| | John, it's true that it's hard to sort out the effects of protectionist tariffs. It's much like inflationary spending, where the short-term benefits are politically advantageous, but the long-term consequences are real and suffocating.
I live around a dying steel town whose leaders would have someone from the outside come in and save them, rather than make it easier for residents to try to save themselves. Bush's steel tariffs were the "savior" that they were looking for. The tariffs kinda, sorta, helped out the town. At least, that's what Bush's campaign fliers imply.
Meanwhile, a hundred miles away, my brother works in a steel fabrication plant, where the rising cost of steel is felt hard. It's still rising (there's a strong international demand now), but the fact remains that my brother's job has been made all the more difficult because of folks who'd rather fight foreign producers than be productive themselves!
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