My congresswoman, Nancy Boyda, along with Representative Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Kevin Brady (R-TX), in addition to a whole bunch of other co-sponsors, introduced a bill called 'The Affordable Footwear Act of 2007" which would, to quote the press release issued by the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), "eliminate the import tariffs, collectively known as the shoe tax, on all lower- to moderately-priced footwear as well as all children's shoes, or about 60 percent of all shoes sold in the United States."

Hold the phone, this is big news! Elimination of the "shoe tax!" Bar the doors and protect the shoelaces, Muriel, this'll be a whirlwind of excitement!

So, right...after I stopped laughing, I read the rest of the press release, wondering why in the world our government (specifically, my member of Congress) is devoting time to revoking a tariff on shoes- I mean, what will our domestic shoemakers say?

They'd say nothing, actually, because according to statistics provided in the press release by the AAFA there simply aren't any domestic shoemakers anymore. Yes, the art of American mass-market cobblery has died out nearly completely- today 99% of American's shoes are imported from countries the world over.

It appears, if the AAFA is to be trusted, that the tariff was originally put in place to help boost the US shoe industry during the depression, but, over the following 70-odd years the US shoe industry went from being an industry to something closer to a hobby, but the high-as-the heavens tariff remained in place.

What we've got is an outdated, but unavoidable surcharge on something every single person in the country needs: shoes.

The following excerpt from the press release speaks for itself:

"The regressive shoe tax on footwear imports is highest - as much as 67 percent - on the least expensive shoes. The cost is necessarily passed on to consumers at the cash register as a hidden, regressive shoe tax that can be nearly 40 percent of the price of a pair of shoes. That extra 40 percent can add up quickly for a family."

So, something that certainly did cause me to titter when I first read about it in my e-mail turned out to be a really logical, really useful little bit of legislation- all brought to you by a bipartisan group of legislators including my very own Nancy Boyda. It isn't weighty, it isn't earth-moving, but that doesn't really matter, because it could, if passed and the principles of supply side economics really do work like they tell us they're supposed to (ehm), this little funny bill could put a little more money into the pocketbooks of every single person living in the United States- particularly into the pockets of the people who need it the very most because shoes will be cheaper.

Yes, fine, I've ignored large trade-related issues ("shouldn't we be promoting new American shoe makers rather than making it cheaper to by foreign shoes? Yes, probably, but that's not what this bill's about- I'll write another post when they do that).

Anyway, moral of the story: as with books, never judge a bill by it's title.