Break America’s “Free-Market” Chains

The American Mind ^ | 03/11/21 | Adam Korzeniewski

[PoliticallyShort]

Neoliberal economists prefer abstractions to proper nouns so they don’t have to assign actions or consequences to actual people. But the people involved in productive labor are not some “input” into the market, easily shuffled about like interchangeable pawns on a chess board. They are American citizens, whose competencies and concerns should matter intensely to their elected representatives.

Yet here we are, as the European Union looks into manufacturing semiconductors, having discussions about the theory of comparative advantage with people who imagine the post-war consensus is still meaningful. A nation gains comparative advantage through dedicated work and application of labor and state power. This advantage is not easily gained, but it is easily lost—as we are seeing in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.

A people’s ability to manufacture material goods represents independence from undue foreign influences and the ability to perform more complex economic tasks down the road. When you keep production within your own country, capital does not as easily flow overseas, so inflationary costs stay low. When a nation can produce its own goods, its yeoman middle class grows and thrives.

[pierrem15]

To talk of 'comparative advantage' against mercantilist trading partners like China, Japan, South Korea and the EU is just babbling.

Look at the big Tesla factory Musk is building outside Berlin. Why? Hundreds of millions if not billions in subsidies plus the open threat that Tesla would be shut out of the EV market to help German companies if he didn't produce there.

All those jobs and secondary economic benefits should be going to Americans.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

When you can, buy American.

[ClearCase_guy]

There are no Free Markets.

As long as China and other such nations want to cheat in the marketplace, then the US will be at a global disadvantage so long as we seek the purity of “free markets”.

We need tariffs, protectionism, and Autarky — but we won’t get anything like that under the current administration.

[griswold3]

When a nation can produce its own goods, its yeoman middle class grows and thrives.
And without a middle class, what do we have?
Bueller, Bueller, Bueller.....

[monkeyshine]

In another generation there won’t be competency enough to run electric grids, and the government will demand that electric wires be shielded with biodegradable surfaces.

[Dead Corpse]

We handcuff our "free" markets with Socialist and protectionist policies and wonder why we can't compete with markets without those restraints?

Hhhmmm... Seems like a FREE Country with FREE markets could actually do something about that...