Yeah like the protectionist, statist, Socialist koolaid is better.
Defending our technological and scientific independence is anything but statist. If you think we can continue on our present course without losing scientific superiority, you're dreaming. If we lose scientific superiority, we'll lose the next world war.
The question is how, not if we should take action. Don't forget that the firms you're defending as "free market" are multinational. Based on public equity statistics indicating foreign dominance of shared owned, these companies are now mostly owned by people who could care less about the American dream. You can't expect them to protect our national interests. When public equity was owned by Americans, it was an entirely different story.
Much has changed just in the past 10 years, and the old free market paradimgs are collapsing. We need a free American market again.
Please. You sell your country short.