State Occupational Licensing: A Burdensome Barrier
The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that barriers such as excessive state occupational licensing are thwarting opportunity for low-income workers. Occupational… Read More
Seattle’s Rideshare Caps Will Squash Innovators Such as Uber
Seattle has earned the dubious honor of being the first city to cap the number of drivers that rideshare services such as Uber may keep… Read More
Apple Wins Latest Round Against Samsung Thanks to the Obama Administration
Apple achieved another protectionist victory Tuesday in its ongoing battle with South Korea’s Samsung when the Obama Administration decided not to veto an import ban… Read More
Time to Upgrade the African Growth and Opportunity Act
Africa is increasingly viewed as “a hopeful continent” whose next 10 years can be even better economically than the last 10. In this evolving economic… Read More
A Conservative Agenda for Trade: Eliminate the Threat of Tariffs
When it comes to trade, the ultimate objective for conservatives should be to eliminate tariffs—not just reduce some or all, but take them completely off… Read More
Don’t Be Fooled – Trade Deficits Are Just Fine
There is a major misconception in the United States concerning the balance of trade and jobs. Many equate trade deficits and increases in imports as… Read More
Protectionist Japan? Check the Numbers
A recent news report was headlined: “Lawmakers, business groups balk at trade deal with protectionist Japan.” A more accurate title would have been: “Protectionist U.S…. Read More
North Carolina: Prospering from Trade
North Carolina’s congressional delegation has been among the most protectionist in the country. This is odd, considering that record levels of trade are creating well-paid… Read More
Protectionist Jones Act Harms Puerto Ricans
An obsolete U.S. law known as the Jones Act makes people in Puerto Rico poorer, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank… Read More
Room for Improvement When It Comes to Services Trade
The Obama Administration recently announced its intention to begin negotiations on an agreement to expand international trade in the services industry, such as the telecommunications,… Read More
Morning Bell: See America’s Ranking in the 2013 Index of Economic Freedom
When we talk about “economic freedom,” what do we mean—and why does it matter? Economic freedom is the fundamental right of every human to control… Read More
Obesity in America: Blame Trade Protectionism on Sugar
With a new study pointing the finger at high fructose corn syrup as a culprit in America’s explosive epidemic of obesity, it is important to… Read More
Debate on Trade: It Isn’t Just About How Many Cases You Bring to the WTO
Trade policy with China was again front and center in last night’s presidential debate, with President Obama defending his Administration’s trade policies. In particular, the… Read More
What Does the Obama Administration Have Against Cheap Vegetables?
The Obama Administration’s Commerce Department recently took a preliminary position in favor of ending a 16-year-old trade agreement governing tomatoes imported from Mexico. The Florida… Read More
Morning Bell: Shocking News! Trade with China Supports U.S. Jobs
The presidential debate yesterday moved to trade with China, with the usual rhetorical suspects—including “outsourcing” and the “trade deficit”—taking center stage. President Obama announced that… Read More
Protectionist “Obsession” Is Misplaced
Former Governor Jennifer Granholm (D–MI) confessed Wednesday to an “obsession” with creating manufacturing jobs in the United States. That is a brave admission, given that… Read More
National Security Should Not Be an Excuse for Protectionism
The Alliance for American Manufacturing has been busy advocating the idea that the U.S government needs to do more to promote domestic manufacturing, as it… Read More
Time to Safeguard Ourselves from Rising Protectionism
Last week, Pascal Lamy, chief of the World Trade Organization (WTO), gave a stark warning that rising protectionism is a serious threat to global economic… Read More
Argentina: Cristina Ramps Up Protectionism
Milton Friedman once said that “there is no alternative way, so far discovered, of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a… Read More
Chinese Currency Manipulation: Lies and Statistics
There’s a very old political rule getting a new twist in the House of Representatives right now: When your policies fail, blame someone else. The… Read More
Smoot–Hawley Anniversary Serves as Reminder of Protectionism’s Damage
Today marks the 81st anniversary of the passage of the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act. Actor and economist Ben Stein famously explained this legislation in Ferris Bueller’s… Read More
Time to Go Global with Greater Economic Freedom
The latest study by the McKinsey Global Institute reveals some astonishing facts concerning contributions of U.S. global companies to the American economy. According to the… Read More
Say “Adios” to Obama’s “National Export Initiative”
The latest outbreak of creeping global protectionism is in Brazil, which announced March 8 that it intends to levy nearly USD$600 million in increased import… Read More
Cap and Trade Bill Moves Forward on Waxman’s Artificial Timeline: High Costs Remain (Part 10 in a 10-Part Series)
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) is a man of his words, sort of. He told people he wanted to get a global warming bill that capped… Read More
Russian Crisis Acquires New Dimension
The crisis in Russia is revealing new features proving it is quite unlike the global downturn. Last week saw numerous actions protesting a hike in… Read More
Bailout a la Russe: Government Establishes Tight Control Over Industries
The Russian government is aggressively exploiting the current economic downturn to step up its grip over the economy and actually nationalize most of the lucrative… Read More
Obama Undercuts America’s Relationship With Colombia
Free trade has been receiving a bad rap lately. Barack Obama’s campaign has come out in full force against free trade. In addition to clumsily… Read More
Morning Bell: A Trade Free Zone
Barack Obama has frequently called the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) “a bad deal.” During one Democratic primary debate, Obama even said he would… Read More
Free Trade Fact of the Day
As bad as many conservatives thought the Clintons were, at least they helped forge a bipartisan consensus on free trade. They helped pass NAFTA and… Read More
Morning Bell: The Protectionists
Citing opposition to NAFTA from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the run-up to Ohio’s Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) pleaded with Wall… Read More
