Free trade is not the cause of our demise. The problem is taxation & regulation - an overbearing government here in the US.
Our businesses & industry have moved overseas, not because of free trade, but because their costs of doing business are significantly less than in the US. Wages & benefits are much lower, as are taxes, & any regulation can be bribed out of existence.
America used to be a magnet for business & industry. Now, companies can't wait to leave. Until or unless we recreate an economy that is tax, regulation, & profit friendly to businesses, our decline will continue.
If you place tariffs on imported goods, foreign countries will simply reciprocate with their own tariffs on our goods. The World tried that during the Great Depression with disastrous consequences. And tariffs only raise the price of goods in the stores, hurting all Americans. Why should I pay more for clothing, appliances, & other goods simply because the gov’t & unions have driven these industries overseas?
What you are advocating is a gov’t subsidy on inefficient, unprofitable companies & industries, whether caused by over-taxation, over-regulation, unions, and/or just bad management. This is not a conservative position.
Tariffs & trade restrictions (other than military related) are for those who can't compete in a capitalist economy. I will side with capitalism over regulation & tariff every time. The gov't is no better at this aspect of economic manipulation than it is in any other.
Don't you get it? The gov't is the problem, not the solution!
You shouldn't minimize the affect of the wages that our manufacturing/industrial employees demand in the USA.
We cannot and are not competitive with lower wage Asian counties.
“Free trade is not the cause of our demise. The problem is taxation & regulation - an overbearing government here in the US.”
Both are designed to redistribute American wealth overseas. Free trade alone would not work as companies would keep working here. Add in the regulations and companies are forced to look for alternatives or go out of business.