Summarizing Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summarizing - Article Example The article also deals with the idea of government subsidies in funding research projects and comes up with the finding that government subsidies often harm the poor and the middle classes more than they help them. The practice of providing subsidies is more often than not, according to the writer, justified using the rhetoric of unemployment and the need to provide more work to American companies. This is not however, what the character Dave argues for. He looks at the negligible difference that a fall in demand in the American market would create in the world market and puts into perspective the influence that tariffs imposed by the government could have on producing more jobs. He looks at the problems with introducing a tariff against foreign-produced goods as Ed says (Protection). The idea of free trade that Dave argues for is more often than not refuted by proponents of government intervention citing the reason of ‘fair trade’. This implies the ability of firms with in a country to be protected against the onslaught of foreign companies that may have more money and power (Edge). However, providing subsidies may not push down the price of goods in the local economy. They would not benefit the local consumer. Apart from this, there is also no data available to substantiate the argument that local businesses would be at an advantage as their cost of production may still be higher than that of the foreign company. To increase the tariff to an extent where the foreign firms would not be able to compete would take jobs away from the American market rather than boost the economy. The difference in price would be transferred on to the local consumers. Dave also warns about the possibility of other countries imposing equally large taxes on American firms. This would lead to greater problems in the long run for the American economy and its people. There is also the possibility of there being lobbies that affect the government’s decisions. Much of the tariffs that are imposed on products are based on the political power and influence that local firms have rather than the economic wisdom of the decision. The people who suffer amidst all of this are the taxpayers. The idea of free trade involves the assumption that what is required by a particular consumer would be provided by the market according to the laws of demand and supply (Rothbard â€Å"Free Market†). The idea of free trade is then in direct conflict with the ideas of protectionism which let certain elements have an advantage based on the support of the government. This is unsustainable in a free market in a globalized setup as it would lead to the kind of problems that are detailed above. The existence of two systems in conflict with each other can only prove to be disastrous in the long run. The adverse impact of such a policy can be seen in the economic slump that is experienced by Japan at this point of time (Rothbard â€Å"Protectionism and the Destruction of Prosperity†). The policies that are created according to such ideologies more often than not end up harming large sections of the taxpaying population in the country. The article illustrates the problems with the kind of funding that is provided by the government to private concerns. The essay suggests that they end up benefitting certain individuals while causing greater harm to the middle classes. The money that they pay is used for such funding; however, the benefits are reaped by the richest sections of