Tariffs and Central Planning

Happiness
Is so hard to find
Hey baby
Tell me what is on your mind
--New Shooz

What Thomas Massie is saying here is that tariffs are a form of central planning. Whether the purpose is to protect local industry, to fix prices, or to establish production quotas, tariffs are imposed because government officials think they know better than markets.

This is the opposite of using tariffs to protect American producers. Government induced increases in global production will hurt American energy producers. When governments decide how much to produce (this case), and what prices should be (tariffs), consumers ultimately suffer. https://t.co/hkPRROMpDb

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 30, 2018

Donald Trump may be pro-business, but that is not the same as being pro-market.