But not necessarily for the reasons Obama did it:
In one of his first major decisions on trade policy, President Obama opted Friday to impose a tariff on tires from China, a move that fulfills his campaign promise to “crack down” on imports that unfairly undermine American workers but risks angering the nation’s second-largest trading partner.
The decision is intended to bolster the ailing U.S. tire industry, in which more than 5,000 jobs have been lost over the past five years as the volume of Chinese tires in the market has tripled.
It comes at a sensitive time, however. Leaders from the world’s largest economies are preparing to gather in Pittsburgh in less than two weeks to discuss more cooperation amid tensions over trade.
The tire tariff will amount to 35 percent the first year, 30 percent the second and 25 percent the third.
Although a federal trade panel had recommended higher levies — of 55, 45 and 35 percent, respectively — the decision is considered a victory for the United Steelworkers union, which filed the trade complaint.
I’d have imposed the tariff simply because we shouldn’t be trading with China – once upon a time, I was a free trader. Now I’m a Freedom Trader – free trade between all free peoples; no trade at all with tyrants who enslave their own people. What I’d like to see happen is a ten year period of adjustment where US tariffs on Chinese goods are made progressively higher until China is priced out of the US market – ditto with any other tyrannical regime, most especially those tyrannical regimes which export oil to the United States (yes, it’d be difficult – and costly – but worth it, in the long run…of course, we’d also need a President willing to exploit our own oil resources to fill part of the gap…). Why should our fine marketplace be sullied with the sweat of slaves, and the profits of beastly government thugs?
Obama, unfortunately, is doing this just to placate yet another union – in this case, the United Steelworkers. Much better if Obama had used some spendulus money to provide tax easements for tire manufacturers … and perhaps make new or expanded tire factories tax free for the next five years or so. But, still, it all works out towards what I want done…so, bravo, Mr. President.
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