How to Enrich a Country: Free Trade or Protectionism?

[Chris]

Protectionism is just a regurgitation of mercantilism. Free trade raises the hackles of social justice progressives.

[Newpublius]

Protectionism is just a regurgitation of mercantilism. Free trade raises the hackles of social justice progressives.

Free trade within a nation is presumptively beneficial. How does the border make any difference? It doesn't.

[Common]

Free trade the way we do it SUCKS, like free trade with china and we have trade deficits in the billions with them.

Free trade has to be a two way street not a one way like ours is and the Free trade deals the two democrats stuck on us Clinton and obama murdered the working class in this country

[Ethereal]

Protectionism benefits special interest groups at the expense of society. But it's often portrayed in a way that makes it seem as if it were the other way around. When protectionists talk about protecting "workers", they aren't really talking about all workers. Rather, they are talking about a small minority of workers (usually mindless factory jobs) who would benefit from less competition. Of course, it's the CONSUMER who ends up paying when competition is stifled and EVERYONE is a consumer.

[Chris]

Free trade within a nation is presumptively beneficial. How does the border make any difference? It doesn't.

It shouldn't. The resurgence in nationalism says it does.

[Chris]

Free trade the way we do it SUCKS, like free trade with china and we have trade deficits in the billions with them.

Free trade has to be a two way street not a one way like ours is and the Free trade deals the two democrats stuck on us Clinton and obama murdered the working class in this country

What we do is caled fixed trade. Now see Ethereal's post above.

[Newpublius]

Free trade the way we do it SUCKS, like free trade with china and we have trade deficits in the billions with them.

Free trade has to be a two way street not a one way like ours is and the Free trade deals the two democrats stuck on us Clinton and obama murdered the working class in this country

Call it an investment surplus then, it sounds better.

[Peter1469]

How will we get free trade between nations?

[Chris]

How will we get free trade between nations?

By engaging in it to our benefit so much so other nations see the light.

Say nation A has free trade as policy and nation B imposes tariffs. The people of nation A gain and those of nation B pay. The more B pay the more A gains.

Say nation A has free trade as policy and nation B dumps products on A. The people of A gain again and the people of B pay with lower wages, poorer working conditions, whatever.

Say nation B sells crap. Well, that's a different problem.

[Peter1469]

By engaging in it to our benefit so much so other nations see the light.

Say nation A has free trade as policy and nation B imposes tariffs. The people of nation A gain and those of nation B pay. The more B pay the more A gains.

Say nation A has free trade as policy and nation B dumps products on A. The people of A gain again and the people of B pay with lower wages, poorer working conditions, whatever.

Say nation B sells crap. Well, that's a different problem.

And selling crap is a big problem in many dumping cases. Once our domestic industry is out of business American customers will be stuck with cheap crap.