“You’re going completely outside my analogy. You implied that just by shopping at the grocery store, it could lead to the loss of my job.”
I realize that. Your analogy is overly simplistic. It really has no basis in any discussion about the advantages / disadvantages of trade where the manufacturing standards are different. This is why there is no such thing as “free” trade when dealing with a country where the standards are different.
When the rules for manufacturing are different from one country to another.....there is an “unfair” imbalance....and we get what we have now. Loss of jobs in manufacturing.
Not simplistic, but simplified. It's simplified to zero in on the core subject. If trade "deficits" are bad, then they should be bad in every case. If not, then there's something other than the "deficit" that's really the problem.
By looking at a simplified analogy, we can see if a particular issue is really a problem or not. That's why the grocery store question works so well.
It really has no basis in any discussion about the advantages / disadvantages of trade where the manufacturing standards are different. This is why there is no such thing as “free” trade when dealing with a country where the standards are different. When the rules for manufacturing are different from one country to another.....there is an “unfair” imbalance....and we get what we have now. Loss of jobs in manufacturing.
OK, now we're looking at something other than the actual trade "deficit". The problem might be that our trade partners have different standards than we do.
Let's simplify that issue with an analogy. If I own a business, say I'm a car manufacturer, and I do business with a supplier who makes tires, and that supplier pays his employees less than I pay mine, should I stop buying from him? What if I offer better benefits, or pollute the environment less than my tire supplier. Should that be cause for the government to bar me from further business with him?
Or, extend it a little. Should California be banned from trade with Wyoming because Wyoming doesn't have the same labor or environmental standards as California? Should I be forced to buy only Wyoming-made tires? (There aren't any...)
Have the economies of California or Wyoming suffered because of the difference in standards?
If you're talking about safety standards, I agree with you. Imported goods should have to meet exactly the same standards as domestic goods. There must be a level playing field with regard to regulations.