Commentary: Republicans Are Trying to Sneak a Carbon Tax Through the Back Door

Fresh from the looming trainwreck that is the deal to increase the debt limit, four Republican senators recently signed onto legislation that would require the Biden administration to study the feasibility of . . . a national tax on energy that would be collected at the gas pump and in electricity and heating bills.

The four Republicans — Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) — joined five Democrats in asking Team Biden to determine the amount of energy used — and carbon dioxide emitted — by various countries in the production of essentially everything that makes modern life possible (aluminum, iron, steel, plastic, crude oil, batteries, etc.).

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Commentary: The Treacherous Road to Runaway Inflation

In January, 2001, America had a balanced budget, low debt, and was at peace. Here, briefly, is what lay ahead: war, financial crisis, civil unrest, massive growth of the federal government, and now severe inflation.

Never in the history of America has our government in its ineptitude created such a false economy, risking hundreds of years of hard work on unsound and unworkable economic policies. The Founders wisely relied on dispersion of power. They knew there would be dishonest and incompetent politicians but, in this case, the entire government is infected with deceptive leaders.

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Contrary to Nervous Nellie ‘Economic Experts,’ the Trump Economy is Booming with Elevated Aluminum and Steel Prices

Donald Trump

By Robert Romano   One of the conventional wisdoms to do with the tariffs and duties levied by the Trump administration on steel, aluminum and lumber is that they will lead to higher prices and inflation, hurting producers and consumers, thus stunting economic growth. For example, billionaire Charles Koch warned on July 30 that the tariffs would lead to a recession. So far, however, that does not appear to be the case. In the second quarter of 2018, the U.S. economy boomed at an inflation-adjusted 4.1 percent annualized. And the latest consumer and producer prices, taking into account the period when many of the tariffs were levied, do not show the predicted price hikes. Consumer inflation is up 0.8 percent the past six months, below the Fed’s 2 percent 12-month target. As for producer prices, if you look at finished goods for final demand by commodity less energy and food, you see a 1.44 percent increase the last six months, averaging 0.24 percent a month. That is slightly below the historical average of 0.27 percent a month dating back to 1974. Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning commented on the numbers, saying, “the six-month tracking demonstrates that the economic growth spurt generated through President Trump’s…

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Trump’s Steel Tariffs Protect National Security, End $8 Billion in Foreign Aid Annually to Canada, Mexico, South Korea and Brazil

By Robert Romano   President Donald Trump is keeping the promise he made in 2016 and is protecting the American steel industry, instituting a 25 percent tariff across the board on steel imports. No nations are excluded. The move comes as the U.S. imported 34.5 million metric tons from around the world, a 16 percent increase from 2016 when it was 30 million metric tons. In comparison, while America’s steelworks are heating up once again, they comparatively only grew by 3.4 percent in 2017 according to the International Trade Administration to 81.6 million metric tons from 78.5 million metric tons. This flooding of U.S. markets is designed to drive down prices here by dumping subsidized steel products here, making it harder for domestic producers to maintain market share. The imported steel is much cheaper. In the event of war, keeping U.S. productive capacity at high levels is critical, to prevent shortages at a time when production would be needed the most and imports cannot be guaranteed. As the Commerce Department noted in its recommendation for instituting the tariffs: “Domestic steel production is essential for national security applications. Statutory provisions illustrate that Congress believes domestic production capability is essential for defense requirements and critical…

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China Will ‘Take Necessary Measures’ If US Harms Trade

China will “take necessary measures” if the United States harms the country’s economic interests, a Chinese official said Sunday, as President Donald Trump plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium. “China doesn’t want a trade war with the United States,” Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the National People’s Congress, told a news conference on the eve of the rubber-stamp parliament’s annual session.

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Trump: Sometimes ‘Trade Wars Are Good’

President Donald Trump responded Friday to strong criticisms that his pursuit of punitive trade measures will trigger a trade war with a tweet arguing that sometimes “trade wars are good.” Following recent decisions to place tariffs on imported washing machines, solar panels, and aluminum foil, the president announced Thursday that the U.S. will put tariffs of 25 percent on foreign-made steel and 10 percent on aluminum. This move was set in motion by a Department of Commerce report released last month that recommended restricting imports of foreign steel and aluminum to protect national security.

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