Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Dec. 2, 2025
Update	: Dec. 2, 2025
Parts	: 02

Synopsis:



Let me begin this article by clearly informing my readers that I am no wizard or any kind of expert when it comes to the topics of the business world, financial markets, taxes, tariffs, imports and exports, wholesale and retail, etc. I am not an economist, and I have no educational background or employment background -- other than serving as the manager of a small local business establishment, and as the owner of my own short-lived aquarium design and maintenance business decades ago -- which gives any real authority or weight to the thoughts which I am about to share with you. So, you may want to take the following with a grain of salt. Personally though, I do think that what I state here makes a lot of sense. I will let you be the judge.

Having said the above, I must admit that I'm rather confused concerning the current controversy which is now surrounding President Trump's import tariffs strategy. To make the issue even more confusing, as is usually the case, the political Left and the political Right are currently promoting rather different narratives, and quite contradictory perspectives, regarding this hot-button issue. So the obvious question in my mind is this: exactly which of these two narratives is the truth, and which one is not? Is it possible that one of them is an embellishment of the facts, while the other is a distortion of the truth, or even a complete, outright lie? Or does the truth lie somewhere in the middle?

Perhaps I should begin by explaining exactly what a tariff is for anyone reading this article who may not know. Insofar as this current discussion is concerned, simply put, it is a tax -- or duty -- which is imposed on foreign products which are being imported into the United States. The next question we need to ask ourselves is this: Exactly what are President Trump's goals with the current tariff war with nations such as China? From what I can tell, there appear to be perhaps four primary goals, as listed below:

1. Force some foreign countries to lower the price of their export products to the United States of America. The logic in this seems to be that by forcing said countries to lower the price of their export products, at some point, it will become cheaper for American citizens to purchase those same products.

2. Force foreign countries to lower the tariffs on the US products they are importing into their countries. By doing this, more people in foreign lands will be able to purchase imported American products, because they would hopefully be cheaper.

3. Force American companies to bring their production plants back home to America. By significantly raising import tariffs -- as President Trump has done with certain countries such as China -- American citizens will eventually no longer be able to purchase those foreign-made products. This will of course hurt those American companies, and presumably force them to consider whether or not it is still financially worth it to continue manufacturing their products abroad. In other words, because the tariffs on their products is so high, it may be cheaper to return to manufacturing those items within the United States again.

4. Force all American citizens to buy American-made products. If imported products become too expensive due to the tariffs which are being imposed on them, then U.S. citizens will no longer be able to afford them. As a result, the reasoning is that they will eventually turn to purchasing more homemade products. That is to say, products which are actually made and assembled within the USA itself.

Now, on the surface, a lot of this does appear to be rather logical and reasonable. However, is it really? As I will now try to show you, my thinking is that it is kind of a fantasy. Why do I say this? Because it does not really consider the facts on the ground. That is to say, it does not consider -- or maybe purposely ignores -- the mentality of Big Business leaders, and how things actually work, operate and are done within the Big Business environment. What I just said will make more sense to you as you continue reading this article, and as I begin to expose the ugly underbelly of the world of the Big Business beast, for those of you who may not be fully aware of it yet.

Based on the stream of information which we have constantly been fed by the Trump administration, the current tariffs which are being imposed on imports to the United States are supposedly feeding literally billions and billions of U.S. dollars into the American economy. This huge revenue stream is, of course, being promoted as a positive development and as a very thing for our country. In fact, we are now being informed that this influx of new money will supposedly, and eventually, benefit all American citizens in some way.

In fact, as some of my readers will know, not too long ago, President Donald Trump was floating the idea of issuing some type of stimulus check to American citizens in the amount of $2,000. Whether or not all American citizens will really be eligible for said check should it come to fruition -- there may possibly be special eligibility requirements -- I am not sure at this point in time, because I really have not taken the time to look into it more deeply. In fact, whether or not Trump's proposal is even still on the table, I am really not certain. As we all know, President Trump does have a certain propensity for saying some things, only to backpedal in his position later on. Anyway, we shall see.

However, based on my limited understanding of these matters -- which I honestly and humbly recognize could very well be flawed -- I have begun to seriously wonder if it is possible that we regular American citizens are being sailed down the river without even realizing it. In other words, my friends, I wonder if we are intentionally being gaslighted, being fed a false narrative, and purposely being deceived by the Trump administration. Before any Trump devotees begin to jump all over me, let me explain what I mean by this.

First of all, from material I have read online, my personal impression is that a lot of Americans -- I obviously cannot put an actual figure on it -- erroneously believe that these tariffs are taxes which are being paid by foreign countries, so that they can continue to export their various products to the United States of America. In other words, my friends, all of the billions of dollars in new tax revenue which is constantly being boldly touted by the Trump administration, is supposedly being paid by these foreign nations, who are eager to continue selling their products to us Americans. At least that is what some people seem to think, based on what I have read in online posts and comments.

HOWEVER, my current understanding is that this is NOT the case whatsoever. It may surprise some of you to know that it is in fact the exact OPPOSITE of what is actually happening. In other words, my friends, this new revenue which is being generated by the import tariffs isn't really being fueled by FOREIGN money whatsoever. In actuality, it is AMERICAN money which is being paid my AMERICAN companies, so that they can continue to import foreign products into our country. These companies legally owe and pay these tariffs -- or taxes -- to U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the port of entry, such as New York, Los Angeles, or wherever. The money from the tariffs is then deposited into the U.S. Treasury.

So then, we must ask ourselves the following question: What is the end result of this taxation process? Is it really to the benefit of everyday Americans such as you and I, as the Trump administration has been incessantly claiming, or isn't it? Well, my personal understanding is that by raising these tariffs -- or import taxes -- to such high levels, what this actually does is raise the price of these imported goods for everyone, beginning with the American companies which import said products, to regular buyers at the stores and companies where these products are sold. Doesn't this seem to make a lot of sense to you?

Why do I say this? Well, because if we are being brutally truthful and honest with ourselves, we all know that people go into business to make money, and NOT to lose money. We also know that the profit margin is the god of the business world. Everything revolves around it, and companies will do everything within their power to maintain their profits in the black, and not the red. This is precisely why so-called "foreign sweat shops" exist in many of the poorer countries around the world.

In other words, my friends, a significant number of American companies willingly choose to have their products made abroad due to the much cheaper labor, which increases their profit margin at home in the United States. Even though some of the products are made for mere pennies or a few dollars at best -- which would cause a person to think that this fact would result in those products being a lot more cheaper once they arrive in the United States -- what do the American-based companies actually do? They jack up the price as much as the market will allow, without regard to how cheaply the product was made abroad. True or false?

Sadly, this is just one facet of the ugly underbelly of the American business world. The dismal conditions under which many of these foreign laborers are forced to work has also been a controversial issue for quite a few years now. It is usually swept under the carpet, because it's so embarrassing for the American companies which are well aware of these sad working conditions, but who often turn a blind eye to this serious issue, and just hope that it will go away. In fact, I can recall how a number of years ago in 2010, Apple, Inc. was scrutinized and came under rather heavy fire due to the very poor work environment which existed at Foxconn manufacturing locations in China. Some of my fellow longtime Apple product users will probably remember this particular incident as well.

For those of my readers who may possibly not be aware of this fact, Taiwan-based "Foxconn" happens to be one of the largest electronics contract manufacturers in the world. Foxconn in fact manufactures electronic products for quite a few of the major technology companies. As an example, Foxconn assembles products such as Apple's iPhones and iPads, Amazon's Kindles, Microsoft's Xboxes, and Sony's PlayStations. Foxconn has a large presence in mainland China where Apple, Inc.'s problems first began surfacing some fifteen years ago, at the time of this writing.

At that particular time, there were some serious allegations being made regarding poor working conditions, very long work hours, and some labor rights violations which were occurring at certain Foxconn plants. The allegations included forced overtime, recruitment discrimination, workplace bullying and sexual harassment. What brought the situation to a head, and to the public's attention, was the fact that in 2010, there were eighteen suicide attempts, and fourteen actual deaths at Foxconn work sites. My understanding is that most -- if not all -- of these occurred at "Foxconn City", which is another name for the Longhua Science and Technology Park in Shenzhen, China. Due to the criticism, and the obviously bad image the incidents were giving to Apple, Inc., eventually, in 2012, Apple's recent new head, Tim Cook, went to China to work out the labor problems.

With time, the bad publicity was pushed into the background, and Apple, Inc. marched on releasing its famous products to the world. However, while everything appeared to be resolved on the surface, apparently, this wasn't really the case, and, sadly, it seems that nothing much has changed at the Foxconn sites. The reason why I say this is because in November 2020, China Labor Watch -- a US-based non-profit organization that was founded by Chinese labor activist Li Qiang, who was later forced to flee to the USA -- reported on a protest that was held by more than one thousand dispatch workers at Foxconn's Chengdu, China plant.

From what I have read regarding this particular incident, it seems that the employees were owed a total of three month's worth of hourly subsidies and bonuses. However, according to reports at the time, Foxconn itself had not really signed any labor contracts with the employees. Thus, Foxconn management ignored the workers' complaints. It was in fact the rejection by Foxconn's management which thus ignited the aforementioned protest. China Labor Watch eventually became involved, and through a series of employee interviews, it discovered that some of the very same labor rights violations I mentioned to you earlier were still in existence.

Two years later, in 2022, there were again serious employee protests at another Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou, China. The protests concerned not just labor disputes, but restrictions which were directly related to a major COVID-19 outbreak at Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant. News reports at the time stated that many of the employees left the Foxconn site on foot. As a result of the problems, the sale of the iPhone 14 Pro was heavily affected that year.

But that is not all. In mid-2023, China Labor Watch sent an investigator to the aforementioned Chengdu factory in order to document the ongoing working conditions at the site. It was discovered that the very same issues that were uncovered in 2020 still existed at the plant. So, here we are in late 2025 as I write this current article. It has been fifteen years since serious labor rights problems were uncovered at Foxconn's China factories. Does anyone honestly think that anything has really changed in the past two years since the 2023 discoveries were made? I don't. In just a moment, I will inform you of exactly how Apple, Inc. has responded to all of this.

But for now, allow me to say this: I'm personally troubled by these ongoing developments; the reason being that I have been a dedicated Apple products user for well over three decades now. To know under what kind of conditions Apple's products are manufactured, does bother me. But what can I really do? The entire Bill's Bible Basics ministry has been built upon Apple's product line since 1993, and depends entirely on it. I first learned to use a computer at the age of thirty-seven, and it was on a Macintosh SE. I set up my first BBS on a Mac. I designed the very first version of my website on a Mac, and I have done everything else since then on Apple's computers and other Apple devices. In short, the BBB ministry is fully integrated with Apple products, which has been a very major investment over many years.

In short, it is not like I can simply or suddenly switch to some other product line, which I would never do anyway. So it is a dilemma for me. However, I should also add that it would be rather naive to think that other computer companies are in some way more ethical than Apple, Inc. I seriously doubt it. As I mentioned earlier, they are all in it for the money, and the profit margin is their one true god. How else can we even explain the fact that certain technology companies don't have a problem with creating business partnerships with godless, communist nations such as China, Vietnam, etc.? Do you see my point? The almighty dollar and the profit margin rule over any other ethical and moral considerations. Always.

Returning to our discussion regarding Apple, Inc., as some of my readers will know, recently, the Trump administration has made serious endeavors to pressure more American companies to prove their American loyalty and patriotism by manufacturing their products at home in the Unites States. So for its part, Apple took some steps to open more company sites within the USA. I recall recently reading an article or two where they were setting up shop in Texas. However, I am personally not convinced that Apple -- or any other American companies for that matter which rely heavily on foreign manufacturing sites -- are making a wholehearted effort to bring the majority of their production plants back to America. I will now clearly prove this point to you, for those of you who may still be in doubt.

It may interest some of my readers to know that as part of its global business strategy, working with the Tata Group, Apple, Inc. has been moving a significant portion of its manufacturing sites from mainland China to India, and NOT back to the United States. Just recently, it was reported that about 44% of the iPhones which were imported into the United States, were manufactured IN INDIA. Apple's goal is to have most US-imported iPhones assembled IN INDIA within about a year's time as of the date of this current article. You see, my friends, not really "Made in America".

Along the very same lines, as I briefly mentioned a moment ago, it may likewise interest some of you to know that the communist-led nation of Vietnam has also benefitted from Apple's current business strategy. You see, while Apple has primarily focused on moving its iPhone production sites to India, at the same time, it has likewise been shifting the production of some of its other popular products to other alternative locations. This includes AirPods and MacBooks being assembled in Vietnam. So again we see that it is not "Made in America".

As I mention in the three-part series called "Why I Hate War: An Exposé on Human Violence", and as many of my older readers will already know, Vietnam and the United States have a very troubled past. I am of course referring to the Vietnam War, which was responsible for the death of over 58,000 American soldiers. Yet today, there is a US-Vietnam love affair which indirectly proclaims "Kiss, kiss. Let's make up and be international business partners." That, my friends, is the cold truth of the matter. So as I told you earlier, the almighty dollar and the profit margin really do rule over any other ethical and moral considerations.

But concerning India, Vietnam and other countries which are a part of Apple's global production network, this is all a part of Apple's so-called "China + 1" diversification strategy. This strategy is motivated by Apple's desire to be as least negatively affected as possible by geopolitical tensions -- such as the current USA-China tariff war, and the potential war over Taiwan -- and to avoid the high tariffs which the Trump administration has placed on Chinese imports. Thus, the purpose of the "China + 1" diversification strategy is simply to reduce supply chain risks which can exist when a company concentrates its production sites in a single location, as is obviously the case with China.

Furthermore, here is the real clincher which will prove my point. Despite the aforementioned business moves being made by Apple, Inc., guess what? Communist China STILL remains the single largest manufacturing base for Apple's products. In fact, China accounts for the majority of Apple's global production and sales outside of the continental U.S.A. In short, while Apple is diversifying its production sites to some degree, the bottom line is that it has no intention of ever completely getting out of China. That cheap labor is just too much of a draw for the company.

So as I already said, while Apple, Inc. may open a few new production sites within the continental United States, it seems quite evident to me that all Apple is really doing is trying to appease President Trump, and trying to appear as an American patriot to American citizens. As far as I can tell, it is all just a game of smoke and mirrors, and Big Business deception. What do YOU think?

The truth be told, as far as I can tell, these Big Business giants care very little about American patriotism. Some of their individual employees no doubt do, but as a business entity which is in business to make money -- and lots of it -- as I said earlier, their god is the profit margin. Thus, they will do whatever is necessary to remain in the black, even if it includes engaging in some questionable business practices, such as turning a blind eye to dismal working conditions in foreign sweat shops. That is, until they get caught, as Apple, Inc. was a number of years ago.

Earlier, I mentioned the ugly underbelly of the world of Big Business. Sadly, that entire system is based on greed where enough just never seems to be enough. The business world is a very calculated and cold place where business leaders are always pushing harder to stay ahead of the competition, and to expand the profit margin even further. This, of course, includes demanding more and more from their own employees -- often without even offering them fair financial compensation -- and pushing them to their physical limit until, finally, some of them just burn out from exhaustion on the sacrificial altar of service to their company. Sadly, oriental companies in particular are really like this.

As I said, the Big Business world can be a sterile, hard, merciless place where people are often treated like pawns. In such an environment, they can just as quickly be fired, as they were hired. A person needs to be thick-skinned to survive in that world. Many years ago, decades in fact, I experienced something like that when I was pushed out of a job which I really loved. I suspect that their decision to oust me was in large part due to the fact that I was the highest paid employee at the time, and an office manager.

Once I had been ousted, they apparently began subtly working on ousting some of the other longtime employees. I learned sometime later that two other managers were also eventually pressured out due to the company being under new ownership. I had never been through that kind of experience before, and it really opened my eyes to how cold-hearted some business people can be. But let me tell you; I am so glad that I'm no longer a part of that evil world. God clearly had something much better for me, and you are benefitting from it. Thank the Lord!

Please go to part two for the conclusion of this article.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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