Free trade doesn’t work between nations who are not equal, or where the playing field is not equal. A 32 dollar an hour union worker cannot compete with a 32 cent per hour worker in a foreign country. Nothing to do with unions in particular, just an example of dealing with whatever realities there are.
George Washington said a tariff should be at least the cost of shipping an item from a foreign country to here, so that like products (foreign and domestic) could compete equally.
Free trade does work within a like structure, for example, the United States was the greatest free trade area ever created, for states could not tax other states. But we had tariffs on imports.
“Tariffs at the gates, and free trade within” is a formula that works.
Milton Friedman was right about free trade working in regard to competition lowering prices. However, between unequal nations, tariffs should not be at zero. We should never have joined the WTO or ratified the GATT treaty, we can thank Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole for going along with a lame duck democrat congress in 1994 for that!
If the union worker isn't 100 times more productive than some joker making 32 cents an hour in Dumputzistan, he must be working for GM.
George Washington said a tariff should be at least the cost of shipping an item from a foreign country to here, so that like products (foreign and domestic) could compete equally.
He said that? Where?
He wanted the $5 shipping charge to have a $5 tax slapped on as well? Sounds like an extra $10 would not make the like products compete equally.
Sounds like something you pulled out of your ass. I'm sure Washington was much better at math than you. LOL!