FREE TRADE IS NOT FREE
Patrick J. Buchanan
Address to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations
November 18, 1998
. . . I am called by many names. “Protectionist” is one of the nicer ones; but it is inexact. I am an economic nationalist. To me, the country comes before the economy; and the economy exists for the people. I believe in free markets, but I do not worship them. In the proper hierarchy of things, it is the market that must be harnessed to work for man - and not the other way around.
As for the Global Economy, like the unicorn, it is a mythical beast that exists only in the imagination. In the real world, there are only national economies — Japan’s that has lost its animal spirits, South Korea’s that is deep in recession, China’s which is headed for trouble, Brazil’s which is falling, Indonesia and Russia’s which are
in collapse.
In these unique national economies, critical decisions are based on what is best for the nation. Only in America do leaders sacrifice the interests of their own country on the altar of that golden calf, the Global Economy.
No one worships them. Some just have a higher amount of respect for free people to particpate in them [the freedom to transact with one another] than do others. Besides, the market is already harnessed to work for man. The fact that Buchanan does not see this fact reveals his bias for wanting there to be some kind of planner that steers us into decisions. See, Buchanan just cannot leave his own moral pronouncements out of it. By doing this, he shows a complete lack of faith and tolerance that people acting in their own self-interests just is not good enough; that many times people need a good nanny to watch over them.
As for the Global Economy, like the unicorn, it is a mythical beast that exists only in the imagination. In the real world, there are only national economies...
Really?! If this is true, than it surely is a myth that people transact with each other across political bounderies. if true, the so-called trade defict that he laments about nearly all of the time isn't real either; and neither is the amount of capital that flows back to the United States.
In these unique national economies, critical decisions are based on what is best for the nation.
As if having economic freedom is not what's best for the people who live within a nation. Perhaps Pat can tell us how -- using his logic -- what's best for the state is to lay claim over what would otherwise be your own property. I can just hear him now, "We're taking that! It's in the best interests of the state. It's in your best interests, too, if you could only see that the state has good intentions."
Only in America do leaders sacrifice the interests of their own country on the altar of that golden calf, the Global Economy.
Look who's worshipping now! I'd rather be accused of market 'worship' rather than worshipping the political leaders who make such sacrifices to us.
How can you take this guy seriously, Donna? Seriously, now!
free trade should be free but buchanan will make it worse.
On MSNBC Patrick J. Buchanan said US must raise tariffs on foreign parts to Japanese plants in USA that employ Americans productively. So he wants to punish American workers at those plants, but worse he is so STUPID he doesn’t realize GM uses foreign parts too, so kill their remaining jobs too. I dont want to go back to days of Ford Pinto where workers would go on strike for 6 months, no parts for 6 months.