Should we have steel tariffs? That answer depends on what you value higher. The tariffs on steel help to keep steel companies in the United States open and therefore save a lot of jobs, but at the same time they make the prices for steel increase, and hurt all the companies that use steel in their business, which inversely affects everyone. Some people will look at the facts and arguments presented on the site and come to the conclusion that steel tariffs are the right thing to do. Of those people, some will agree that the plan that President Bush is administering is the best way, others will decide that it should have been a 4 year, 40% tariff. Still others will come to the conclusion that the tariffs should be lower. Most people however, do not feel that there should be tariffs, at least not on steel, and that the negative consequences far out way any potential benefits. Most foreign countries feel that the United States is going against free trade and that the government is in violation of free trade agreements made through NAFTA and the WTO. Both sides of the argument have their merits and disadvantages that is why the argument of free trade had been going on for centuries. Free trade advocates are usually conservatives who feel that the government should not be involved in economic affairs. As a result, President Bush has caught a lot of flak from his party. It is said, and has not been argued by the administration very strongly, that this policy is bases on politics, trying to get the vote of the steel unions, which hold a great deal of influence. The problem with this action is that he has angered many people within his party, and so the negative political effects may also end up outweighing the gains. That will be an interesting point to follow in the 2004 elections. The liberals tend to be in favor of the tariffs, but many people with liberal leanings have also spoken against the tariffs as it is raising the price of steel considerably, and with the economy already in a rut, many feel that the tariffs are only harming the economy even more.
