I had always thought that Conservatives believed in free trade. Aren't tariffs onerous government regulations? Shouldn't private companies be able to negotiate their own deals? Aren't taxes just bad and stifling in general?
I believe in fair trade. And there's nothing wrong with tariffs - as long as they aren't applied in a ham-fisted way.
I guess I don't know a ham-fisted way from any other.. What makes one tariff bad and another one good?
Club for growth said “The idea of imposing steel or aluminum tariffs of any kind is an affront to economic freedom,” . “First and foremost, it’s bad for the American worker. For every steel worker job that might be saved because of a tariff, our country will lose even more American jobs in auto plants, construction, and so many other industries.
“Tariffs will also harm the pro-growth effects of the tax cuts, stall the economy, incite a trade war, and help hand the election to the Democrats."
https://www.clubforgrowth.org/uncategorized/club-for-growth-warns-against-steel-and-aluminum-tariffs-and-taxes/
Isn't that the "conservative" position?
That's the free trade dogma taught in schools for the past decades. I am not sure how it comports with reality. 'Conservative' can mean different things. It can mean conserving what is or leaving everything to market forces.
Example: I watched some youtube video of brits living in Norway decribing what life was like. Such videos are fun to watch for different countries.( I like the ones about China.) The brits said a lot. She mentioned that there were limited selections in the stores and high import duties to protect local industries. i.e. to conserve what was. She said she ordered some health foods over the internet and the customs duties were about 100%. Is that conservative?
Decades past I spent some time in Foxboro MA. The locals were up in arms. There was a proposal to put a McDonalds on the town rotary. Were their objections conservative?
Years ago the French were upset about a French Disneyland polluting France with American culture. Conservative? The French do not want to see their farmers destroyed by Cargill so they have tariffs. Conservative?
The US used to have 'imposts' which were uniform for imports, and 'tariffs' which benefited certain industries over others. Tariffs were more like crony capitalism. US growth was huge with imposts.
If tariffs serve to conserve what is left of America is that conservative? Actually, Europe is more conservative than the US in anti-trust law. In the US we only care about cheap stuff for consumers. In the EU they care about producers AND consumers. They try to balance the two. The EU VAT kinda serves as a tariff as it is added to imports for local consumption but is rebated for exports.
People who want free market forces to rule all give zero weight to massive unemployment and resultng suicides and drug use. People advocating free trade and immigration often have either govt jobs or jobs protected by govt certifications e.g. medical, teaching.