Limits on Chinese Imports Harm Low-Income Americans by Sheldon Richman December 22, 2004 President Bush has a nice little Christmas present for every family struggling to make ends meet: he announced the other day that he will make clothing more expensive in the coming year by imposing limits on cheap imports from China. This little favor to American textile and apparel interests ...
Bra Wars by James Bovard November 1, 2004 President Bush continually scapegoats foreigners for his decisions to pilfer Americans. While Bush loves to praise free trade, in reality, “free trade” is whatever George Bush says it is. For Bush, like other recent presidents, “fairness” is the magic word to sanctify whatever trade restrictions he imposes. In his speeches, President Bush ...
Revisiting the Wal-Mart Battlefield: A Reply to Critics by George Leef September 22, 2004 In a previous posting on the FFF site, I argued that the campaign of demonization against Wal-Mart was silly. As expected, a number of people emailed me to tell me off. I think it’s worth another posting to examine the anti–Wal-Mart arguments made by those writers.
Examining Reagan’s Record on Free Trade by Sheldon Richman June 21, 2004 The following article originally appeared in the May 10, 1982, issue of The Wall Street Journal. Copyright Dow Jones and Company, Inc. Reprinted by permission. Hardly anyone was surprised when the Reagan administration imposed quotas on sugar imports last week. This is at once remarkable and understandable. It’s remarkable because Mr. Reagan wants to be known as a free-trader. Indeed, ...
Is Free Trade Obsolete? Part 2 by Sheldon Richman May 1, 2004 Part 1 | Part 2 Is it time to throw out all the textbooks that defend free trade? Some people — including one former free trader — think so. Last month we saw how Ricardo’s law of comparative advantage, operating through the price system and the phenomenon of opportunity cost, induces people and groups to specialize in the production of ...
Wal-Mart as a “Wedge Issue” by George Leef April 9, 2004 The major political parties thrive on what are known as “wedge issues.” A wedge issue is one that takes advantage of the fact that many voters are motivated far more by emotion than by reason. It works at the gut level, driving people into anger first, and then into the voting booth, even though, when ...
The Keys to Economic Development: by Jacob G. Hornberger April 9, 2004 VIDEO: The Keys to Economic Development Dear FFF Supporters, I just returned from Porto Alegre, Brazil, where I delivered a speech entitled “The Keys to Economic Development” to a conference sponsored by the Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies, one of the most prestigious free-market ...
Outsourcing Is a Natural Force in the Free Market by Jeffrey A. Singer April 5, 2004 The other day, while performing an emergency operation on a patient with a bleeding ulcer, it occurred to me that surgeons don’t see many ulcer patients these days. Back in the 1970s and early 80s I would operate for ulcer disease every week or so. But with the advent of new ...
Ignoring the Fear-Mongering about Outsourcing by Sheldon Richman April 5, 2004 From the way some people talk in this political season, you’d think all the good jobs are being shipped to India, leaving nothing for Americans to do but flip hamburgers and shine shoes. Don’t expect to hear sensible talk about economics in an election year. It doesn’t fit into ...
Is Free Trade Obsolete? Part 1 by Sheldon Richman April 1, 2004 Part 1 | Part 2 In the last several decades, areas of the developing world, particularly Asia, have become politically more stable and free, more open to foreign investment. The populations there are better educated and have access to modern technology, including the Internet. They are thus more productive. This sounds like something to be welcomed, not only in a ...
We Need Real Free Trade Now by Sheldon Richman February 4, 2004 People in parts of the developing world are becoming more free, better educated, and increasingly dexterous with modern communications, such as the Internet. As a result, they are more vigorously participating in the world economy. They are in a position to make things and do things for us ...
The Deerslayer, the Bootmaker, and the Violin Player, Part 2 by Scott McPherson October 1, 2003 Part 1 | Part 2 The months went by, and winter’s long nights held a hint of spring and summer to come. The snow had stopped falling, and turned to water in the occasional sunlight that poked through the breaking clouds. The Deerslayer and the Bootmaker could often be found sitting on the porch watching the drops fall from ...