Nothing but Legalized Theft

“Trade is not invasion. It does not involve aggression on one side and resistance on the other, but mutual consent and gratification.” — Henry George, Protection or Free Trade, 1886

So-called protectionism is, in effect, nothing but legalized theft. The loot from the tariff revenues goes into the hands of government officials, and the income from artificially stimulated demand for domestically produced goods goes into the coffers of crony capitalists. Protectionism is a melee of de facto larceny.