Posted on 08/07/2022 10:04:16 AM PDT by FarCenter
Free trade and open markets are great ideals. These principles, over the last few centuries, but especially since World War II, have created tremendous wealth, particularly in the developing world. But free markets were made for human society, not the other way around.
Many thinkers on the right, however, have embraced a form of free-market fundamentalism that’s as ideologically brittle, entrenched, and impervious to critique as any Leftist vision of social utopia. These doctrinaire free-marketers believe that if China seeks to capture a huge industry like telecommunications through subsidies and protect their market, that will benefit us all.
“Huawei’s a great example,” says former Duke University chair of political science Mike Munger. “This is just 5G technology! How could it not be great? It benefits consumers!” According to this view, the U.S. and other Western companies should just get out of the way and find another business that Beijing does not care so much about dominating. The problem, however, is that we no longer live in a world where America is monumentally richer or has far greater technological prowess than its rivals. We no longer reliably call the shots.
This reality has been unfolding for a generation. Asian and European nations have long prioritized their export industries, helping them gain dominance in many markets, from steel and cars to semiconductors. By contrast, big American capital, bolstered by cheerleaders in the corporate media, sacrificed our nation’s communities and the personal aspirations of countless workers for the sake of greater profits.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanmind.org ...
The solution is simple and has been obvious for decades - in trade, treat China exactly the way it treats the USA and the rest of the world
Free trade without active patriotism (the very good sort of nationalism) is just an excuse to be sold out for a price.
We preached the evils of communism but then agreed to trade deals that facilitated their military build up.
We stood there crying at the awesomeness of our Veterans in parades, then shipped their jobs out of the country even as we have a major homeless Vet problem.
We got our kids into debt for tech training, and then sent the high paying tech jobs out of the country so that they couldn't find work and are aliens in their own nation's IT centers. Now we can't figure out why they're angry and rioting all over the place.
Not all of us, but you know who you are.
And why did we do this? So we could save $.10 on communist made paint brushes. How's that working out?
Now we want to point the finger at everyone else for what's happening in this country, but for every finger we point at Biden and Pelosi, three are pointing back at us.
Tariffs.
Encourage growth in the US economic engine.
Don’t send our wealth overseas.
It’s about more than money. It’s about freedom, independence and our way of life.
Permit free trade between all nations regardless of communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.Looks like Red China agrees with old Marx in this sense.
— Communist goal for the USA #4
(I)n general, the protective system of our day is conservative, while the free trade system is destructive. It breaks up old nationalities and pushes the antagonism of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie to the extreme point. In a word, the free trade system hastens the social revolution. It is in this revolutionary sense alone, gentlemen, that I vote in favor of free trade.
— Karl Marx
Many thinkers on the right, however, have embraced a form of free-market fundamentalism that’s as ideologically brittle, entrenched, and impervious to critique as any Leftist vision of social utopia. These doctrinaire free-marketers believe that if China seeks to capture a huge industry like telecommunications through subsidies and protect their market, that will benefit us all. …Those people are not on the right. Please don’t lie to us.
So, who are the first to blame, at least, publicly as the puppet masters are still anonymous(somewhat)?
Bush 1...the Clintons...Bush 2...Soetero
Only person willing to take them on was sent packing thanks to some crooked and corrupt Governors, et al.
Free trade is ideal, without any doubts, much like lower taxes are ideal. However, how can you have free trade with a counterparty that is not free (decisions made based upon not just tax but political considerations?
Free Trade only works among states of equal status. Free Trade with peasant economies in the age of easy labor mobility will destroy the stronger nation. It was never meant to be implemented internationally, only works intra-nationally.
It isn’t free trade if both parties aren’t free trading.
Paul Ryan and HRC can pretend all they want that they support free trade. But that’s the wrong label for what they support.
A strong argument can be made that the US is no longer capable of engaging in “free trade” - whatever that is.
No such thing as free trade, especially when an “Free Trade” Agreement is over 20,000 pages.
The curse of word processing software - complexity and brittleness have their own set of winners, who are rarely apparent.
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