Our Republic since its inception had tariffs in it all the way up until 1996.
Every president from George Washington up to Bill Clinton had tariffs. We were the leaders of the free world and became a Super Power.
So according to you all the previous Presidents were all “Protectionist” and this was bad for the United States. In other words the United States was on the wrong path from 1787 to 1996?
What is the opposite of the word protection? Here are some words for you.
Unprotected, exposed, threat, danger, insecurity, uncertainty, harm, injury, destruction, doubt and attack.
So wanting to protect the Untied States, from being unprotected, exposed, threat, danger, insecurity, uncertainty, harm, injury, destruction, doubt, attack, etc...., to be the leaders of the free world and the loan super power is a bad thing????
Oh I know according to the Clinton’s, the Bush’s and Obama that is the case. According to these guys every U.S. President from George Washington down.... up to Bill Clinton were all wrong on Tariffs.
Let’s talk Ronald Reagan....
You do know that Reagan told Japan and European car companies they can avoid tariffs if you build your car plants here in the United States. Reagan used tariffs as advantage to bring jobs to the United States. Guess what Toyotta, BMW, etc... all came here.
Free trade is only good IF everyone is playing by the same rules. Right now here are the facts.
1) The United States STILL PAYS TARIFFS while at the very same time China and Mexico do not. How is that not rigged?
2) China can manipulate currency with no type of punishment. How is that not rigged?
3) China, Mexico and the rest of the world are exempt from federal regulations while U.S. companies have to comply ONLY in the United States. How is that not rigged?
4) United States companies pay a higher capital gains in order to encourage them to leave the United States. That way we can import lower prices. How is that not rigged?
5) We import Engineers from China and India to replace American workers at lower cost. Google what Disney did recently to their I.T. department. The American workers had to train their foreign replacements , here in the United States for 1/3 the cost. While at the same time we export Engineer students from M.I.T., Georgia Tech, etc... to places like China and India. How is that not rigged?
6) In addition we now have open borders(never done before until this year, and allow illegal immigrants to welfare, free housing, free health care and free education. No other country in the world does this except us. This is being done in order to drive wages down. How is that not rigged?
This is what guys like Obama, the Bush’s and the Clinton’s think is great for America.
If you are still not certain, then ask yourself this question?
Was the United States a stronger country with tariffs from 1945 to 1996 than without tariffs from 1997 to 2015?
Avoid the prose. Just tell me how much more you want me to pay in taxes.
The thing about those of us who adhere to the Austrian school of economics is, we study the economic world as it is, not how we wish it could be. It is true that illegal labor has displaced legal labor, just like bad money chases out good money. Legal jobs on American soil are good things for the economy, but if those H1B visas are not given, those opportunities will likely go to even cheaper workers on foreign soil. The law of unintended consequences is inviolable. To protect one segment of jobs and their wages, is create incentives to make those jobs go off-shore or performed robotically or some other more economically efficient means. To survive in the modern economy one must adapt or become extinct. The later cannot be avoided by time traveling back to a less volatile time.