This is one of those things that sounds great sitting here in cushy America, but falls flat on its face as soon as you try and put it in practice.
In other words, we would in effect have to STOP trading with ALL of Africa, half of Europe, all of Russia, all of Asia, including India, Tibet, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Mexicoetc.
NOT ONE OF THESE COUNTRIES has full rights for women, and/or labor laws to the extent YOU would like.
In most cases, it is simply THEIR CULTURE, their way of life.
No one is thrilled with THEIR way of life, but how presumptuous and elitist of you to DEMAND changes, or you will take your ball and go home.
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say your prescription would throw the entire world into recession, or worst, and would poison relationships for decades to come.
Tarriff wars have never, ever worked in the whole of human history, and in fact have been the cause of COUNTLESS SHOOTING WARS.
What in the world makes you think it would work now, and that countries would just willingly lay down and be subserviant to OUR intepretation of environmental or 'human rights'.
As for TORT LAW REFORM, I presume you were out there publically supporting President GWB in 2001 and 2002 when tort reform was one of his TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES.
Naturally, the Dem-libholes fillibustered it to the grave, as did a few lib-Repubs.
Lastly, if these two proposals are what you consider to be "serious and bold" ideas that would create economic utopia, then excuse me while I step away and chuckle a while.
Stop trading?
Nothing in there about stopping trading, sir.
No indeed.
My proposal on eliminating the corporate tax deduction is no different at all than President Bush's stance on fetal stem cell research. Companies are still free to do that research (or, under my plan, to build factories in China), they just aren't going to get federal tax subsidies for doing it. As is so often said, if there were real profit in it, companies could do it anyway.
As to tarriffs always being disastrous, I would suggest you review the economic history of the development of the United States throughout the 19th Century, and note the role of the tarriff in protecting American industry while it grew to world-dominant status.
Anyway, while you step aside and go chuckle, I'll be posting, later today, the more careful and detailed set of analyses and proposals I promised the others, which you may feel free to skip or to read at your pleasure.