[cynwoody]

only free in one direction

As Joan Robinson said, making the case for unilateral free trade, "Even if your trading partner dumps rocks into his harbor to obstruct arriving cargo ships, you do not make yourself better off by dumping rocks into your own harbor."

[musicman]

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[expat_panama]

"Even if your trading partner dumps rocks into his harbor to obstruct arriving cargo ships, you do not make yourself better off by dumping rocks into your own harbor."

My understanding is that the reasoning is more precisely that it's not fair for foreign governments to make their people pay high import taxes, and that we should get to pay high import taxes to our federal gov't too. 

 

OK, so I know it's crazy, but it's what I'm getting from the protectionist crowd.

[central_va]

As Joan Robinson said, making the case for unilateral free trade, "Even if your trading partner dumps rocks into his harbor to obstruct arriving cargo ships, you do not make yourself better off by dumping rocks into your own harbor."

Trade wars are indeed just that - wars, some have stomach to fight wars, some don't. You and Joan fall into the latter category.