Massive corporate taxation, limitless legal vulnerability, crushing environmental regulation and pro-Union arbitrary Government: these are why industry chooses to locate away from the USA.
On FR recently we had the example of Ronnie Bryant: forced to shutter his coal mining project and lay off hundreds of workers and ancillary staff.
He had spent his life in the business, but was finally forced to quit - effectively by the EPA.
He is ground zero for what I'm talking about: a small businessmen crushed by the parasitic forces of Government.
At the bottom of that link are an amazing set of comments, where other businessmen share their stories of being forced out of business by Government. Not (for instance) by the Chinese - but by Government. It makes compelling reading.
Protectionism would be the final nail in the coffin. The last vestiges of American industry would be turned into feather-bedded welfare cases, and freeborn Americans would be forced to buy their stuff from the Government store.
“Free trade” is driving jobs overseas.
It’s not free. And it’s not trade.
It is unilateral American surrender.
While I agree that we have a host of problems some of them (crony capitalism) as bad or now even worse then our insane trade policy. Our trade policy in insane.
If Gibson left the country and started making Guitars in Singapore: would the protectionists on FR blame that on Free Trade too?