What is free trade?
Every time I hear people lauding the merits of "free markets" I wonder if they really support totally free trade. If so, why aren't they demanding the end of US tariffs that keep out cheap ethanol from Brazil? Instead of removing tariffs which could lower the cost of gasoline, our government gives taxpayer funded subsidies to domestic corn producers, and by mandating the use of ethanol, drives up the cost of corn and subsequently every other commodity that uses corn. A similar thing applies to sugar: our government has tariffs and price supports which benefit a tiny group of wealthy Cuban-Americans. Is this free trade, or does free trade apply only to countries we export to?
Every time I hear people lauding the merits of "free markets" I wonder if they really support totally free trade. If so, why aren't they demanding the end of US tariffs that keep out cheap ethanol from Brazil? Instead of removing tariffs which could lower the cost of gasoline, our government gives taxpayer funded subsidies to domestic corn producers, and by mandating the use of ethanol, drives up the cost of corn and subsequently every other commodity that uses corn. A similar thing applies to sugar: our government has tariffs and price supports which benefit a tiny group of wealthy Cuban-Americans. Is this free trade, or does free trade apply only to countries we export to?
