{"id":1306,"date":"2026-06-14T12:11:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T12:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interstatelogisticshubs.com\/?p=1306"},"modified":"2026-06-14T12:11:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T12:11:18","slug":"long-before-artificial-intelligence-there-was-artificial-economics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interstatelogisticshubs.com\/?p=1306","title":{"rendered":"Long before artificial intelligence there was artificial economics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Free markets are certainly a worthy ideal, but politicians always seem to get in the way.<\/p>

Read more 250 Years of American Musical Heritage<\/a><\/p>\n

In the front of the line are tariffs.\u00a0\u00a0There are three reasons for a tariff.\u00a0\u00a0First is revenue generation.\u00a0\u00a0This is the most reasonable excuse, because governments always need money, and levying a duty on foreign commerce entering your realm does the job.\u00a0\u00a0The second group is known as \u201cprotectionist\u201d tariffs.\u00a0\u00a0Emerging economies have at least some justification for stimulating internal economic development by artificially<\/em> making domestically produced products more price-competitive for their own consumer base.\u00a0\u00a0In last place, are punitive tariffs, intended to reduce access to a nation\u2019s market for a perceived enemy.<\/p>\n

Consumers are the primary victim of the imposition of tariffs.\u00a0\u00a0This has often inspired a special kind of entrepreneur: the unlicensed importer, also known by the vulgar term smuggler<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is of particular significance to point out that the producer of the most conspicuous signature on that document, John Hancock, was engaged in such pursuits.\u00a0\u00a0Evidence for such is that he was the wealthiest fellow in all of New England, yet he had no legitimate source of income.\u00a0\u00a0He was not alone in his occupation.<\/p>\n

Preparatory to the revolution, hostility to tariffs imposed by the British colonial authorities induced the Bostonians to elect Sam Adams as their local tax collector, succeeding Mr. Hancock in that position.\u00a0\u00a0With the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the actual formation of the United States in 1787, Article I, Section 9 forbade the states<\/em> from charging tariffs \u2014 thus ensuring the free flow of commerce within the nation\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n

The recent hysteria being generated by the hoax of climate change has provoked a plethora of economic artificiality.\u00a0\u00a0In order to get people to purchase and install economically unfeasible solar panels and drive seriously expensive electric vehicles, subsidies had to be imposed.\u00a0\u00a0As with most taxpayer-funded subsidies, the money eventually ran out, and the \u201cmarket-driven\u201d demand for the formerly subsidized items dried up.\u00a0\u00a0Whoever coined the phrase \u201cvirtue-signaling\u201d deserves a Nobel Prize \u2014 at least for something.<\/p>\n

Literally billions are still being squandered on the myth of curbside recycling.\u00a0\u00a0Enormous fuel-burning trucks redundantly prowl around our neighborhoods just to pick up mostly worthless trash, since the local scroungers have already helped themselves from the available bins for anything that could possibly be worth something.\u00a0\u00a0Other than aluminum cans, all other \u201cvalue\u201d in this trash is because of artificial point-of-sale redeemable surcharges (AKA bottle deposits).\u00a0\u00a0Again, since most of this stuff is trash, it will soon be joining its kinfolk in the waste dump anyhow, though at artificially increased expense.<\/p>

Read more A Flag Worth Defending<\/a><\/p>\n

This brings us to the epitome of artificial economics: the minimum wage<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0Talk about authoritarian government screwing with a marketplace.\u00a0\u00a0Suffice it to say that, just like non-human commodities, there is a marketplace for labor \u2014 you know, the same old supply and demand<\/em>, complete with its effect on price.<\/p>\n

Thomas Sowell once wrote that minimum wage is the progeny of organized labor.\u00a0\u00a0Why?\u00a0\u00a0They were trying to keep as few black folks as possible from entering the workforce, since black folks were particularly willing to work for less money than white folks.\u00a0\u00a0By artificially raising the effective minimum wage, they became less appealing to employers than they used to be.<\/p>\n

This has been done to all forms of entry-level workers.\u00a0\u00a0Employers hire workers in order to improve the profitability of their company.\u00a0\u00a0Entering the workforce for the first time requires working cheaply so one can acquire the necessary skills to make one\u2019s time more valuable.\u00a0\u00a0Over time, experience accrues to the new entrants, and their value and thus their compensation as employees increase.<\/p>\n

The underpinning of economics is reality<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0Imposing artificiality on such a natural system perverts its function \u2014 and leads, oftentimes, to dysfunction.\u00a0\u00a0Go figure.<\/p>

Read more Our War against Iran Makes Sense<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"<p><em>Image<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Image via Pixabay. Pixabay License.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Free markets are certainly a worthy ideal, but politicians always seem to get in the way. Read more 250 Years of American Musical Heritage In the front of the line are tariffs.\u00a0\u00a0There are three reasons for a tariff.\u00a0\u00a0First is revenue generation.\u00a0\u00a0This is the most reasonable excuse, because governments always need money, and levying a duty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,49],"tags":[586],"class_list":["post-1306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economics","category-economy","tag-related-topics-economics-tariffs"],"yoast_head":"\nLong before artificial intelligence there was artificial economics - Interstate Logistics Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/interstatelogisticshubs.com\/?p=1306\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Long before artificial intelligence there was artificial economics - Interstate Logistics Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Free markets are certainly a worthy ideal, but politicians always seem to get in the way. 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