[Alberta's Child]

I don’t see it that way at all. All we would be saying is that the U.S. military would only have responsibility for protecting American ships. Any other nations could have their own standards for their own shipping industries — including those that make port calls in the U.S.

The current scenario is beyond retarded. If you are a maritime shipping company you have every financial and regulatory incentive to domicile your company and flag your vessels in any country but the U.S. — and you can still count on the U.S. taxpayers to pay for the military protection of your ships. It’s astonishing that any American with half a brain would think this makes sense.

[ought-six]

I think you are being short-sighted: 90% of the world’s goods are transported by sea. The US is the world’s largest consumer market. Maintaining freedom of shipping is absolutely essential to our national interests.

Here’s a list (as of 2023) of the world’s consumer markets:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_consumer_markets