The Fair Trade Fraud (Hardcover)

by James Bovard (Author) "AMERICANS' freedom and prosperity are being sacrificed on an altar of fair trade..." (more)
Key Phrases: ice cream imports, foreign ice cream, dumping penalties, United States, International Trade Commission, Commerce Department (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Unlike other books that discuss America's foreign trade policies, Bovard's work looks critically at these policies and how they directly and adversely affect U.S. consumers. Stating that "fair trade consists largely of the U.S. government devising new ways to protect American consumers against the scourge of low prices," Bovard gives specific examples that illustrate his claim that U.S. consumers are forced to pay higher prices for many goods because of our protectionist foreign trade policy. Writing from the viewpoint of one who has investigated and reported on the inconsistencies and hypocrisies in government practices, he makes his position quite clear--the government decides what consumers may buy by levying stiff tariffs on and restricting imports of many foreign goods. A disturbing work on a timely topic. Recommended for public and college libraries for existing foreign policy collections.
- Lisa K. Miller, American Graduate Sch. of International Management Lib., Glendale, Ariz.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A disturbing work on a timely topic." --Library Journal

"Bovard offers a smashing condemnation of American trade policy and exposes the corrupt core of protectionism and the absurdity of Congress making trade more 'fair' by making it less 'free'. . . . (shows) how arbitrary and ultimately counterproductive and restrictive our trade practices are."--The Wall Street Journal

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (September 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312061935
• ISBN-13: 978-0312061937
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #345,411 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Squares with my actual experience in Japan, June 28, 2000

By	[e-mail] (Kobe, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fair Trade Fraud (Paperback)

I bought the book because Bovard clearly wasn't one of the two-week Okura Experts. For those not familiar with the local jargon, Okura Experts are Washington, D.C. appointees who run our trade policy based on a two week stay at the Okura, a luxury hotel near the American Embassy in Tokyo.

Like me, Bovard has been in the trenches and seen trade issues in Japan face-to-face. If you are willing to discard your media managed notions about how Japan cheats and is unfair on trade and look at the whole picture, this book is well worth the read.

Bovard is neither an apologist nor a basher, but I'll guarantee that if you read this book, you will never look at trade issues in the same way again.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ideal for the citizen frustrated with US Govt hypocrisy, January 6, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Bovard clearly expounds on the fact that our very own government is hiking the prices of consumer goods through the vehicle of trade restrictions. Via anti-dumping, quotas, arbitrary tariffs, and other forms of trade restrictions, America is violating the very principle of the free market that it worships. Full of countless statistics and facts (look at the number of footnotes), Bovard belabors his point beyond the threshold of absurdity.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dated, but opens your eyes, March 5, 2006

By	therosen "therosen" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fair Trade Fraud (Paperback)

If you still believe that the US is the epitome of free trade, this book is for you. (If you don't, this could be for use as ammunition) This book chronicles the harm of protectionism (higher prices) and the many shams put on by the US government in the name of old fashioned protectionism. Whether it's farms, textiles or industrial goods, Bovard highlights the problems and perils of protectionism - by whatever name it goes by.

The only big issue is the book's date - 1992. A lot has happened since then in both free trade, and unfree trade. (It would be interesting to know Bovard's take on NAFTA and the recent steel tariffs) For even more politically tense works, you can read his more current bookes.