[sixmil]

I don't believe there is much the government can or should specifically do to attract or create jobs - manufacturing or otherwise.

I agree, but I also think there is a lot that government can do to kill jobs like the unilateral free trade policy we have now. I'd like to see tarriffs raised until the trade deficit is zero and stays there, along with corresponding cuts on income and business taxes. Eventually we are going to have to admit that there is no benefit (just the opposite actually) to trading any more freely than everyone else does. Even with the WTO, we are not able to get everyone to play along, so we should develop a policy that is not dependent on how others play the game.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Wow - that's what I call a big government approach that would make Hillary Clinton proud! And who says a zero trade deficit is desirable? So long as we have the strongest economy in the world, it will be natural for us to import more goods and services from around the world than we sell to other, less rich, countries.

A tariff consists of a tax on domestic consumers, by the way.

Have a read of this column by David Limbaugh, which aptly explains the fallacies of "fair" trade, and offers an excellent example from the king of free markets, Milton Friedman:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/dl20020309.shtml

[maui_hawaii]

I agree, but I also think there is a lot that government can do to kill jobs like the unilateral free trade policy we have now. I'd like to see tarriffs raised until the trade deficit is zero and stays there, along with corresponding cuts on income and business taxes. Eventually we are going to have to admit that there is no benefit (just the opposite actually) to trading any more freely than everyone else does. Even with the WTO, we are not able to get everyone to play along, so we should develop a policy that is not dependent on how others play the game.

Definately deserving of a BUMP.

WTO, particularly Doha is nothing more than welfare.