Just a brief diary because I did not see this covered elsewhere here.
Yesterday, Charles Koch — yeah, that guy — wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post in which he blasts Trump’s tariff policies, providing evidence for the old adage that a stopped clock is right twice a day. An excerpt:
A society that embraces free and open exchange not only provides the greatest abundance, it enables the growth of knowledge and life-enhancing innovations that uplift everyone. Just as the United States benefits from the ideas and skills that opportunity-seeking immigrants bring with them, free trade has been essential to our society’s prosperity and to people improving their lives.
The same has been true throughout history. Countries with the freest trade have tended to not only be the wealthiest but also the most tolerant. Conversely, the restriction of trade — whether through tariffs, quotas or other means — has hurt the economy and pitted people against each other. Tariffs increase prices, limit choices, reduce competition and inhibit innovation. Equally troubling, research shows that they fail to increase the number of jobs overall. Consider the devastation of cities such as Detroit, where trade barriers to aid the auto industry did nothing to halt its decline.
www.washingtonpost.com/…
Breitbart.com, taking on the role of Trump apologist, has declared all out war on the guy who made the success of Republicans possible:
As President Trump made history signing into law his tariffs on steel and aluminum to protect American workers and U.S. industries, GOP megadonor Charles Koch called on “corporate leaders” to “reject” the decision.
In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Charles Koch — one-half of the pro-mass immigration Koch brothers — urged corporations and chief executives to ignore the national security and job interests of the U.S. and instead focus on profits and cheap imports when it comes to Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Pro-mass immigration? Well, yeah, the Kochs have occasionally been right before in spite of all the evil they have caused. The comments on the Breitbart article are terrifying. Here is one of the worst:
abfab1001 seala • 3 hours ago
Pro-browning is a non-starter for me. I don't care if I agree with them on everything else, this cannot be allowed to happen. Ann Coulter is right, this is really the only issue, because nothing else matters if the country turns brown.
The comment immediately after that is from me:
This could get interesting. The Kochs are not known for backing down and at least some significant Republicans are on their side. Trump has been all over the map on a lot of issues but he has been a nativist protectionist for decades so this is something he actually seems to believe. It could destroy the Republican Party, which would not be a bad thing.
In other news, popcorn futures are up….I prefer mine from a big pot with vegetable oil.