First, how "free" is free trade? Second exactly why do Trump, Clinton, and Sanders lambast free trade? All for the same reasons? Are there any differences?
A responsible journalist would actually provide the context of their article about free trade, rather than assuming that the reader will "buy" such an outlandish opening statement.
Or, is this just another hit piece on the Donald?
I guess you’ll have to read the piece to understand the piece.
Doesn't matter. No trade the US has EVER conducted has been "free" or "equal" or "fair" -- that was always a fantasy that doesn't matter.
Who cares how "fair" it is? Nobody. People buy stuff from those durn furriners because they consider it to be to their advantage to do so under the terms at the time. Always have, always will.
Second exactly why do Trump, Clinton, and Sanders lambast [sic] free trade?
Because they are all economic illiterates and they think it sounds good to make idiotic "arguments" against trade.
The amount of economic nonsense of this and every trade thread here is astounding.
Most people here get the fact that a minimum wage (regardless of level) is a bad idea and increases unemployment. How is it that they don't also get that tariffs/protectionism is far, far worse?
That if implemented on any serious basis it would cost everyone hundreds of billions to protect a few jobs that aren't worth protecting. Huge net negative to the economy. Sorta like increasing the minimum wage, but on a much bigger scale.
Most jobs that have left -- mostly unionized low-skill, no-skill jobs -- aren't something you would want to do or want your kid to do for more than a week.
The union above-market wage extortion scheme has been imploding for 50 years. Surprise, surprise, wages have been stagnant for decades as this process works itself out.
Even with no trade at all, all of those "lost" jobs would have been automated out of existence, out of necessity.
Get over it. Our problem isn't trade, it's a useless education system and ridiculous regulations and high taxes.
If you have no skills that aren't common, you're gonna get paid accordingly, if at all. I say "if at all" because the taxes and regulations may wind up meaning the business that might have paid you could wind up being formed in some other country because of the US tax and regulatory scheme.
Oops, you're outta luck. Nothing to do with trade.