>>intelligent people recognize that benefits are not likely to be derived from something that is offered as “free.”<<
Funny, I seem to derive a lot of benefit from living in a “free” country.
Do you think “free trade” means that we’ll be dealing in free goods? Seriously?
While we’re at it, maybe we should set up some trade restrictions between the states? And why stop there? Let’s build trade fences around individual cities too.
Only economics illiterates fail to understand the obvious benefits derived from a system of free trade. Those same illiterates also generally have no understanding of the importance of free markets and, unfortunately, there are far too many of them who vote and even hold elective office.
this is a very old discussion. it has been going on since NAFTA (1992-1993).
google “free trade debate,” “the cost of free trade,” etc.
quasi populist politicians traditionally are against free trade, until they suddenly switch and are for it.
free trade represents the ascendance of the multinational corporation over sovereign nations. that means, the power of national governments subside and are replaced by the power of moneyed multinational corporate interests in determination of an individual’s fate.
a free country implies responsibilities such as individual contribution to the national defense, so use of the term free is an automatic misnomer. your derivation of benefits from living in a free country is an abuse of logic.
most economists are stuck on stupid these days since their salaries are paid by multinational corporations (directly or through academic grants) or from government institutions which are in turn influenced by multinational corporate lobbyists. economists are the guys that keep telling us all, month after month, that we have turned the corner on the 2008 recession and that unemployment has been trimmed back to normal. you really believe economists? i can sell you a brooklyn bridge.
since you seem to exclude yourself from the category of “economic illiterates,” you would probably love to join the euro, since economists advised europe to do that, and only an economic illiterate would turn that opportunity down, huh. look what is happening to the euro now. how do your vaunted pointy headed economists like that? if you make decisions based on asshat thinking, you get asshat results.