Should the United States seek a policy that leads to higher prices, lack of technical advancements, high unemployment, and even potentially world war? The news is filled with politicians suggesting we follow this exact policy. Rip up the World Trade Organization treaty. Cancel NAFTA. Free trade created our world, the peace we enjoy, our access to technology, and the leadership of the American economy.
Out of World War II, the idea grew that people who trade with each other have a vested interested in keeping the peace. The U.S. has never fought a war with a trading partner since that time.
Who does not have a mobile phone, a flat-screen TV, or a tablet? This is the result of lower prices. These lower prices allow people’s paychecks to go further, and not just on technology.
The American economy has among the lowest unemployment rates in the world. Inflation is virtually non-existent. Our tech industries are the envy of the world. America, like Boeing, is not a manufacturing weakling.
There is much unease in the country. In reaction to this unease, do not kill the policy of free trade that leads to our prosperity. Let’s seek a policy that creates jobs, promotes understanding, opportunity, and peace.
