Tag: protectionism
Trump, Trade, and Great Power War
March 23, 2017 | Post
One of the signature features of President Donald Trump’s campaign was his hostility to free trade. Then-candidate Trump repeatedly denigrated various multilateral trade pacts as bad deals for the United States. Pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, appointing opponents of free trade—such as Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro—into key positions, and promises of tariffs that are likely to […]
Won't someone think about the disemployed steel workers?
March 11, 2017 | Post
Joe works in a Pennsylvania steel mill. Many of Joe’s fellow Americans start buying more imported steel and, hence, less American-made steel. Because of this change in trade patterns, Joe – a good, hard-working, honest, play-by-the-rules, middle-aged family man who toiled in the steel mill all of his adult life – loses his job. Joe […]
Will President Trump kill capitalism?
February 23, 2017 | Post
Capitalism—stronger than any border wall or immigration ban—remains a resilient and deeply American system.
Trump's proposed wall and tax are folly
February 22, 2017 | Post
The idea is wrongheaded on both counts: they would harm citizens of the US as well as those of Latin America.
Trade restrictions imperil our standard of living
February 17, 2017 | Post
“The market is not a place, a thing, a collective entity. The market is a process, actuated by the interplay of the actions of the various individuals cooperating under the division of labor.” – Ludwig von Mises
“America First!” and Anti-Social Communitarianism
February 11, 2017 | Post
The problem with communitarianism is that many communitarians make for bad community members. Many of them are “society first, individual second!” to the point of being anti-social. They aren’t the kind of people you’d want to live near. Look, I get why people like community. I live in a fairly tight-knit community myself. We have little […]
Explaining the Protectionist Instinct
February 10, 2017 | Post
One of the gravest economic mistakes that humans can make is to forget that ours is unavoidably a world of scarcity.
Taxing global trade is not deregulation
January 28, 2017 | Post
Trump-style economic nationalism, like the more full-throated fascism with which it shares much, aims to bring back the mythical glory days of the nation. But if we really want to make America great (again), we should learn the lesson of history, as well as economic theory, that prosperity comes from the free movement of goods, services, and people regardless of arbitrary political lines.
An economic analysis of protectionism clearly shows that Trump’s tariffs would make us poorer, not greater
December 17, 2016 | Post
Trump’s base will be hurt the most by his wealth-destroying and punitive trade policy.
New anti-Airbnb law protects hotels from competition (and violates private property and freedom of exchange)
November 15, 2016 | Post
Airbnb is now facing greater opposition in New York thanks to a recent bill signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo which bans advertising of short-term rentals.
More questions for Trump and other protectionists and mercantilists
November 2, 2016 | Post
Donald Trump is a protectionist like many other politicians, save that he unfurls his vast economic ignorance more fully and more proudly than do more seasoned politicians. I’ve more questions for Trump and his fans, and, indeed, for protectionists of all stripes, colors, and temperaments. Such as…. – If you buy your tomatoes and okra […]
How a 19th century French pamphleteer preempted two centuries of economic fallacies
October 18, 2016 | Post
Frederic Bastiat lived a prolific life and left an even grander legacy.
Let’s tax the iPhone to save BlackBerry
October 13, 2016 | Post
It’s not BlackBerry’s fault the Apple iPhone has become the go-to smartphone for consumers worldwide.
Free Trade Brings Abundance — Protectionism Brings Scarcity
September 29, 2016 | Post
When it comes to trade, the best US policy, or that of any country, is the elimination of all barriers to imports. This can be done unilaterally. Abundance should always be preferred to scarcity.
Protectionism is Robbery
August 30, 2016 | Post
Protectionism is the belief that domestic producers have a higher claim to your money than you do.
Globalization Isn't Killing Factory Jobs. Trade Is Actually Why Manufacturing Is up 40 Percent
August 5, 2016 | Post
This piece was originally published at the L.A. Times. Foreign trade took a beating at both major party conventions, with speakers blaming free-trade agreements for all but wiping out U.S. manufacturing and eliminating millions of middle-class jobs. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have promised to renegotiate or abandon trade agreements with key U.S. trading […]
How the State Became the American Woman’s Real Enemy
May 18, 2016 | Post
Editor’s Note: This is part one in a two part series from Sarah Skwire on women and liberty. You can read part two here. I’ve been a feminist for as long as I can remember. One of our oldest family stories is of Young Sarah asking Mom why Puppy Chow had a commercial that said “Don’t […]
Food for Thought: Protectionism
November 6, 2015 | Post
Some countries heavily subsidize companies within their own borders. Does this justify equally large subsidies in America? How else can companies compete internationally if they do not receive government funds, but their rivals do? Let us know what you think in the comments!