The NY Times is Wrong About Trade—So is Everybody Else

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American Greatness
Spencer P. Morrison
July 29, 2018

President Trump earlier this month told CBS News that the European Union is America’s “foe” because of “what they do to us in trade.” The European Council President Donald Tusk frantically responded:


Donald Tusk
✔
@eucopresident
 America and the EU are best friends. Whoever says we are foes is spreading fake news.

11:03 AM - Jul 15, 2018

Many free traders see this as far more than simple rhetoric. Economic historian Adam Tooze took to the pages of the New York Times last week to argue Trump is “deliberately foster[ing] economic nationalism.” In this way, Tooze suggests, Trump is little better than China’s President Xi Jinping or Russia’s Vladimir Putin. How dare they upset the liberal economic order?

More... https://amgreatness.com/2018/07/29/the-ny-times-is-wrong-about-trade-so-is-everybody-else/


When Did ‘Tariff’ Become a Bad Word?

American Greatness
Spencer P. Morrison
Sept. 6, 2017

President Trump last month empowered U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to investigate China’s theft of American intellectual property (IP), which costs America up to $500 billion annually. A new report from Axios, however, reveals that Trump’s aggressive action on IP theft may just be the beginning. Not content with cracking down on IP theft, President Trump wants tariffs, too.

In a high-level meeting, President Trump accused a number of his advisors as being “globalists” who are raising the issue of IP theft to redirect the president’s attentions. Trump reportedly vented:

For the last six months, this same group of geniuses comes in here all the time and I tell them, ‘Tariffs, I want tariffs.’ And what do they do? They bring me IP. I can’t put a tariff on IP . . . China is laughing at us.  Laughing.

. . . let me tell you why they didn’t bring me any tariffs. I know there are some people in the room right now that are upset. I know there are some globalists in the room right now. And they don’t want them . . . they don’t want the tariffs. But I’m telling you, I want tariffs.

More... https://amgreatness.com/2017/09/06/tariff-become-bad-word/

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I'm for free trade but not as religious rite, as dictum. Smoot-Hawley was the wrong policy at the wrong time and not some eternal guide as to what not to do.

[Fishrrman]

I'm for whatever trade policies end up with America prospering a bit more than other countries.

As in, "America First". And no apologies.

Free trade, tariffs, whatever.
Lately, however, it seems that tariffs are doing a better job at achieving the goal above, than was "free trade" (which was NEVER "free", regardless of what some try to tell you)...

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I'm for whatever trade policies end up with America prospering a bit more than other countries.

As in, "America First". And no apologies.

Free trade, tariffs, whatever.
Lately, however, it seems that tariffs are doing a better job at achieving the goal above, than was "free trade" (which was NEVER "free", regardless of what some try to tell you)...

These tariffs are a bargaining tool. And they're countering China other than militarily. What would be the cost of countering China militarily?