Free Trade: A Key to a Rising Standard of Living

[KenH]

"Finally, and much more important than the utilitarian arguments for free trade, we should always keep in mind that trade involves the exercise of fundamental, natural, God-given rights. Such rights include the right to private property, the right to do what one wants with his own money, economic liberty, freedom of travel, liberty of contract, and freedom of association."

Free Trade: A Key to a Rising Standard of Living – The Future of Freedom Foundation

 

[Revmitchell]

Its sad when people don't really know what is going on. You then get posts like the op.

 

[church mouse guy]

"Finally, and much more important than the utilitarian arguments for free trade, we should always keep in mind that trade involves the exercise of fundamental, natural, God-given rights. Such rights include the right to private property, the right to do what one wants with his own money, economic liberty, freedom of travel, liberty of contract, and freedom of association."

Free Trade: A Key to a Rising Standard of Living – The Future of Freedom Foundation

Hi, Ken! Nice to read a post from you. On the subject of free trade, I think everyone is in favor of free trade but everyone also wants fair trade. When China steals our property or dumps goods below costs to destroy our production and gain a monopoly, that is not free trade but trade where one government tries to attack the people of other countries. Another case is GM, who recently laid off several hundred auto workers In Ohio after the federal government lent them money to stay in business. Why did GM do that? In order to get cheaper labor costs in Mexico and South Korea. Many things could be done cheaper overseas but it is folly to outsource work while importing millions of unskilled laborers to force down labor costs at home. The common people do not benefit when they become addicted to drugs flowing into the USA--drugs which are usually involved in the mass shootings that we have daily in this country. Also the west coast has hundreds of thousands of unemployed homeless people displaced by global trade policies. I myself work in a defense plant. The last thing that we want to do in this country is to outsource defense manufacturing because we quickly would become unable to defend ourselves. China is already threatening to stop exporting vital minerals to us because we are complaining about how they are stealing from us in trade deals. So we can see how unfair trade can lead to war.

 

[Reynolds]

"Finally, and much more important than the utilitarian arguments for free trade, we should always keep in mind that trade involves the exercise of fundamental, natural, God-given rights. Such rights include the right to private property, the right to do what one wants with his own money, economic liberty, freedom of travel, liberty of contract, and freedom of association."

Free Trade: A Key to a Rising Standard of Living – The Future of Freedom Foundation

It's a tax. It's no more evil than any of the rest of the taxes.

 

[Reynolds]

Hi, Ken! Nice to read a post from you. On the subject of free trade, I think everyone is in favor of free trade but everyone also wants fair trade. When China steals our property or dumps goods below costs to destroy our production and gain a monopoly, that is not free trade but trade where one government tries to attack the people of other countries. Another case is GM, who recently laid off several hundred auto workers In Ohio after the federal government lent them money to stay in business. Why did GM do that? In order to get cheaper labor costs in Mexico and South Korea. Many things could be done cheaper overseas but it is folly to outsource work while importing millions of unskilled laborers to force down labor costs at home. The common people do not benefit when they become addicted to drugs flowing into the USA--drugs which are usually involved in the mass shootings that we have daily in this country. Also the west coast has hundreds of thousands of unemployed homeless people displaced by global trade policies. I myself work in a defense plant. The last thing that we want to do in this country is to outsource defense manufacturing because we quickly would become unable to defend ourselves. China is already threatening to stop exporting vital minerals to us because we are complaining about how they are stealing from us in trade deals. So we can see how unfair trade can lead to war.

I don't want free trade. I am an isolationist. We should only trade if it benefits us.

 

[KenH]

Hi, Ken! Nice to read a post from you.

Nice to be back, cmg. Thanks!

 

[Adonia]

Its sad when people don't really know what is going on. You then get posts like the op.

"the exercise of fundamental, natural, God-given rights. Such rights include the right to private property, the right to do what one wants with his own money, economic liberty, freedom of travel, liberty of contract, and freedom of association."

Please tell us what is so wrong with the statement I quoted from the OP?

 

[church mouse guy]

Ken is a nice guy and he was thinking fair trade when he wrote about free trade. I know that Ken is a nice guy because he joined only five days before me and we have had many good discussions over the years. Seventeen years of debate is a long time.

 

[Use of Time]

Its sad when people don't really know what is going on. You then get posts like the op.

What in the world? What could you possibly be arguing against now?