Reply #20: Tariffs are not a good idea [View All]

[AffirmativeReaction]

Protectionism is not the way to go, except in the interest of national security (Like the steel industry, for example. It's essential that we be able to manufacture steel for national defense.) Tariffs do nothing more than support failing or inefficient companies. Look at the auto industry in the late 60's and 70's. Once our markets were opened up to Japanese imports our automakers got hammered. The quality was poor, competition was limited, and R&D was stagnant. Chrysler very nearly went out of business. Many jobs were lost in the auto industry in the 1980's, and many people lamented the fact that Japan was going to own America within a few years. Guess what happened? U.S. companies responded. At first it was painful, as jobs were shed or moved to Mexico, new designs were drawn up, and quality slowly improved. Eventually the U.S. automakers recovered and caught back up with the Japanese. Now they are almost equal in quality. Tariffs merely allow flawed businesses to continue producing an inferior product.