[HamiltonJay]

Ultimately, the person you should blame is the American consumer for demanding affordable products

Actually you can blame it on one of the biggest scams ever pulled on the Americans, and one of the worst trade policies ever invented.. "Free Trade" is a scam from day one, and there is NOTHING conservative about it... how that trainwreck got tied as mantra to the conservative politic is beyond me.

[explodingspleen]

how that trainwreck got tied as mantra to the conservative politic is beyond me.

Mostly via people who read and understand economics books.

[wideawake]

how that trainwreck got tied as mantra to the conservative politic is beyond me

It probably started because conservatives oppose Marxism.

And regulating the economy is Marxist.

[Monterrosa-24]

You're right. Conservative and Southerners have traditionally favored low tariffs which is a lot different from no tariffs.

Let's look at the Chinese worker making clothing for Barbie Dolls. Let's compare their living/working conditions not to American workers but to Taiwanese workers. There is a big difference in Taiwan's favor. The toy triangle slaves of China are not becoming lower middle class. The growth of the middle class in China is not from workers.

Liberals love China because of free dental care etc. But the Chinese toy triangle workers are bereft of freedoms, overworked, underpaid, and have a short life expectancy. We benefit from cheaper clothing for Barbie. Liberals love to feel guilty about slavery in the Old South. Liberals love today's new slavery with free dental care.

[Mase]

"Free Trade" is a scam from day one, and there is NOTHING conservative about it

.

"Reagan's heart and head were clearly on the side of free trade. While president, he declared in 1986: "Our trade policy rests firmly on the foundation of free and open markets. I recognize ... the inescapable conclusion that all of history has taught: The freer the flow of world trade, the stronger the tides of human progress and peace among nations."

"It requires acts of faith in economic laws to applaud free trade. But Adam Smith was resoundingly correct in laying down the law that both parties benefit" - William Buckley on Free Trade

Is Milton Friedman a Conservative?

The Case For Free Trade

How about The Heritage Foundation?

Free Trade by Any Means

Why America Need to Support Free Trade

And The Cato Institute?

Free Trade FAQs

It's a whole lot easier to find conservatives who are for free(r) trade than against it.