I really can't respond to your posts this morning, there is much to say though. For now I'll say I'm still waiting for the meat of the Great Britian matter from your side. So far, your sources have informed us that the British people suffered greatly for apparently decades prior to tariffs being lifted in 1846, and that afterwards, Britian did well. So far, only you say Britian was "nearly brought down" by this free trade. So bring it on.
And mind you, you are crediting a strong and protectionist Germany with almost destroying Britian? Swell! The same protectionist Germany that bought into, and brought us Hitler? That's just wonderful, Craig! Geez! That ought to be enough to scare many observers away from protectionism.
You compare my opinions on free trade to liberal pacifists not wanting to combat terrorists with force. Lordy Craig! It's coming clear how you are getting to your opinion here, but Craig, talk about apples and oranges! In war and terrorism, you take a weapon, you operate it, and then you live and the other guy dies; or at least this is what you seek as your goal. In Economics, you create something, and you pass it out to those who to those who value it properly(by paying you) and who help to create stuff too. Thanks to money as a medium of exchange, you can use your pay to acquire stuff that you will appreciate; this is a goal of free trade, to help keep both sides alive and well and productive. In war, if you fire your gun, you may accomplish your goal, and you are acting in support of your goal. In trade, if you make a war with a tariff, you are acting against your goal; you upset other producers by harming their businesses, your own people pay more for, and many of them simply must do without a the thing they want(and would otherwise have). Both sides are harmed. If the other side retaliates, the goal of trade moves even further away from being reached, as both sides necessarily must be harmed further- your producers of some targeted good are hurt, and many on the other side can't afford what they want anymore, and extra money is spent for a good, destroying jobs that will now never exist. If it weren't for the fact that imposing a tariff is akin to cutting one's own throat, we could talk of our enemies destroying us with them. But since they unwittingly harm themselves with them as much as anything, destroying US with them is not going to happen.
Now that's just the way it works. The goal is good, and tariffs simply work against the goal at every turn. That's what is, and what is, is...as,
Freedom really Works,
Dan B |
