Absolutely incoherent nonsense. These idiots at NR act as if everything has to be either at one extreme or the other.
The Constitution allows for tariffs, plain and simple. Whether they make for good policy at any given time, or for any given industry, is subject to debate, of course.
But to be dogmatically for or against them is just naive, IMHO. Tariffs—arguably, at least—do have a place in modern day trade and labor policy.
But this NR article's apparent thesis that "leveling the playing field" is tantamount to dragging American labor down to the level of inferior economies is simply hysterical fear-mongering.
I don't think that protectionism—at least highly aggressive protectionism—is much of a long term solution. But it certainly can—and possibly should—be applied in cases where it helps the American working class.
Americans themselves can be informed about the factors involved, and are quite capable of deciding whether they might be willing to, say, pay more for some foreign goods in cases when it's necessary to help the economy overall.
Shared sacrifice thru protectionism, in various forms, is not a completely ridiculous notion. But if it is to occur, it must be on the basis of the People being as fully educated as possible regarding all aspect of its operation.
#NeverTrump at it again.
That's for sure.
If we get all the cheap labor express out of the jobs, wages will go up not go down to third world rates. Even legal foreign workers are rarely paid what citizens are paid.