Tag Archives | tariffs

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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, […]

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Wash. Times: Politicians & Peanut Pilfering

Washington Times, August 26, 2016 Politicians and Peanut Pilfering by James Bovard The peanut program is typical of the train wreck of farm subsidies The history of federal peanut policy is the perfect antidote to anyone who still believes that Congress could competently manage a lemonade stand. Federal spending for peanut subsidies will rise eight-fold […]

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FFF: How Tariffs Helped Cause the Civil War and Other Disasters

from the Future of Freedom Foundation’s monthly magazine, July 2014 –   – (The first part of this analysis was published by FFF here).  For a far more detailed examination of the role of tariffs and the Civil War, see Michael Griffith’s excellent analysis here.    The full text of the February 1861 New York Times editorial […]

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The Tariff and the Civil War – New Study by Michael Griffith

Michael Griffith has just posted an excellent analysis and survey of the role of tariff conflicts in paving the path to the American Civil War: The Tariff and Secession: Statements on the Tariff as a Major Factor in Sectional Strife and Southern Secession http://www.mtgriffith.com/web_documents/tariffandsecession.htm : Northern and Southern leaders began arguing over the tariff almost as […]

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FFF: How Trade Wars Shaped Early American History

  Future of Freedom, June 2014 How Trade Wars Shaped Early American History, Part 1 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 […]

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