Topic: Free Trade

Is Free Trade Elitist?

– November 29, 2021

“Intellectuals almost always feature prominently on any side of any debate over any issue. Free trade is nothing more, or less, than freedom and fairness. The notion that it is an elitist scheme is a grotesque canard.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

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To Fix the Shipping Crisis, Start by Repealing the Jones Act

– October 25, 2021

“The Biden Administration should immediately suspend the Jones Act, at least until the shipping backlog is remedied. That, instead of coddling special interests wielding ludicrous (and arguably long out-of-date) arguments, would be a true ‘gamechanger.'” ~ Peter C. Earle

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Hostility to Free Trade Is Now Officially Bipartisan

– October 9, 2021

“Now, despite nominally battling each other on many issues, on one issue Democrats and Republicans stand united: their bipartisan hostility to free trade.” ~ Raymond C. Niles

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The Secret Tariff Code Heist

– October 4, 2021

“Unfortunately, as long as politicians can profiteer from restricting imports, protectionism will continue reviving. Most of the media continues to ignore the economic carnage resulting from protectionist decrees that, after all these years, still cannot pass the laugh test.” ~ James Bovard

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China’s Export Subsidies Are a Gift

– September 16, 2021

“Misguided retaliation that would eliminate the advantages that cheaper Chinese goods offer would result in unnecessary self-inflicted costs and forgone benefits to the American economy.” ~ Theodore A. Gebhard

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What Can We Lose To China By Isolating Afghanistan?

– September 3, 2021

“Although the United States may be withdrawing its military, continued engagement through diplomatic and economic means could go a long way in mitigating an already tragic situation.” ~ Ethan Yang

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A Conversation About Free Trade in the 21st Century

– August 19, 2021

“On this episode of the Authors Corner, Ethan sits down with AIER Senior Fellow Don Boudreaux, who is also a board member at the Mercatus Center, a professor of economics at George Mason University, and the former president of the Foundation for Economic Education.” ~ AIER

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Engaging China was the Right Strategy Then; It Remains the Right Strategy Now

– August 11, 2021

“Americans should address the very real challenges posed by the PRC’s oppressive shift under Xi Jinping. But they should remain engaged with China and especially the Chinese people. Liberty is under siege but not forever lost.” ~ Doug Bandow

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The Case For Diplomacy and Engagement Over Brinkmanship

– July 28, 2021

“We must light the way with our example through engagement, trade, and a commitment to walking what we talk. With darkness and chaos on the rise in every corner of the globe, we must feed the flame of liberty and broadcast it across the night, not shut it off.” ~ Ethan Yang

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Some Problems with the ‘Repatriating Critical Supply Chains’ Argument

– May 25, 2021

“Even if political pressures were miraculously to disappear, government officials would remain ignorant of most of the detailed bits of knowledge about how resources are, and potentially can be, used. And so any errors these officials make in distinguishing ‘critical’ from not-critical goods and services will result in resources being used more wastefully than otherwise.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

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You Think This Is A Game? Not Quite

– April 23, 2021

“Sports and gaming metaphors certainly have their place, but if we take them too seriously we get lost in details and lose sight of the greatest positive-sum game in the world: specialization and division of labor. When you’re bowling or playing a board game, there’s a winner and a loser. When you’re bargaining, however, everyone’s a winner.” ~ Art Carden

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Steel Follies and the Perils of Politically-Controlled Trade

– April 22, 2021

“American citizens and manufacturers should be allowed to buy every commodity they choose as cheaply as the world can produce it. The time has come to end the medieval pursuit of a “just price” for imports and to cease permitting politicians and bureaucrats to have economic life-and-death power over American businesses.” ~ James Bovard

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