Why? First of all understand the basic meaning of "Free Market" - which means FREE from government interference.
Was this locksmith plying his trade free from the feds interference? Hardly.
First of all, unconstitutionally government-protected unions - did he have that problem?
Next, unconstitutionally government-mandated, economy-killing, business-killing "minimum wage". Government interference here has made it very hard for American companies to compete in the open market.
Next, economy-and-enterprise-killing suffocating mountains of unconstitutional and illegal government regulations that kills our competitive edge.
China is NOT the problem.
The mostly unconstitutional federal government is the problem and 800-pound gorilla in the room that everyone igores.
> Was this locksmith plying his trade free from the feds interference? Hardly. <
That is a very important point! I’m sure part of the company owner’s problem is the government - federal, state, and local. Everybody wants to tax the guy. Everybody wants to regulate the guy.
But this guy could not compete even if taxes and regulations were minimal. How could he? He has to pay his workers a living wage. Not because the government tells him to. It’s because he won’t find any skilled help for, say, $5 an hour.
But the Chinese can find plenty of skilled workers for $1 an hour. How is that free trade? It’s not, because the playing field is not level.