Zaklog the Great poses a trivial objection:
So, Vox, what would you say to someone who hasn’t studied economics enough
to seriously parse through these arguments, but has observed that, almost
without exception, the government is a terrible way to get things done? There
seem to be very few things the government is capable of doing effectively, and
therefore, the idea that managing the economy is one of those very few seems
doubtful.
- Tariffs
are no more "managing the economy" than any other form of taxes
are. Falsely equate the two demonstrates that you are engaging in
dishonest rhetoric rather than honest dialectic.
- Getting
what done? Governments have historically done a better job of defending
borders than any other form of organization, and are certainly a damned
sight better at it than international corporations, which, by the way, are
government-created entities. Tariffs are a form of border defense, in
more ways than one.
- Tariffs
are considerably less intrusive, and cause less economic disruption, than any
of their three primary alternatives, income taxes, consumption taxes, and
wealth taxes. If you believe that government is a terrible way to get
things done, why would you rather have it interfere on a holistic and
daily basis with the economic activity of every single domestic citizen
rather than on a far less frequent basis with the cross-border shipments
of a limited number of foreign corporations?
- Tariffs
don't require effectiveness, and domestic governments have proven to be
far more susceptible to control by the will of the people than
international corporations.
- Even if
one assumes government corruption and inefficiency, it is still preferable
to convey legal advantage to manufacturing companies that employ large
numbers of people in a tariff system than to financial companies that do
not in a free trade system. (Courtesy of Jack Amok.)
Satisfied? Note that if you are not contemplating the question of tariffs
in light of their various alternatives, you are not engaging in either honest
inquiry or discourse. This is not a hypothetical debate about funding
governments through the voluntary contributions of unicorn farts. It is the
actual real-world U.S. economy that is under discussion here, not the
Austro-libertarian Platonic ideal of a unicorn fart economy.