What alternative universe would that be, aha now I see, the one that features the motto "IN FREE TRADE WE TRUST" on all the coinage; heck, by the same token we ought to do away with standing armies, jails and prisons, police, and criminal and admiralty courts... more enlightened economic policies should make all of that evil government overhead unnecessary too...
Not real sure what you're talking about there Steve and I have no idea why you think I would be in favor of any of this. This country hasn't voted down a free trade agreement in my lifetime and our standard of living has risen dramatically. There is a direct correlation between the amount of economic freedom a country practices and their per capita GDP, political liberty and standard of living.
The Heritage Foundation offers an annual report proving that the countries with the most economic freedom also have higher rates of long-term economic growth and are more prosperous than are those with less economic freedom.
2005 Index of Economic Freedom
more enlightened economic policies should make all of that evil government overhead unnecessary too
Yes, reducing government control at every opportunity is a good thing. Creating barriers to trade is just another form of government control. Speaking of enlightened economic policies...I tend to like Milton Friedman. He said: Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.