Question #1
Matthew 22:36-40 states, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the
first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law
and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” What would be the implications for nations to
follow the above, when considering tariffs, quotas, and embargoes? Write a short essay for each
consideration.
To answer the question, we must first understand what each of the above terms mean. Tariff is a tax
that has to be paid on a certain class of imports or exports. It is imposed by the government on goods
and services imported from other countries which increases the price and makes the imports less
desirable to consumers. For example lets say there is a tariff placed on an item such as sugar or cheese
that is imported into the United States and there is a $10 per pound tariff places on this item. The
above question contains the following text, “Love your neighbor as yourself”. So in order to love they
neighbor whether they be in another country or not should we have such high tariffs in place? Right
now there is news about President Trump imposing tariffs on $16 billion worth of Chinese goods. Could
this eventually lead to certain countries refusing to export goods to the United States? I think we need
to consider that we all rely on one another and we should have one low tariff on all exports and
imports.
Quota is a limited or fixed number or amount of people or things. It is also a fixed share of something
that a person or group is entitled to receive or is bound to contribute. Quotas can cause rises in the
price of imports, a reduction in the amount of imports, and increased demands for produce
substitutions.
Quotas may force one country to refuse trade with other countries to make room for products from
other countries that are needed. Again this could strain the relationship between one country and
another. If Matthew 22 was considered then there would be a reasonable quota on all products
imported and exported so that prices would not rise and increased demands for produce substitutions
would disappear.
Embargoes are an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country. An
example would be the trade ban that the U.S has with Cuba. The U.S. is the only country that has this in
place with Cuba. Cuba continues to trade with other countries besides the United States. In 1962,
President Kennedy placed an embargo on trade between the U.S. and Cuba because of certain actions
taken by the Cuban government. When Fidel Castrol came to power in 1959 he lost American support
as he publicized private land and companies and imposed heavy taxes on imports from the U.S. This
took place 56 years ago. Part of loving thy neighbor is forgiving and moving forward. Could the U.S. not
do so with Cuba? We could possibly have certain goods imported into the U.S. that are cheaper than we
are currently getting from other countries and we could export goods that are needed in Cuba as well.
As I said earlier we are all part of this earth and should work together.
