The Quiet Unraveling of American Trade Enforcement
"The prosperity of commerce is now perceived and acknowledged by all enlightened statesmen to be the most useful as well as the most productive source of national wealth, and has accordingly become a primary object of their political cares."
-- Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 12
Hamilton argued for lawful commerce -- disciplined by rules, enforced by institutions, and oriented toward national strength. EnforcementNOW exists to elevate industry's voice and organize it in support of consistent, effective enforcement.
These developments reflected a drift away from the American tradition that treated the integrity of lawful commerce as a core responsibility of the state. Change was mistaken for progress, and first principles gave way to assumptions about globalization that did not hold. The result was a customs regime no longer equipped with the authority, capacity, or institutional center of gravity needed to preserve trade integrity.