[Agamemnon]

the ability to impose tariffs....

And you might be either the esteemed Mr. Smoot, Mr. Hawley, or possibly the late great president Hoover himself re-incarnated perhaps?

[Lazamataz]

And you might be either the esteemed Mr. Smoot, Mr. Hawley, or possibly the late great president Hoover himself re-incarnated perhaps?

No, but he might be a reincarnation of:

• George Washington -- who refused to wear a coat cut of British cloth to his inauguration and signed the Tariff Act of 1789.
• Or Alexander Hamilton who wrote in his 1791 report as Treasury Secretary, "Every nation ought to endeavor to possess within itself all the essentials of national supply."
• Or Abraham Lincoln, who said, "Give me a tariff and I will give you the greatest nation on earth."
• Or Teddy Roosevelt who wrote, "I thank God I am not a free trader."

Maybe he's one of those.

[RockyMtnMan]

Tariffs are a reality and if used correctly can benefit society. To simply throw away the concept of a tariff or excise on a whim of Free Trade is pure folly. China and India stand to win handsomely from the Free Trader's ignorance of value.