[Torie]

Somehow you left the consumer out of the equation. Buying from the high cost producer, and being able to pass the artificially high price along, through protectionism, is anti-consumer.

Obviously theory is too abstract on this thread. So let's get concrete. The proof is in the pudding. Just why is the most free tread nation on Earth, also the richest, and on a per capita income basis, except for Luxembourg? Just why is the per capita income gap between the US and its other high income per capita competitors (all of which are most protectionist and existing job protection oriented) increasing rather than decreasing in most cases, Ireland to the contrary notwithstanding? And just why does it have the lowest unemployment rate of almost anywhere at present, all those illegal alien vermin hanging about to the contrary notwithstanding?

[FITZ]

And just why does it have the lowest unemployment rate of almost anywhere

Maybe we don't count a lot of the unemployed --- all those getting SSDI, Food stamps, TANF, NAFTA-TAA, TAA aren't exactly employed but don't show up as unemployed either. How do our combined welfare rolls and other government handouts compare?

[underbyte]

"""The proof is in the pudding. Just why is the most free tread nation on Earth, also the richest, and on a per capita income basis""""

Of course you left out the 400 billion dollar deficit, 500 billion dollar trade deficit, Unfunded social security and other gov liabilities, I pay slightly over 50% in state and federal taxes. So to make ends meet they raise my taxes to what? 60%? 70%?

This abstract miracle economy is running on vapors from artificially low interest rates, dilution & duct tape.

It's a house of cards

And why is it so expensive for americans to travel to europe? Oh yeah it is those diluted cheap miracle american dollars
The miracle is about to end.

[XBob]

81-"Just why is the most free tread nation on Earth, also the richest, and on a per capita income basis"

Because, we had high tariffs while we grew our economy, then we blew away our major competitor's industries in WWII, and the most populous countries in the world (china and india) were encumbered by controlling political hack governments and philosophies.

Now, we have torn down our tarriff barriers, our competition has rebuilt (with our help), the Chinese and Indians have thrown off most of their yokes and we have exported our hard won/earned technology and means of production to those countries, with extremely low wages, high populations, and low costs.

The world has changed. It's time for all you free-traitors to recognize that.

[neutrino]

The proof is in the pudding. Just why is the most free tread nation on Earth, also the richest, and on a per capita income basis, except for Luxembourg?

Partly because of the accumulated wealth of our forbears - wealth we are now squandering. Partly because the problems with free trade have developed as reality diverged from Ricardo's underlying assumptions.