The first January Schmuck award goes to the country’s notorious race hustler, “Rev.” Al Sharpton, who fueled the Tawana Brawley hoax more than three decades ago. But that is not why he richly deserves to be this month’s Schmuck awardee.
Rev. Al is back stewing his racial BS. This time because of the resignation of Harvard University present Claudine Gay. Sharpton reminds me of what my high school physics teacher told my class occasionally, “It is better to appear dumb than open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
Given all the racial preferences for more than 50 years, widespread affirmative action programs, and the introduction of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion standards, people of color are held to lower standards than white people. This is shameful. If the goal of the civil rights movement is “equality,” then all people should be judged on their performance, merits, etc., not the color of their skin.
Claudine Guy’s elevation to the presidency of Harvard was the epitome of an affirmative action appointment. After her congressional testimony about allegations of antisemitism at Harvard, her resignation was inevitable. Incredibly, Gay will join the faculty at a salary of $900,000 per year. How does that make prolific scholars on Harvard faculty feel?
The second Schmuck award goes to a lesser-known individual to the public, Robert Lighthizer, US trade representative, 2017-2021. In a letter today in the WSJ, Lighthizer defends Trump’s high tariff policy and denigrates free trade.
A free society is based on voluntary exchange—domestically and internationally. Trade restrictions are coercion and tariffs tend to raise taxes and/or lower incomes of producers and importers.
In short, trade intervention is at the heart of the statist philosophy behind big government.
Trump supports high tariffs, which made him one of the most protectionist presidents in American history. There is no surer way to reduce the American people’s living standards than interfering with their ability to purchase goods from anywhere in the world.
If Trump wins the presidency this year and Lighthizer becomes US trade representative, hold on to your wallets.
Trade restriction and higher tariffs will not Make America Great Again. It will do the opposite.