United_States_Capitol_-_west_front.jpg: Architect of the Capitolderivative work: O.J., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The idea that England and America are two countries separated by the same language is often attributed to George Bernard Shaw, but there are other attributes that separate us as well. We in the US have our own brand of insanity when it comes to politics. This article attempts to describe an instance of that insanity, the Trump tariff policy.
The US political system has been described as “two-party”, whereas the political systems in most nations would be multi-party. There are more than two political parties in the US, but third parties like the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party hardly measure up as irritants to the Republicans and Democrats. Both major parties are accustomed to running the federal government, and regard times when they are out of office as a temporary inconvenience to be corrected in the next election.
Political campaigns are filled with promises the candidates have no idea how they would implement. Successful candidates make an attempt to fulfill the promises. When the programs are implemented, they typically produce unintended results.
The two major parties differ ideologically, but implement political policies that are remarkably similar in some respects. Both enjoy spending taxpayer money. They only differ over intended recipients. Democrats are associated with greater concentration of power than Republicans, but it is the Republicans who are associated with the military-industrial complex. In the final analysis, neither party is a friend of liberty.
If the US were a law-abiding nation, it would refer to its written Constitution to determine which branch of government is empowered. It is easily determined that a president might negotiate a tariff, but subject to subsequent legislation by Congress. But only Congress has the power to define tariffs.
But why is there so little talk about Trump usurping power that constitutionally belongs to Congress. Americans revere their Constitution, but the overwhelming number of them have never studied the document. Trump’s tariff policy is truly an example of the blind leading the blind.
Given this sea of ignorance, the typical US citizen is susceptible to Trump’s simple explanations of supposed tariff benefits, including these appeals:
- Tariffs will make the US rich – Never mind that no evidence of this claim is given.
- Tariffs will bring manufacturing jobs back to the US – Never mind that Americans probably don’t want the kinds of jobs that are appealing in developing nations. And never mind if some jobs come back over time, a robot may be performing them.
- “Tariff of Abominations” (1828) nearly caused the State of South Carolina to secede)
- Morrill Tariff (1861, triggered the War between the States)
- McKinley Tariff (1890, Republican promoters were replaced by free trade Democrats)
- Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930, triggered world-wide depression)
If Americans are ignorant of their Constitution, they are even more ignorant of their nation’s history and economics. Politics and economic policy in the US is like the blind leading the blind.
© Phil Duffy 2025
