals to the US, but those are not affected by the new decrees either. Tariffs are simply levied on everything else (watches, machinery, at 31%) because Switzerland has a large trade surplus with the US, even though we levy no taxes on US imports. The penalty is simply for being competitive.
All of this is wildly ironic given the huge profits that Pharma companies in general enjoy in the US- at the expense of patients. What this administration should really worry about is the shocking nearly seven year gap in life expectancy with people in Switzerland, a country with similar wealth (even slightly lower GDP/person).
Going back to the subject, in the US, “I think” the prices will increase, since most parts and components comme from Asia, unless if local manufacturers like Starkey have got their supply chain in the US under control.
“Assuming” that healthcare products including HA, aren’t exempt! from tariff.
I believe there was an article not long ago, about products exempt from import taxes, the HA lobby were working hard to get in the exempt list.
Prices I expect will increase for multiple reasons.
One of which is the reduction in consumer interest.
Will consumers have the money?
Will hearing better, really be the same priority?
Will MFGs, make less, or lesser numbers of upgrades?
Will those in charge of pricing, hear of this poll, and figure that the public is expecting increases!
Regarding the Nuclear war comments.
Generally, I think that Russia’s stockpile for the most part won’t work.
It has been neglected and all the money needed to maintain it has been pilfered by the wealthy because not doing so, seemed so stupid, after all: why bother with the arsenal, fear of it, was all that was needed to avoid it ever being needed. That was their mentality.
We don’t know what nuclear war might look like.
Will it really EXPLODE (pun intended) or will it be a folly - aborted after a few bombs.
I have never heard this said… and impressed with the many superior thinkers here… I will say it now.
The reason Trump was able to win was that Kamala Harris was the totally wrong and hopeless candidate to oppose him. You kept hearing all she had accomplished as a prosecutor and how skilled she was in that. Maybe. But consider that prosecutors ASK QUESTIONS. They ask questions after limitless research on what the answers will be! They are not greatly experienced in ANSWERING questions. How could anyone expect a person used to asking researched question, be as skilled at deflecting and replying when having to ANSWER questions! Trump on the other hand had a lifetime of experience preparing to bedazzle people wanting to believe.
As an outsider looking in… Anyone with half a brain can see that these tariff policies won’t work, they are creating US & Global chaos & instability, but perhaps “that” is the cunning plan? Maybe Donald wants to create this, to invoke “Marshal Law”? That way, he gets to do whatever he wants… With no redress from the American Courts, or Senate, he has already replaced many key governmental positions, to folks whom are more akin to his way of thinking. Sometimes, we can’t see the wood, for the trees! Donald is a narcissist, he craves power, he admires Putin, so perhaps he is trying to emulate him, with an ultimate power grab? And is following in his
footsteps… Donald is highly intelligent, but he is morally corrupt… I hope to God, that I am 110% wrong!!! Cheers Kev.
I don’t think the next world war will be nuclear. Far more likely to be cyber. Hacking of vital systems, electricity, traffic control, other transportation infrastructure, communications, water and sewerage, banking etc. Ever faster computing means greater speed for hackers and government players can afford them. Each leap forward brings that possibility closer.
Don’t write nonsense. The nuclear arsenal in any country is always maintained at the proper level. And stop attacking my country in a political sense. This is a forum about hearing aids and everything related to them.
Similar to the recent discrepancy of Covid death rates (triple per capita) compared to Canada. Same expert advice on both sides of the border, yet upwards of a million excess deaths on one side, followed by putting the same guy back in charge. Applying this slow-learning effect to hearing aids and everything else that’s likely to be affected, I predict that things will have to get tons worse before they have any chance of getting better, if that’s even possible. Consider that a million excess deaths didn’t raise as much ire as an increase in the price of eggs, even though it’s a bunch easier to live without eggs than loved ones. So who knows, if there’s a sizeable increase in the price of hearing aids, that might turn out to be the thing that motivates oldster conservative voters in a way that losing the country’s entire moral authority never could. Perhaps a subversive group could speed the process by doubling the thickness of 312 battery packaging.
You are right Ray! I WAS trying to control myself and I don’t think I expressed even a fraction of 1% of my feelings, nor am I planning to respond further politically. It was pure whimsy to think that there was any linkage between interest in hearing - and interest in hearing the truth! **
"“Trump is fascist” not because of cutting spending; it is his right to do so. The critique is about the way he is doing it.
So - unreflected decision about firing people (especially even people resposible for nuclear issues), giving too much power to the Elon Musk - which has obvious conflict of interest and shouldn’t get access to the social security numbers, making decision about firing people based on young and inexperienced young people reports, etc.
Social Media has been used by kids and they are trying to cut it back due to the unrelenting brain washing, adults have no restrictions and D.T. has been using the same fake news since way back to keep the American people from the truth, they will pay big time, I sure hope the public Wake’s up soon. I pray for all of you.
If anyone can answer: Where are Phonak, Unitron hearing aids manufactured? I doubt it is made in China. Is it produced in Europe? Where are the receivers manufactured?
On the charger (Phonak paradise and unitron blu) the text “made in the Philippines” was written, and also on the compilot 1 that I also had, it was written “Philippines”, but it is a simple technique to produce.
RIC and BTE mainly China, there are other SE Asia operations, but a concentration of factories were based at Suzhou, near the Knowles component supply factory. There are other supply sites like Taiwan, Indonesia and Mexico. Some stuff gets made in the EU and US, but that’s mainly custom product.
