sugar

When President Donald Trump was Candidate Donald Trump – he promised a restoration of the US manufacturing sector. Which his predecessor – thankfully-ex-president Barack Obama – dismissed as impossible.

John Nothdurft and Donny Kendal present episode #135 of the In The Tank Podcast. Today’s podcast features work from the Cato Institute, the Goldwater Institute, and the Heartland Institute.

Let’s end the perpetual re-run.

“Trade Wars” actually aren’t about trade — they are about government trade policy. If peoples are trading freely, there isn’t a “War” – there’s commerce. The “Wars” only happen when governments get involved, placing tariffs, regulations and subsidies in the way of the flow.

In several states, lawmakers and public health advocates have been pushing a heaping helping of additional sin taxes on foods and drinks containing sugar. Instead of improving public health and slimming waistlines, these proposed taxes just serve to fatten government coffers.

What is far and away the most important global trade commodity? Food. People have to eat. Before the world’s peoples can afford to purchase from us an iPhone, or a Ford pickup truck – they have to buy (hopefully our) food.

When it comes to the Farm Bill, we’ve been doing what hurts for fifty-plus years. Let’s not do that anymore.

…Farming and agriculture have been around for tens of thousands of years. For the vast majority of that time, we grew stuff just fine without a Farm Bill (let alone an entire Cabinet-level Department).