Warning: The following is satire. Its logic, however, is borrowed from people who aren't joking.
Faced with skyrocketing diesel prices, some politicians have called for a ban on diesel exports to bring down prices for Americans.
This is a brilliant and long-overdue idea, but it suffers from a big flaw. It doesn’t go nearly far enough.
Diesel exports are small potatoes compared to the massive volume of exports produced by Americans every year. Last year, Americans were deprived of $2.2 trillion in U.S.-produced goods that were diverted from the domestic market to foreign countries.
That’s because exports are, by definition, goods produced by Americans but sold to foreigners. They allow people in other countries to benefit from U.S.-made goods.
Some Americans are understandably worried about high diesel prices, but nearly all Americans are concerned about high food prices. About 20% of U.S. agricultural products are sold to people in other countries. The federal government should exercise its control over the economy and ban food and agriculture exports. Reserving American food for American families will bring down prices at the grocery store.
The huge volume of U.S. auto exports is another problem. Car manufacturers deprived Americans of 1.4 million U.S.-made vehicles last year by exporting them to customers in other countries. The government shouldn’t allow foreign-owned BMW to build vehicles in South Carolina if the company is just going to turn around and export them to Europe. Our leaders need to crack down on Fords for foreigners and make sure our American F-150s are reserved for domestic transportation.
Other big U.S. exports include chemicals, oil, machinery, aircraft, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and computer equipment. All goods that could be entirely consumed here, but instead the government allows them to be sold abroad.
It is particularly outrageous that Americans continue to be taken advantage of by our rival to the North. Canada has been ripping us off for decades as the top foreign purchaser of U.S.-produced goods.
Some people might be concerned that banning exports will increase the trade deficit. But there’s an easy answer for that: Ban imports too. No exports plus no imports means no trade deficit. The very definition of balanced trade.
As U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer reminds us, “Over two centuries ago, our Founding Fathers laid the foundation for the most prosperous trade zone in the world: the United States of America. Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution established our nation’s first and most important trade agreement by securing free trade among the states.”
Americans must remain ever vigilant to ensure that the benefits of free trade are not allowed to extend beyond our borders. For too long, politicians have allowed foreigners in Canada and around the globe to provide us with capital, goods, and services and to buy up our exports, with no regard for the national interest.
If banning diesel exports makes a lick of sense, politicians should demonstrate the courage of their convictions and ban all trade. Starting with diesel and food exports, including 678,000 tons of potatoes.
Note: For a more straightforward perspective, please see this coalition letter: Diesel Export Ban Would Cost Consumers.