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Good point.

But if "we shut down" by manner of economic choice -- yes that would in substantial respects be true.

If for example, the Europeans continue to subsidize their airline industry massively, it might be better to take a free ride on European taxpayers and get cheap airplanes. The saved money can be spent expanding our economy in more efficient ways.

The Europeans certainly do that with their security.

I do not recommend shutting down Boeing. Shutting down Hollywood would be fine with me but probably will not happen.

I have not seen any evidence in these articles that businesses are being "shut down" in order to increase the trade deficit.

That would bother me. The only intervention I can see is the Dubai port deal-- which I think should have been allowed.

Then are you advocating a boycott of US-made goods, on the grounds that it will be good for the US economy - as long as the boycott is not government-mandated?

And instead of buying Chinese-made goods at WalMart, we should order them directly from China and have them shipped via DHL?

The saved money can be spent expanding our economy in more efficient ways.

In what ways exactly? We don't build factories anymore - we build houses. We don't provide steady employment to the middle class - we are turning them into a transient society. What are those expansions you are talking about?