Analysis and Synthesis -21st Century

You might be a protectionist…. …. if you think it’s better when international trade results in two ships leaving the country loaded with domestic goods produced by US workers for every one ship returning loaded with foreign goods produced by foreign workers, compared to the opposite situation when one ship leaves the country loaded with domestic goods for every two ships returning loaded with foreign goods. …. if you are eagerly willing to load a vessel with the goods of your own making, send it out upon the seas to a foreign land, and pray it never returns. …. if you object and think it’s unfair when foreign citizens subsidize their producers, engaging in an act of generous foreign aid to the US, so that American consumers can benefit from lower prices and a higher standard of living. … if you object and think it’s unfair when foreign producers, engaging in an act of generous foreign aid to the US, are actually willing to sell their products to Americans at a price below the actual cost of producing those goods. … if you object and think it’s unfair when the Sun provides an abundance of free sunlight to consumers because it takes away some jobs from Americans producing light-providing products like lamps, lighting fixtures, light bulbs, and candles. … if you object and think it’s unfair when foreign countries, engaging in an act of generous foreign aid to the US, “manipulate” and strengthen the US dollar so that foreign goods become less expensive to Americans and raise our standard of living. … if you object and think it’s unfair when foreign sugar producers are willing to sell sugar to Americans at a price 50% below our domestic price and prefer to force your fellow citizens to pay a price for sugar that is two times the world price. … if you object and think it’s unfair for berry farmers in Mexico to have the natural advantage of a year-round growing season and therefore support trade restrictions to “level the playing field” for American berry farmers who have a more limited growing season. You might be a protectionist…. Mark Perry