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Trade doesn't always equal economic growth. Sometimes it does, but other times it doesn't.

The book is called The Wealth of Nations, and was written by a fellow named Adam Smith in 1776.

It's still as true today as it was then. Smith was arguing against mercantilism, an un-economic idea that is still as wrong today as it was then, whether you call it "protection," or "economic nationalism," or "America First."

If American workers can't compete with Japanese or Chinese workers, government policies designed to compensate for American inefficiency will ultimately help no one. The very policies that are supposed to "help" American workers actually have the opposite effect, by rewarding low productivity and inefficiencies of allocation.

The top three destroyers of American jobs are:

government regulations
labor unions and
trial lawyers

Ridiculous schemes of tariffs and sanctions will solve none of these problems. Let us get our own economic house in order before we commence to punishing innocent foreigners whose only crime is producing superior products at lower prices.

The top three destroyers of American jobs are:

government regulations
labor unions and
trial lawyers

ABSURD! TUNNEL VISION! You make no mention of low wages overseas. In Mexico for that matter. Of Chinese making crap for Wal-Mart in prison like factories. Of very low wage Chinese, Filipinos, Central Americans competing with Americans. Of software jobs exported to India.

I suppose it won't matter to you if we outsource vital defense manufacturing to China.

" The top three destroyers of American jobs are:

government regulations
labor unions and
trial lawyers"

The first two I agree with. The third one is bunk. The trial lawyers only succeed because of the absurd regulations. The largest problem is the tax structure as it exists today. 100 years ago, most of the funding for the government was extracted via tariffs. Now, it's easier to eliminate choice from industry and the individual by lowering tariffs and taxing the hell out of the domestic producers (citizens and corporations). I'm sorry but if we could get a 30% reduction in real income tax rates at the cost of a 7% increase in tariffs, I would say, let's do it tommorrow. But instead, because some day the demorats will get re-elected, we will get the increase in income tax rates and tariffs. That will be the final nail in our coffin as an economic superpower.