Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Donald J Boudreaux
“American consumers often take advantage of attractive bargains offered by producers located outside of the United States. American producers who compete with those foreign producers too often respond by doing what producers have done for centuries – namely, cajole and bribe government officials for protection from consumers. Of course, the resulting protectionist measures are commonly described as providing not protection from consumers but ‘protection from imports,’ or ‘protection from foreign producers.’ But this language misleads. Imports are lifeless; they don’t act under their own volition. Nor are imports created and offered for sale by non-human forces. The ultimate source of the ‘harm’ that American producers complain of isn’t imports; it isn’t even the foreign producers who offer their wares for sale to Americans. The ultimate source of this ‘harm’ is American consumers.” (11/13/23)