To answer your question, anyone who uses the word "all" starts getting into funny business if you ask me.
Here is an ideal situation according to me:
These are in no order...
1. America has fundamental trade reform. Meaning, ultimately we start with our top 10 trade partners and we start to hash out real free trade going BOTH directions. That in essence eliminates tarriffs and by agreement undue government interference.
Take the current standards we play by and up them. Set a goal to eliminate 20% of the systematic BS between us and a given trade partner over each 2 year period. Hence our trade agreements will be ongoing, evolving, and improving over time.
This will ultimately eliminate tarriffs for those countries who are willing to play ball and draw close to us.
For those who are half done or wrought out of convienience I say put tarriffs on them. Put them on an increasing tarriff schedule until they negotiate. Of course there should be common sense applied because things don't happen overnight... but none the less for those that fall halfway in between true Free Trade and the 'whatevers'...ie those that are lukewarm in opening to us....tax them out of existence until they negotiate and give us the stuff we want.
On one hand we will be expanding our network of true blue effective Free Trade Agreements but on the other we will be cutting the leeches off of our economy.
I would say within 10 years we could end up with true bi-directional Free Trade with 30 countries or more, all done by law in both countries. All this lukewarm crap has to walk.
2. On income taxes and that jive the Fair Tax doesn't sound too bad. All the April filing and stuff like that is archaic. You got deductions for this or that etc etc. We need a more fair and more efficient model.
I don't know how the Fair Tax thing works in minute detail but those who in the end need tax refunds will then apply on an as needed basis. IE those who are dirt poor, et al...
Thats my answer.
Under my above mentioned plan it truly will step on some toes. Some companies will truly be taxed out of doing business with some countries. They will not at all like it and will scream 'protectionist' to everyone involved.
In the end we will funnel our money into those countries that funnell their money to us. Everyone has a fair shake.
Its truly working smarter not just harder.
Pretty much anyone can get an FTA under the system, but they have to abide by it, and we mean business.
We could wind up with 50 FTA agreements...or more... it just depends on how far the others want to go to be a part of it.
In fact the constitution says its not a "right" and that Congress has legislative authority over it.
You know though whats funny... these companies scream about people wanting government protection and they adamantly condemn those who ask for it...
Yet, last year alone something like 8 or 9 thousand requests were sent to the embassy in Beijing, by companies, asking for government help and intervention.