[DannyTN]

"I am a free trader only because TRUE free trade floats all boats."

Are you sure? You need to look into the special cases of what happens when one country has high unemployment. There is no guarantee that trade will benefit both countries.

Comparative Advantage says that when two people/parties/countries specialize and trade goods that total wealth is increased. But there is no guarantee that both countries will benefit, especially when one of them has high unemployment.

And that is limited to trading trade goods. WHen one country trades goods for the debt or equities of the other country. It's a wealth drain to the country that lets it happen to them.

[Sam Gamgee]

I sure know mercantilism never worked and was a massive failure. Protectionism tends to only protect industries that have enough lobbyists in Washington to watch over them. Why should their interests be promoted over the common good? Carnegie and Vanderbilt built great empires without government special treatment. Not to mention to mention the principle of freedom, that consumers should be free to choose their goods without government interfering in the process of trade.