Letter to the editor: Placing blame for our inflation

Republicans are disingenuous to blame President Biden for the current inflation. Have they conveniently forgotten who ended the good old days of low-priced foreign-made goods? It was Trump who railed against “Cheena” during the 2016 campaign and who started the Trump-China trade war in 2016 and 2018 by imposing 25% tariffs on Chinese imports. He later extended the tariffs on imports from the European Union, Canada and Mexico, which effectively put an end to international free trade and low inflation as the price increases for common goods ratcheted up through the economy.

While it is important to protect new high-tech industries and those important to national defense, most economists say it should be done by subsidies to specific industries rather than across-the-board blanket tariffs on common goods that U.S high labor costs will never be able to match.

You can blame Biden for maintaining Trump’s tariffs to supposedly protect U.S. manufacturing, but do not be deceived about who precipitated the current high prices for common goods.

Gerald Schiller

Penn Hills