[1rudeboy]

• The average U.S. tariff rate on all goods has fallen from over 19 percent in 1933 to 1.8 per­cent in 2004.
  
• As a percentage of GDP, the importance of trade in the economy has climbed from single digits in the 1930s to nearly one-quarter of U.S. GDP in 2004.
  
• At the same time that trade has become freer, real per capita GDP in the U.S. (in constant 2000 dol­lars) has climbed from a low of $5,061 in 1933 to about $36,000 in 2004.

[Dick Bachert]

Of course, all that CHINESE MELAMINE in the pet food — and NOW SOME HUMAN FOOD — is just an added bonus.

Can’t wait to see what’s next from the Wide World of Globalism and FREE TRADE.

[raybbr]

With free trade agreements (FTAs) with Peru, Colombia, Panama, and South Korea needing con­gressional approval; Trade Adjustment Assistance up for renewal; the struggle to advance multilateral trade talks in the World Trade Organization (WTO); and, critically, the need to extend the President's trade pro­motion authority (TPA) this summer, policymakers have ample opportunity to implement a more protec­tionist policy stance or to stay the course and con­tinue to allow America to reap the benefits of open market policies.

Are we operating under unknown pretenses? Free trade would mean no restrictions whatsoever. As long as governments get involved there is no such thing as free trade - just agreements that put America at a disadvantage.

[HarmlessLovableFuzzball]

Free trade forces Americans to get off their butts and be creative. Being dependent upon a corporation for a job is only slightly better than being dependent on the govt for a handout.

[lewislynn]

Sorta like saying there's little to no inflation when you take energy and food prices out of the equation...DUH!

I noticed there wasn't one word about importing oil.

Isn't the call for eliminating the dependency on foreign oil a call for a "protectionist" act? Why is it freetraders are such hypocrites when it comes to dependency on foreign oil?...Or maybe you America haters think foreign oil dependency is also good for us.

[gas0linealley]

If “Free Trade” is such a good thing for America, why are we running a continual trade imbalance?

[Malesherbes]

3.2 million factory jobs in the US have been lost since 2000 (that’s one of every six.) Electronic components for our “smart bombs” are imported from China. What’s not to like?

[det dweller too]

The problem with "free trade" is that it isn't free. somebody pays! And right now the people paying are American citizens with domestically based businesses. Their businesses have a between 25% and 50% cost embedded in their business by our income tax system. It's like two people in a race, one person has to carry another 30% of his weight in a knapsack while the first only has to carry a tee shirt.

If you want fair trade as well as the mentioned advantages of free trade, change the taxing point from income to products. A product brought to market here will have the same tax in it regardless of its point of origin. People making products domestically will then be able to compete with foreign sources. Also, removing the yoke of income tax from our collective necks will free up billions currently wasted in the costs of forecasting, calculating, recording, collecting, tracking, managing, policing and disbursing income taxes.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Good post. Where is Willie Green, so we can fight this out with him.

[holyscroller]

I’d prefer FAIR Trade to Free Trade. There’s nothing fair about what we’ve got now.

[1rudeboy]

Let's play pin-the-quote-on-the-presidential-hopeful! Mark Steyn writes,

[this person] started out deploring the violence of Virginia Tech as yet another example of the pervasive violence of our society: the violence of Iraq, the violence of Darfur, the violence of . . . er, hang on, give him a minute. Ah, yes, outsourcing: ''the violence of men and women who . . . suddenly have the rug pulled out from under them because their job has moved to another country."

No cheating.

[Wolfie]

Why Free Trade Works for America

I'd feel better if it worked for Americans too.

[1rudeboy]

Here’s some Sunday reading for you. Be sure to finish it all.

[LowCountryJoe]

The blue line from this chart was constructed using Table 1.1.6. of the Bureau of Economic Analysis website, National Economic Accounts page. The title of table 1.1.6 is: Real Gross Domestic Product, Chained Dollars [Billions of chained (2000) dollars] Seasonally adjusted at annual rates.

You do see, below the graph and in text, where the data came from, don't you? Still want to claim that this GDP data is not adjusted for inflation?