In the kangaroo court system of trade investigations held in the United States, foreign businesses are almost certain to be con- victed of some offense. U.S. laws on fair trade are far more arbitrary and far more punitive than the fair-trade laws of most of our trading partners. They inevitably result in less competi- tion, higher prices, and increased government interference in the marketplace. Since 1983, the United States has brought more unfair-trade cases than any other country in the world. And Commerce will investigate almost any import if so requested by a domestic industry.
Unfair trade is one of the biggest growth industries in the country.
In the past decade, Congress has repeatedly expanded the definition of unfair practices. Increasingly, what was deemed fair last year is illegal this year, and it demands retaliation. Protectionism has become far less honest in recent years. Instead of openly advocating the sacrificing of U.S. consumers to U.S. corporations and unions, politicians concoct an endless list of purportedly unfair practices used by foreign firms. In the past 10 years, foreign companies have made billions of dollars in extra profits in the United States thanks to U.S. trade restric- tions.