By level playing field, I mean the concept of reciprocity. You cannot give another country unfettered access to our markets while they deny us the same treatment for our exports and access to their markets.
How do you define liberty as it pertains to free trade?
You are focused on the “labor” compoenent….while ignoring the “consumer” component, which is 1000X bigger.
You need to go listen to Milton Friedman on “the pencil.”
Now it looks as if you are arguing in favor of free trade agreements.
Let me give you the reverse. The government says I cannot sell you my gun because it passed a law. That’s not liberty. Free trade (keep in mind that the US of A was set up as a giant free trade zone, hence the Commerce Clause) means I get to sell whatever I want and I get to buy whatever I want. That’s liberty.
Now comes my neighbor and he’s selling his lawnmower. It is a good price and he takes $25 American for it. That’s free trade. Who is richer or more powerful or anything else doesn’t matter. That trade is completed. He got what he wanted and I got what I wanted.
There is no trade deficit. He never has to buy a thing from me and I am still at liberty. Nothing has been lost.
You’re confusing the economic prosperity of moving away from low level manufacturing to higher level manufacturing and invention. Would you rather be making the widget or getting all the royalties from it?
We don’t farm anymore either and that’s a sign of prosperity. At the turn of the last century 40% of employment was on farms now it’s down to 3% and no one is starving. That’s an improvement. Do you see it now?
BTW my neighbor is a Red Chinese. ;-]