There are US consumers getting ripped off on quite a number of things, it may be one-sector-at-a-time mercantilism, but it's covering a lot of sectors, it is certainly protectionism, and coming from a government who say they are free traders, it is clearly hypocrisy ... lumber is only one, the tariff against ours has great effect here in BC, so we notice it more, but others like the long-term sugar and cotton subsidies have great effect elsewhere in the world, at the same time as they pick domestic pockets ... Lew Rockwell on the subject, he puts it number nine on the list of Bush mistakes -
' Number Nine: Unrelenting Protectionism. The Bush administration began its campaign for old-fashioned protectionism with a disgraceful tariff on steel that did nothing to help the industry, but much to harm American business by vastly raising the costs of steel. After incredible protest, the Bush administration finally declared victory and repealed its tariff, but only while adding more tariffs and protections for timber, shrimp, clothing, and a hundred other items in the USTR's daily operations, all of which have the same theme: the rest of the world had better buy our stuff, but the U.S. government has no obligation to stop taxing American consumers to benefit well-connected U.S. companies.'
Message 21285000 |
