Yes, we're losing high-tech commerce to other countries, China one among them. Would we be losing it if our marketplace were not so heavily regulated? Especially our labor market? The answer might still be yes, but it is a critical point to consider, and requires us to be honest about what trade barriers and tariffs can and cannot do. (They can't, for example, improve the quality of education an American receives in a government school.) The markets of many of the countries to which we're losing business are effectively unregulated, especially if you can buy the favor of the right persons in power.
Free trade, other things being equal, is a good thing; it really does result in the progressive enrichment of all parties, a rising tide that lifts all boats. Other things being not so equal, one must consider the differentiating factors carefully, not merely observe that our trade balance has shifted unfavorably, therefore it's time to raise the drawbridge and lower the portcullis.
Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
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