Murray Rothbard on the protectionist scheme

As we unravel the tangled web of protectionist argument, we should keep our eye on two essential points: (1) protectionism means force in restraint of trade; and (2) the key is what happens to the consumer.  Invariably, we will find that the protectionists are out to cripple, exploit, and impose severe losses not only on foreign consumers but especially Americans.  And since each and every one of us is a consumer, this means that protectionism is out to mulct all of us for the benefit of a specially privileged, subsidized few – and an inefficient few at that: people who cannot make it in a free and unhampered market. 

~ Murray Rothbard, “Protectionism and the Destruction of Prosperity,” 1986