[buckalfa]

Neither candidate or party is addressing the structural reason behind our economic mess: globalism and supposed free trade. Econ 101 theorems dictate equalization of incomes when the means of production is shared among the world, thus America must decline. Welcome to the New Normal.

[Alberta's Child]

I have to disagree with you on that. Globalism and free trade certainly present some challenges, but they also have a huge impact on the flip side. They have effectively allowed Americans to enjoy the highest standard of living in the history of mankind ... without having to pay the real costs associated with it.

If the U.S. were to impose tariffs on foreign countries to improve our competitive balance with our trading partners, the immediate effect would be an enormous increase in prices for a lot of things we take for granted.

[griswold3]

normalcy bias prevents the US from addressing it’s increasing structual issues. Globalization, Technology, and Demographics need to be addressed. The safety net has officially become the dreaded hammock from which productive potential is slowly drained. The generation currently deemed responsible for future growth do not possess the necessary coping skills to change our economic downward spiral.