Sort of, just ask Switzerland - one of the (probably the) most expensive country in the world - enjoying the privilege of a 39% tax, errm, tariff.

Came across this report, by the BLS, comparing labor rates across several countries. Data from 2012.

Scroll down to table 3. The US has the 14th highest labor rate at $35.67. Switzerland ranks second, at $57.79/hr. I am confident that "JCs" care not one whit what a Prole's cost of living is, he only pays the least he can, to get anyone to show up.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: International Comparisons of Hourly Compensation Costs in Manufacturing, 2012 : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

If the objective was to protect American workers from extremely low pay rates, there would be no tariffs on goods from any of the countries that have higher wage rates. I could stretch a point and not tariff countries with wage rates up to maybe 5% lower than the US. But countries near the bottom: Brazil $11.20, Poland, $8.25, Mexico $6.36, Philippines $2.10, need to have a cost leveling tariff imposed, to remove the incentive to move production from the US to those countries.

Telling American workers they need to compete with Mexicans and Indians for their jobs is simply not fair. And, as the President of the UAW pointed out, a couple years ago, automakers charge us just as much for their Mexican built cars, as they do for US built cars, so we Proles are not gaining from our neighbors losing their jobs to Mexicans.

But Lord Trump's agenda with tariffs is about shifting the tax burden. Any gain of Prole jobs is nothing but a coincidence.

Steve...HBTT