[investigateworld]

RE: "To me, it's a matter of national security"

That has to be the bottom line. All the John Locke and Ayn Rand readings in the world won't mean squat if we are hampered by lack of military equipment. I for one am grateful that the *Free Trade* crowd wasn't in charge in 1941. Their greed would have had us outsourcing to German and Japan in a heartbeat. (And if they are honest, they won't deny it)

[atlanta67]

""'I for one am grateful that the *Free Trade* crowd wasn't in charge in 1941. ""


actually you should go check your history becasue they were. Sec of State Cordell Hull was an avid advocate for free trade and FDR's administration held the belief that trade protectionism made world war more not less likely.....sigh

[1rudeboy]

Nonsense. Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, and most (I imagine) other "champions" of free-trade make an exception for national security. You are begging the question.

[Nowhere Man]

That has to be the bottom line. All the John Locke and Ayn Rand readings in the world won't mean squat if we are hampered by lack of military equipment. I for one am grateful that the *Free Trade* crowd wasn't in charge in 1941. Their greed would have had us outsourcing to German and Japan in a heartbeat. (And if they are honest, they won't deny it)

Yeah, that is the true bottom reason. I remember my grandmother even made this point back in the 1970's when this first started on asking the questions, "where the planes and tanks will be made if we ever need them."

I mean if we get caught in a bind, I think I know where I could score an F-102 or two, maybe an F-84 (display models) and if you are nice to me, a couple of Vietnam War era Cobra gunships (currently serving the Penna Nat'l Guard) and perhaps a T-95 1950's era prototype tank (display) and some World War II stuff (tank museum near Youngstown, OH). B-P Worse comes to worst, we can always fight back with the Zell Miller Mark IA Spitball Launchers and if we are backed in the corner, drop Ayn Rand books on the bad guys, those things are so thick, you could maim or even kill with them. /sarcasm>

Seriously, if the free trade folks were around in 1941, we would seriously be hampered in World War II to the point to where we could have ended up with a cold war with Germany while it took us time to build up along with the UK possibly being a German vassal.

[DeeOhGee]

I also am interested in the notion of trade as a weapon. We can use the threat of tariffs as effectively as we can the threat of military reprisal to achieve much of the same objectives.