Tit for Tat: Another Reason Protectionism Doesn't Work

Remember this (NYT)? Closer to home, there are those who think that Canadians should do something similar (Toronto Star/CAW). It's sort of rich that when we complain when those like China do the same thing to us (WSJ).

This being said, I'm not entirely certain I agree that this is "protectionism" (though I'm pretty undecided). If a country wants to be as shortsighted as to overpay for domestic goods (the crazy part is believing that this works - after all, what happens after the unsustainable spending stops?), then so be it. The protectionism I'd be most concerned about are more permanent trade barriers like tariffs/duties which is a coerced form of discrimination.