Do tariffs violate the Catholic principle of subsidiarity?

[Inquisitor85]

Specifically in regards to the auto industry, the EU applies a 10% tariff to US built cars. However even it was zero it would make little difference to the European auto market.

 

[po18guy]

Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.

 

[Tajho]

DJT is trolling and you are biting

 

[runningdude]

Tarriffs are a matter of decretion by the state. Individual examples could be unjust, but not categorically.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

Canvas:

Is Chuck Norris a Catholic moral philosopher

To my knowledge, Chuck Norris is not a Catholic, but he has certainly been a conservative.

…which of course is much more important.

 

[HarryStotle]

Maxirad:

Canvas:

Is Chuck Norris a Catholic moral philosopher

To my knowledge, Chuck Norris is not a Catholic, but he has certainly been a conservative.

…which of course is much more important.

Given that the opinions of “Catholics” in the west are as far-ranging as the general population, the mere claim to being Catholic is roughly meaningless regarding the moral and political position that would imply. Roughly half of Catholics support abortion as a woman’s right, only about a quarter attend Mass with any regularity, most support ABC, roughly half espouse the liberal values endemic in western culture and a majority aren’t sufficiently conversant in Catholic moral teaching to recognize a teaching of the Church when they see or read it. Pelosi, Comey, Colbert and Trudeau are “Catholic,” which means precisely zero regarding their moral and political views.

Conservative values are much closer to Church teaching than liberal values, so it would, in fact seem a more reliable determiner that Norris is conservative.

As it happens, Norris was raised southern Baptist and remains staunchly Christian to this day.

As Peter Kreeft points out, Southern Baptists are closer to Catholic moral beliefs than most other denominations. I would assume that a conservative southern Baptist who lives out his Christian Faith is more Christian than a Catholic who does not, generally speaking.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

LeafByNiggle:

Maxirad:

Canvas:

Is Chuck Norris a Catholic moral philosopher

To my knowledge, Chuck Norris is not a Catholic, but he has certainly been a conservative.

…which of course is much more important.

Conservative values are much closer to Church teaching than liberal values…

As a generalization, this is nonsense.

, so it would, in fact seem a more reliable determiner that Norris is conservative.

more reliable to other conservatives, of course.

 

[philipl]

The EU has a 10% import tax on US autos. While they pay 2.5% to send their cars here. The US also pay many other high import taxes into the EU while those countries only have to pay 2.5% or less for the items they ship here. Even china admits that china needs allow more access to its market. To me free trade means just that, all trade between countries is free. No import tax or tariffs.

 

[Annie]

Some of the replies here and the OP indicate a lack of understanding of the principle of subsidiarity, which is the idea that the lowest level of a society which can take care of a problem ought to be the one which does so.

We’re the federal government to begin mandating textbooks in elementary schools, that would be a violation. Were a town to create its own military, that would be a violation.

National tariffs by definition must be imposed by the national government. Local tariffs, inasmuch as they exist, are rightly imposed by the locality.

 

[HarryStotle]

As a generalization, this is nonsense.

You are correct that “as a generalization” it is nonsense, but I didn’t intend it as a generalization, I was speaking about at this time and in this place.

The life of a moral agent involves freedom to guided by moral restrictions, which means liberality governed by principles. The problem is that modern liberalism is synonymous with license that eschews all morality in favour of pure license. So, at this time and in this place, there is an imminent requirement to invoke restraint upon a society that is set to go off a moral cliff, which is why conservative values at this time are more fitting, morally speaking, than more license.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

LeafByNiggle:

As a generalization, this is nonsense.

You are correct that “as a generalization” it is nonsense, but I didn’t intend it as a generalization, I was speaking about at this time and in this place.

The life of a moral agent involves freedom to guided by moral restrictions, which means liberality governed by principles. The problem is that modern liberalism is synonymous with license that eschews all morality in favour of pure license.

You are confusing “liberalism” with “libertarian-ism” It is the libertarians that eschew all authoritarian restrictions on what they call freedom. Liberals are not that.

 

[o_mlly]

Subsidiarity always relates to some aspect of human flourishing, either impeding or promoting same. It would be helpful if you relate a particular tariff to a particular aspect of human flourishing.

 

[Canvas]

In fact, one could be “politically left” (I am assuming that is what he means by liberal) on some issues like economics, but be authoritarian on others.

In fact protectionist tariffs are advocated by some on the left, particularly in regard to countries with low wages or lax labor protections. In American politics, the politicians, whether liberal or conservative on social issues, of both parties tend to be against tariffs and for free trade and globalization. There are factions on both side that are protectionist, pro-tariff.

 

[AStableGenius]

Thomas Aquinas is SO low energy, that I can tell you. We’re gonna do tariffs. We’re gonna have big beautiful tariffs.This subsidiarity, we’re gonna have tariffs folks, we’re gonna have tariffs. I was talking to Pope Francis the other day, yuge guy Pope Francis, more and more people are appreciating what he does. Taught him everything he knows folks. And I said Frank, we gotta have subsidiarity but we gotta be smart. We’re gonna have tariffs folks.

 

[DENNYINMI]

Subsidiarity refers to decisions making on the smallest (local level) before taking it “to the top”. The state of Rhode Islands fire department would have a time handling California wild fires and as of late California has drawn on “the top” for help due to the enormity of the task. Regarding tariffs, we see stock market company growth in wall street reports and simultaneously soy bean farmers crying elsewhere. Is what is good for the goose, good for the gander? Tariffs are not proving to be universally good when one segment hurts and one profits. Catholic teaching expands on the concept of fairness in trade when both trading parties are “similar” in economic standing. Indirectly, yes…they violate the principle as evidenced by the outcome “if” you’re the farmer in the story.

 

[mwah]

If you don’t like socialized healthcare or handouts to people with student loans, you sure shouldn’t like Trump giving $12 billion in handouts to farmers because of tariffs he imposed going wrong. Trump’s tariffs don’t violate subsidiarity, they violate sanity.

 

[Augustinian]

Trump’s tariffs don’t violate subsidiarity, they violate sanity.

President Trump wants to get rid of tariffs.

The idea of bringing up the issue isn’t to push through new tariffs, but instead to push the EU and other actors in the world economy to do the right thing and get rid of tariffs that block American goods and services from Europe, China, elsewhere

 

[Maximilian75]

Conservative values are much closer to Church teaching than liberal values, so it would, in fact seem a more reliable determiner that Norris is conservative.

Really? How about the death penalty? the enviornment?

 

[Socrates92]

Am I the only one to vote yes? Craziness!

 

[Maxirad]

Um, what should Catholics think about the concept of free trade? Free trade doesn’t violate the principle of subsidiarity, does it?