[LS]

Tariffs steal private property from some to benefit others, pure and simple. Marx would have no trouble with this, as it brings about an end to pure competition, and, especially, to individual liberty. That was his central goal. In that sense they are marxist.

It is baloney to say that they allow a producer to "keep the value." Value is not determined either by the producer or the GOVERNMENT---except in marxist societies. Value is determined by the MARKET, which is exactly what Marx opposed.

[hedgetrimmer]

"Value is determined by the MARKET"

You are correct. And the value of _your_ property has been relative to American markets until recently. Because Marx wanted to devalue property, he would love your view. Because you are telling the people on FR that our property must be valued at the level of a third world country and its marketplace, and not relative to our own marketplace. Therefore you are telling the American people that they must lose all their wealth in order to be part of this so called market system that lets an individual compete on his own value without government intervention.

Again, in the words of the founding fathers, "what is the purpose of government?"

"the purpose of government was to protect the rights of the individual, preexisting rights granted by God rather than the state."

When did the government's purpose become the support of third world nations by forcing export of jobs and tax dollars to them through OPIC, the IMF, the INF and trade treaties? How does this serve the American people? Does it make us more free, or does it enslave us by irrevocably tying our economy to slave labor nations like China?

You are also wrong when you think there is no government intervention in your so called "free market" utopia. It has been shown over and over on this forum, our government is imposing limitations on us through regulation, that do not have to be met by our third world economic warriors. Our government does not protest the limitations the third world economic warriors impose on us, by the tariffs their governments lay onto our goods. This proves our government is clearly acting as an agent of the third world economic warriors instead of as an agent working on behalf of the American people.