[Cronos]

Hedge: So you think protectionism is bad. How about telling the truth: free-tradism is global socialism.

Explodinspleen: So... let me get this straight. The system of no government interference (free trade) is the socialist system, and the system of taxes and government subsidies (proectionism) is the capitalist system?

good one.

[ARCADIA]

The system of no government interference (free trade) is the socialist system, and the system of taxes and government subsidies (proectionism) is the capitalist system?

It is interesting that you feel that there is no government interference. Clearly, you may have heard something about a small problem that we have been having with the way China currently pegs its currency; or, you may have noticed that US exports are usually hit with a 70% tariff by many of our "free trade" partners. I would consider those and perhaps hundreds of other imposed structural impediments and subsidies to make mockery of your global free trade system. Can you explain where our US farm subsidies fit under your model for free trade?

There is no global free trade. What there is is a perversion of our system of government. We do not have a direct democracy; we have a system that is designed to strike a balanced between the voice of our citizens and our respect for property. This works so longs as "what is good for General Motors is good for America," but, it starts to collapse when control over that property is given to hostile foreign interests.

Why are so many willing to risk so much while setting a blind eye to the outright fraud of a global "free trade system?" Perhaps, too barren of ideas to come up with anything constructive, some have decided to sell our system for a few silver pieces. Look at our trading partners: they are taking control of our system and we are becoming them. Is that what we want? To become another nation like China, or India?