American Institute for Economic Research, November 22, 2022 Industrial Policy Returns, Prior Pratfalls Notwithstanding James Bovard Jubilation erupted in Washington this summer as industrial policy came back into fashion. Congress passed Biden-backed legislation known as the CHIPS Act to spend $52 billion subsidizing semiconductor production. But the new law is a reminder that politicians prosper […]
Tag Archives | Commerce Department
Biden, Our Boneheaded Chip Czar
Libertarian Institute, November 2, 2022 Biden, Our Boneheaded Chip Czar by Jim Bovard Jubilation erupted in Washington this summer as politicians lurched towards commandeering a key swath of the American economy. Congress passed Biden-backed legislation known as the Chip Act to spend $52 billion subsidizing semiconductor production. A Washington Post headline hailed “a big month […]
D.C.’s “Best Information Available” Charade
American Institute for Economic Research, February 19, 2022 D.C.’s “Best Information Available” Charade James Bovard On a sweltering June morning in 1993, I loitered in a long line of people stretched down a football-field length hallway on the third floor of the headquarters of the US Commerce Department. The queue started outside the entrance of […]
Steel Follies and the Perils of Politically-Controlled Trade
American Institute for Economic Research, April 22, 2021 Steel Follies and the Perils of Politically-Controlled Trade James Bovard The Biden administration appears determined to perpetrate all of Trump’s economic follies while adding fresh blunders of its own. Trump was notorious for saying incorrect things on trade, such as his assertion that “trade wars are good, […]