In 2011, Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders tackled a dire issue – this was a time of the financial crisis, intense budget battles and numerous wars around the world – and that would be souvenirs sold at the Smithsonian gift shop.
Sanders was enraged that the Smithsonian gift shop sold American souvenirs, such as t-shirts, snowglobes and bobbleheads that were manufactured in China. Sanders argued that an American gift shop supported by American taxpayers that promoted American history should be selling American products. Essentially, he demanded the shop’s owners to start selling U.S. products.
His heart may have been in the right place, but he obviously didn’t understand economics in this situation (job losses, fewer hours, decreased sales and so on). Or maybe he did because he said economics didn’t matter in this case, but more along the lines of principles.
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