Season 1, Episode 5 Podcasts
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The 'Chicken Tax' That Makes Pickup Trucks More Expensive
"It's not easy to make one of these rules, but it's a thousand times harder to get rid of one."
Tariffs
Republicans Should Be Pouncing on Biden's Opposition to Free Trade
Instead, Donald Trump is proposing a 10-percent automatic tariff on all imports, a trade policy even worse than Biden's.
Trump Floats Tariff Plan That Will Make Everything More Expensive
The "Tariff Man" promises to strike again.
China's Industrial Policy Is Failing. Will American Politicians Take Notice?
Panic over China's rapid economic growth has fueled all manner of big-government proposals. They're looking even more foolish now.
Eric Boehm: How Protectionist Trade Policies Screw Us All
The host of Why We Can't Have Nice Things explains how indefensible tariffs cause baby formula shortages, screw Hawaii residents, and increase traffic in the Northeast.
Season 1, Episode 2 Free Trade
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The Ghosts of Protectionism Past
The U.S. tariff code is "quite regressive and somewhat misogynist" because the most powerful lobbyist in Washington is muscle memory.
Season 1, Episode 1 Podcasts
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The Great Baby Formula Shortage of 2022
A combination of "absurdly high" federal tariffs and excessive FDA regulations created the conditions for a crisis.
The Democratic Governor Who Wants Drug Legalization and Free Markets
"Government in general does a lot of things that aren't necessary," says Jared Polis.
Season 1 Free Trade
Trailer: Why We Can't Have Nice Things Season 1
A six-part podcast series on trade policy launching next week
Industrial Policy Isn't About Creating Jobs
It's a short-sighted approach that distracts us from the more important question.
Biden Administration Considering New Tariffs That Will Hike Prices for Canned Goods
The Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission are considering a petition that would impose tariffs of up to 300 percent on tinplate steel.
'Bidenomics' Is Nothing New
It's a familiar program. And it will result in higher prices, slower growth, and fewer jobs.
Trade War Heats Up With China's Export Restrictions on Two Critical Minerals
China and the U.S. are locked in a mutually destructive economic conflict.
This Election Season, Beware of These False Promises
Many politicians offer a simplified view of the world—one in which government interventions are all benefits and no costs. That couldn't be further from the truth.
Soho Forum Debate: Gene Epstein vs. David Friedman on the Nonaggression Principle
Economists Gene Epstein and David Friedman debated how best to persuade people to become libertarians at the Porcupine Freedom Festival.
The Rail Safety Act Is About Union Handouts, Not Safety
The legislation—which was introduced in response to the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio—pushes pet projects and would worsen the status quo.
The FTC Is Investigating Anti-Competitive Baby Formula Contracts. Bad Federal Policy Is To Blame.
If the FTC wants to know why there's such a notable lack of competition within America's baby formula market, it ought to ask other parts of the federal bureaucracy.
Josh Hawley Wants the Debt Ceiling Deal To Include a Massive Tax Hike on Americans
Hawley might call them "tariffs on China," but that's obvious nonsense: Tariffs are paid by Americans.
Conservatives Pushing 'Common Good Capitalism' Sound a Lot Like Progressives
The ideology champions the same tired policies that big government types predictably propose whenever they see something they don't like.
'It's Like Stockholm Syndrome': Gloria Álvarez Is Trying To Save Latin America From Socialism
"If there is freedom, private property, rule of law, then Latin Americans thrive," says the social media star.
Biden and Congressional Democrats Support Policies That Will Undermine Their Own Clean Energy Goals
The House passed a resolution that will reimpose tariffs on solar panels from China, while the EPA sits on applications for carbon capture technology that may soon be mandatory.
Amid Inflation Relief, Rental Prices Continue Soaring
Annual inflation fell to 5 percent in March, the lowest mark in two years.
Progressive Politicians Are Regulating Their Own Projects Into Oblivion
Excessive government interference in the market hurts consumers and thwarts policy goals. It also gets in the way of the government itself.
Banning Chinese Products in the Name of 'National Security' Could Have Disastrous Consequences
It would result in shortages, decreases in productivity, and higher production costs affecting millions of American workers and nearly every consumer.
U.S. Trade Commission Admits Tariffs Raised Prices for American Consumers
American companies and consumers "bore nearly the full cost of these tariffs because import prices increased at the same rate as the tariffs."
America Needs a Better Kind of Capitalism
Big corporations and entire industries constantly use their connections in Congress to get favors, no matter which party is in power.
Mike Pompeo Says He 'Grew Up Libertarian'
These days, he may run for president. His politics have changed.
Tariffs Targeting Carbon Emissions Would Be a Costly Blow to Free Trade
Joe Biden could take advantage of the expanded executive authority over trade that Donald Trump helped create.
'The Principles Should Endure': Sen. Pat Toomey on Fusionism, Tariffs, and What's To Blame for FTX's Collapse
After two terms in the Senate as a champion for free markets and limited government, Pennsylvania's Republican senator is heading into retirement.
Big Dairy Wants Congress To Restore Huge Tariffs on Imported Baby Formula
Unless Congress takes action, those tariffs will return on January 1. And the baby formula shortage hasn't yet passed.
The Government Should Be Pro-Market, Not 'Pro-Business'
Businesses are all in favor of competition, tax cuts, and deregulation only until they aren't—meaning only until subsidies might benefit them.
Marco Rubio Wants To Make Your Groceries More Expensive
The senator from Florida calls for tariffs on imported fruits and vegetables.
Biden Forgets That Workers Are Consumers Too
Who does he think ultimately pays those taxes?
If Biden's Trade Policy Was Really Driven by 'Equity,' Trump's Tariffs Would Already Be Gone
Tariffs are a regressive tax that have driven inflation higher and harm poorer families the most.
The CHIPS Act Is Corporate Welfare Disguised as Industrial Policy
If you believe that moving most of our chip production onshore is good for national security, you should labor for regulatory reforms rather than subsidies.
How Trump's Tariffs on Chinese Chemical Products Backfired
Tariffs were supposed to make American chemical products more competitive. They made Chinese products more competitive instead.
American Steelmakers Are Still Defending Trump's Tariffs That Crushed Consumers
Any gains seen by the steel industry from tariffs have been overshadowed by the losses for downstream companies and higher prices for consumers.
America's Fishing Industry Is Getting Caught Up in the Trade War
Seafood prices have gone up by double digits as tariffs and inflation drive up costs for consumers
How Tariffs Are Making Summer Fun More Expensive, Less Safe
The U.S. International Trade Commission will hear from businesses harmed by tariffs at a hearing on Thursday.
FDA Finally Admits It Caused the Baby Formula Shortage
The agency is now taking small steps to allow foreign formula manufacturers to import their goods into the U.S.
America's Founders Raged Against Qualified Immunity, Trade Restrictions, and Anti-Immigrant Policies
Hey, we're still mad about those things today!
Instead of Helping Americans Battle Rising Prices, Biden Escalates 'Big Oil' Blame Game
Removing tariffs could save American households $800 this year. What is the White House waiting for?
Joe Biden's Solar Panel Tariffs Are a National Security Threat, Says Joe Biden
Biden should stop layering new, contradictory orders into the market and simply get government out of the way.
Tariffs Are Adding to Inflation. Biden's Commerce Secretary Says Repealing Some 'May Make Sense.'
Tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump and kept in place by President Joe Biden are costing consumers $51 billion annually.
Can't Find Baby Formula? Blame Tariffs and the FDA.
This crisis is the result of protectionism, regulation, and central planning.
Why Is Biden Still Limiting Imports of South Korean Steel?
Biden's top trade adviser says tariffs must be "strategic," but what strategic value do tariffs on South Korean steel serve?
