Libertarian Institute, July 17, 2024 Tariffs Are Bipartisan Enemies of Freedom by James Bovard President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both portray tariffs as magic wands to create national prosperity. Trump is calling for a 10% across-the-board tariff on imports, while Biden is imposing selective tariffs that he portrays as miracle cures for […]
Tag Archives | free trade
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, […]
G.W.H. Bush Protectionist Follies, 1989-1992
Some folks thought I was too harsh on the late George H.W. Bush in my USA Today oped and on my Twitter comments. So here’s some of the articles I wrote on Bush’s protectionist debacles in the early 1990s. [The following piece was reprinted in two economics college textbooks] Wall Street Journal Wednesday, September 6, […]
American Tariffs and Wars From the Revolution to the Depression
Mises Institute / Mises Daily American Tariffs and Wars From the Revolution to the Depression by James Bovard Fair trade is once again a rallying cry for many Americans. Many contemporary leftists believe that the U.S. government should impose restrictions or tariffs on imported goods that are alleged to have been produced by underpaid or […]