{"id":2539,"date":"2026-04-24T10:33:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:33:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alexandrakitty.com\/?p=2539"},"modified":"2026-04-24T10:33:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:33:28","slug":"you-get-the-fuzzy-end-of-the-lollipop-once-again-middle-class-person","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alexandrakitty.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/24\/you-get-the-fuzzy-end-of-the-lollipop-once-again-middle-class-person\/","title":{"rendered":"You get the fuzzy end of the lollipop once again, Middle-Class Person."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The headlines sound great: the government is getting ready to refund about $166 billion in Trump\u2011era tariffs that the Supreme Court said were unconstitutional. Importers are lining up at a shiny new portal to get their money back, with interest. If you skim it, you\u2019d think, \u201cFinally, something for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except the \u201cus\u201d is doing a lot of work there. Only the entities that paid<\/em> the tariffs can get the refunds, which means the businesses that passed those costs straight through to you at the cash register are now being made whole, while the people who actually ate the higher prices aren\u2019t even in the line. CNBC\u2019s CFO survey found zero executives planning to share refunds with customers; out of 25, not a single one said they\u2019d pass anything on. Everyone else either said \u201cnot applicable,\u201d \u201cuncertain,\u201d or flat\u2011out \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here\u2019s how it works if you\u2019re a Middle\u2011Class Person. When tariffs go on, you pay more for shoes, appliances, and groceries because \u201cthat\u2019s just how the market works.\u201d When those tariffs are struck down and the money comes back, it goes to firms that are already lobbying for the next round of protections, and you\u2019re told to be grateful that \u201cbusiness confidence\u201d has been restored. You get the fuzzy end of the lollipop once again, and if you\u2019re still complacent about it, they\u2019ll gladly hand you the stick the next time, too.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The headlines sound great: the government is getting ready to refund about $166 billion in Trump\u2011era tariffs that the Supreme Court said were unconstitutional. Importers are lining up at a shiny new portal to get their money back, with interest. If you skim it, you\u2019d think, \u201cFinally, something for us.\u201d Except the \u201cus\u201d is doing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[21,85,564,42],"class_list":["post-2539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alexandra-kitty","tag-donald-trump","tag-new-york-times","tag-tony-romm","tag-united-states"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t