Yes, and I’m ambivalent about the idea. Are all decisions to be based on purely economic outcomes? Are there other values that should be considered, such as protecting our own citizens? What about all the cheap crap that China is foisting on us? It’s gotten so that US consumers have no idea what they are buying, whether it’s tainted dog treats or wood floors packed with carcinogens. What happens when all the US manufacturers close up shop and we have no alternatives but foreign made goods? What are the safeguards for our citizens?
Oh, I know. We will all open our own cupcake shops or bow tie stores like those ridiculous commercials on television.
On the other hand, globalization may be inevitable. The book, The Sovereign Individual by Davidson and Rees-Mogg, paints a picture of a future of a global economy and massive disruption with large nation states cracking up. We may be seeing this already. There will also be fewer ways for unskilled and low-skilled people to earn a living. In the future, nobody is going to be paid $35 an hour with benefits for lowering windshields onto vehicles. Those days are long gone. There is the potential for a lot of unrest. As the old Chinese curse says, we are living in interesting times.
(The book is fascinating, in spite of the screwy title.)
Some how I didn't see the part in the article where the writer said "we need TPP because of economic outcomes alone and to hell with protecting U.S. citizens."
fwiw, over the centuries the nations that amassed the most wealth though trade with other countries ended up being the most powerful and having the happiest citizens.