A Bar Stool Rebuttal to Robert Barnes
One of my favorite commentators is the attorney Robert Barnes, who I wrote about Barnes here and here. I have been a member of his Locals channel since its inception. I have also provided monetary support to his 1776 Law Center, which does great work providing legal counsel for “the little guy.” I even pray for his legal success.
Virtually all of the political labels I know of have been misused and abused.
Barnes, a self-described populist, has been criticizing libertarianism (including Austrian economics). My self-described label is reactionary-libertarian. I have learned a tremendous amount from the Mises Institute and have been a contributor to LRC for over twenty years. Thus, I feel compelled to respond to Robert’s critiques of libertarianism, Rand Paul, Thomas Massie, anti-tariffs, the Big Beautiful Bill, and government deficits.
This post is a “bar stool rebuttal,” that is, how I might discuss these topics sitting at the bar with friends (see here). Thus, these are more generally stated positions, few links or references providing evidence to specific points. First I will give a short statement of Robert’s positions (in bold and I hope accurately as I listen to hours of his content every week), and then I will provide my rebuttal as I would make it to him while imbibing our favorite beverages and taking into account his own stated beliefs in smaller government.
Tariffs don’t raise prices, are totally benign, and are necessary to protect American workers.
First and foremost keep in mind that tariffs are taxes. They also give power to the government in picking winners and losers. Perhaps in this instance some of the winners will be some American workers some of the time. Perhaps also there will be cases where the foreign provider will not be able to pass along the cost of the tariff so the price of a particular product would not rise. But if the ultimate goal of the tariff policy is to drive the low cost foreign option out of the market wouldn’t that leave only a higher priced domestic option available to the consumer? This pr
Article from LewRockwell
LewRockwell.com is a libertarian website that publishes articles, essays, and blog posts advocating for minimal government, free markets, and individual liberty. The site was founded by Lew Rockwell, an American libertarian political commentator, activist, and former congressional staffer. The website often features content that is critical of mainstream politics, state intervention, and foreign policy, among other topics. It is a platform frequently used to disseminate Austrian economics, a school of economic thought that is popular among some libertarians.
