We have a difference in opinion.
I believe China is different from any system Bastiat was familiar with.
I believe he wrote what he did in Europe a century and a half ago.
This is a new deal. China is growing and taking over our industry. Our industries. Our technology. Our jobs. And is communist. Likewise does not allow non-Chinese to immigrate.
So China seems diametrically opposed to America.
(as do some other countries, I am just picking on China because they are becoming most important to our economy currently)
When China was still behind America, that was one situation.
Now however, we have entered a new era. And in my opinion we need to start to bring back American power.
Not only that, but we need to hurry.
China is now bigger than us. Growing faster, and we are allowing them to do this without stopping.
In my opinion it is high time to change the rules.
Otherwise we will simply shrink, shrink, and then vanish.
Do not get me wrong. We are still big (now) and we are still the world’s superpower. Except at the same time, increasingly we are not. The more jobs we export, the weaker we become, and the stronger other countries grow.
Look at what is coming out of Washington. Look how our defense budget is shrinking.
China’s is growing.
Look how our unemployment rate is high.
China’s is low.
We have a challenge on our hands, because China’s costs are so much lower than our own, but we cannot continue to simply send all our jobs there.
Seriously. We need a new approach.
Soon.
Right, BUT... You want to raise China's costs (and ours as well) by imposing import duties, when the correct solution is to LOWER our costs by getting rid of excess government regulation and taxes here.