“2) the coercion and force of government interference in the market economy forcing higher business costs for government self interest and bureaucratic gain”
A ridiculous false choice, not called for by anyone outside the democrat party.
I have an idea. Why not just go back to the economic policies that made the United States the premier economic engine of the world.
Hint: It was not by using the current free trade agreements.
“free of government meddling”
Every nation on earth meddles in their economies. They always have, always will.
That was the stated rationale for the trade agreements. It didn’t work out.
So now, that is the stated reason for TPP. It is designed to entirely remove government control over the various economies and turn the control over to an unelected international cartel.
Does that comfort you?
You’re confused and your rationale that other countries are basically socialist does’t fly. America is an EXCEPTIONAL nation built on the foundations of freedom - other countries have always followed our lead, not the other way around.
Yours is a Leftist, socialist argument. Our sovereignty is not threatened by the voluntary cooperation of free enterprise. If other countries want to screw themselves up, it certainly don’t mean we have to also. Your protectionist arguments do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to address the underlying core issues of our economy of which I have named some.
You protectionist folks never really get around to root cause analysis because you demonstrate a basic lack of understanding how the free market economy actually works. You may call yourself a “conservative”, I don’t know, but you demonstrate a lack of belief in and understanding of freedom.