Here’s a letter that I sent a few days ago to the New York Times:
You report today that “Many American companies, particularly manufacturers, are cheering on the administration. They argue that they need the government’s assistance to stop foreign companies from flooding the market with cheap products” (“Will 2018 Be the Year of Protectionism? Trump Alone Will Decide”).
Modest rewording reveals more clearly the essence of the matter: “Many American companies, particularly manufacturers, are cheering on the administration. Seeking monopoly power, they argue that they need the government’s assistance to stop American consumers from improving their lives by enjoying access to the great abundance of goods made available by competitors whose only offense is being foreign.”
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Professor of Economics
and
Martha and Nelson Getchell Chair for the Study of Free Market Capitalism at the Mercatus Center
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
