It’s called tarriffs. I notice that no one has mentioned the word.
If you set tarriffs too high, then you elminate competition and prices will rise. If you set them too low, then other countries move in and all our factories close down.
At the moment, tarriffs are too low. We don’t want high tarriffs, but we do need some tarriffs.
As for free trade, if you look into the details you will find that almost all other countries have ways of keeping out American good, or of taxing them. The only “free” trade is goods coming into America and shutting down our manufacturing.
Europe has value added tax. We have corporate tax. As a result, American goods are heavily taxed in Europe, but European goods are not taxed in America because they pay no corporate tax, unlike American companies. So, the American companies are encouraged to move abroad.
And the international body that regulates trade is heavily biased against America, much like the UN.
Fair trade and reasonable tarriffs is what we need.
“It’s called tarriffs. I notice that no one has mentioned the word.”
I did, but the Free Traitors are already sharpening the long knives.
Tariffs are nothing more than taxes that increase the cost to consumers (tax payers) while allowing the fedgov to pick winners and losers while controlling an even larger share of the economic pie.
So, what you are arguing for is higher taxes and a bigger federal government that gets to choose which industries get protected from their competition and which ones don't. And I'm sure you believe that government will make these decisions based on something other than politics. What could possibly go wrong with higher taxes, a larger federal government and more control of industry by a bunch of clueless bureaucrats?
What passes for conservatism here some times is appalling.