[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

I know you know this, but I'll say it anyway.
Our current trade policies are hurting us. We don't really "freely do it", we (the consumers) have little choice (as the article pointed out).
China is most definitely not engaging in free trade, they have tariffs and are manipulating the market and devaluing the Yuan 40%. Besides this they use slave labor. There is also evidence that they are using economics instead of a military to weaken us.
Our Congress is failing in its Constitutional duty to "regulate commerce", and protect us.

"And when (laid-off workers) went on unemployment, they went to the cheapest place they could to shop," he said. "They took their unemployment checks and went to Wal-Mart."
Sounds like a socialist future if the Congress doesn't make the necessary changes.

[dogbyte12]

It spirals doesn't it. A company lays off their workers and moves operations to Mexico. The workers, who are in bad shape, go to Wal-mart, because they are desperately trying to save money. That means that less people are buying american goods, so another company takes off to India, their laid off workers head to wal-mart, and so on and so on.

Wal-Mart hires a bunch of these people at wages that only make them able to buy at Wal-Mart, and on it goes. They can only do this for so long until we spiral out of control. The wealthy hire accountants to shelter their money. They put it overseas. The upper middle class now are starting to lose jobs to China and India. Who is going to pay taxes then to support all the people demanding benefits?

[fhayek]

Our Congress is failing in its Constitutional duty to "regulate commerce", and protect us.

Regulate commerce? And this is supposed to be a pro-individual, anti government intervention site. Either we believe in free-market capitalism or we don't. Capitalism is sometimes cruel, but it is the best chance we have.

[Sparta]

China is most definitely not engaging in free trade, they have tariffs and are manipulating the market and devaluing the Yuan 40%. Besides this they use slave labor.

I agree that China's trade practices are unfair, however, the US is regulating itself to death already. Overregulation is the reason why our products are produced outside the US.