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, […]
Tag Archives | protectionism
200th Anniversary of a Great American Demolition of Tyranny
Here’s my tribute to one of the best and least appreciated classics of American political thought. Here is a link to a free version of the original printing from 1822. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Tyranny_Unmasked/HhHVAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover 200th Anniversary of a Great American Demolition of Tyranny by James Bovard This is the 200th anniversary of the publication of one of the […]
PBS Newshour Host Jim Lehrer, R.I.P.
“Why is Mr. Bovard considered so out of it in other words?” PBS Newshour host Jim Lehrer asked the other panelists as a 1990 brawl on farm subsidies wrapped up. Shocked, shocked that PBS considered me a radical…. Jim Lehrer passed away today. He was a legend of Washington broadcast journalism – a gracious host […]
The Battle in Seattle 20 Years Ago: Clinton’s Protectionist Legacy
Reasonable folks are naturally appalled at the trade rhetoric and trade wars coming out of the Trump White House. Trump is sometimes portrayed as a shocking deviation from U.S. government support for free trade. In reality, Bill Clinton’s trade policies shared many of the same protectionist follies. Clinton’s showboating and legacy lust paved the way […]
Idiot Policies Funnier in Portuguese?
Mises Brasil [thanks for translating! Original English version is here; my 1987 Wall Street Journal oped is here] Alguns fatos cômicos (e patéticos) sobre o comércio internacional dentro do bloco soviético by James Bovard, November 12, 2019 Quando não estão matando, socialistas são uma comédia de erros Uma das maiores contribuições de Ludwig von […]
Lee Iacocca, America’s “Consumer Enemy Number One,” Dies
Former Chrysler boss Lee Iacocca passed away today at the age of 94. Since he was one of the most prominent protectionists of the 1980s and 1990s, I wrote about him often. Here’s a piece I did for the Detroit News in 1985. (I tip my hat to my late father, who kept my early […]
George H.W. Bush’s Forgotten Debacles and Demagoguery
George H.W. Bush’s Forgotten Debacles and Demagoguery by James Bovard After former President George H.W. Bush died late last year, he was widely hailed as a great leader and patriot. At the National Cathedral funeral service, biographer Jon Meachan declared that Bush was a “twentieth-century Founding Father.” The minister of Bush’s church in Houston compared […]