It is no surprise that in our altruistic society, where our elected officials are overly concerned with goals of padding societies productivity, government is given power beyond its purpose. The only ethical function of government is to protect man’s rights, and far too frequently the government interferes with individual’s ability to prosper and pursue their values. The government has no place influencing the processes by which individuals or corporations trade, except to protect people’s rights to the property being manufactured and traded. Trade is the most ethical form of relationships that individuals develop, but only when it is uncoerced and unburdensome to both parties.
President-elect Trump has plans to enact tariffs on many of the United States trading partners, a protectionist, collectivist and reactionary approach to the economic woes of the country. It is a gross transgression that tariff enforcement falls under executive privilege in a capitalist society, and is a product of excessive government presence in our lives. Before even considering the rights violations imparted upon free trading individuals, Trump’s tariffs can be rejected from the stance of rational self-interest. These policies are simply collectivist appeasement disguised as strength. The hope is that through higher import taxes, either more jobs are created in America or American manufactures receive more business over the more competitive international market. The individual consumer is being sacrificed for the benefit of outdated workers and firms that can’t compete in the market. Instead of being forced to think and adapt, they are being handed the means to survival.
Enacting tariffs may not seem radical since they have been done before, but the President-elect has threatened to start trade wars with other nations and these tariffs are just one weapon in his arsenal. Trump’s rhetoric suggests he has no interest in free trade, and would rather force partners into deals that might benefit the United States but likely risk sacrificing the freedom of the American people. While individuals’ economic rights are not as clear cut as their property rights, there is a clear risk to the freedoms that give people the ability to achieve satisfaction in trade, and may compromise their values. This is not the same compromise of negotiating a price among traders that meets the demand of the good, but instead unjust limitations on the goods available and as a result their competitive price. A tariff aims to promote trade with certain parties and restrict it with others, often encouraging manufacturing and trade within a country. This drives up prices either because: imported goods are heavily taxed and their consumer prices rise to reflect that, or increased manufacturing in the U.S. increases demand for labor, driving up wages upon already higher labor costs which also increases prices. To an individual, these policies simply limit his access to competitive pricing and it does not benefit him to purchase his goods from an American over a foreigner. If the individual must compromise between a fair deal, one of their choosing without inflated prices, or an unfair deal, there is no good in such a compromise.