Organizations and Markets

The Onion or Reality: Ron Kirk Edition

12 September 2009 at 6:15 pm Peter G. Klein 3 comments

| Peter Klein |

Today’s installment of our series featuring statements so self-evidently absurd you wonder how anyone could have made them with a straight face focuses on US Trade Representative Ron Kirk. Here’s Captain Kirk failing Economics 101:

Following an announcement by the White House, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk released the following statement today on the U.S. decision to impose remedies under Section 421 of the 1974 Trade Act to stop a harmful surge of imports into the U.S. of Chinese tires for passenger cars and light trucks. Following what the ITC determined was a surge, production of similar products in the U.S. dropped, domestic tire plants closed, and Americans lost their jobs. Today’s steps are designed to level the playing field for American workers in the tire market.

The three-year remedies, consisting of an additional tariff of 35 percent ad valorem in the first year, 30 percent ad valorem in the second, and 25 percent ad valorem in the third year, are being imposed after a finding by the United States International Trade Commission that a harmful surge of imports of Chinese tires disrupted the U.S. market for those products. . . .

“This Administration is doing what is necessary to enforce trade agreements on behalf of American workers and manufacturers. Enforcing trade laws is key to maintaining an open and free trading system.”

Christie Romer, where are you? Larry Summers? Austan Goolsbee? Does any economically literate person have a voice in Obama’s White House?

Mr. Kirk, please go read  “Saving the X Industry” 500 times. This may help.

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