And About Free Trade

Why are so many liberals vexed about free trade? Aren’t we supposed to like things that enhance freedom? Now I understand that free trade opens up the possibility that some American jobs will be lost. So what? The purpose of free trade is to allow Americans to have access to products and services at the best available price, even if that means importing something. A case in point is the infamous T-Shirt trade with China. The benefit of that access surely offsets the downside of the lost jobs. If it doesn’t I would argue that we work harder to protect the worker’s ability to move on rather than their old job. Liberals should be looking forward, preparing and soliciting change, rather than hiding behind protectionism and the status quo. That’s what conservatives do. We are better than that.