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I believe I can make the case that there has never been such a thing as free trade. It's really only subjective anyway. The world wants access to our markets. All the leverage we need and that should be the end of it. I am in utter disbelief that economist's still sell this yarn. Like I said, I don't believe Ricardo ever thought trade was or could be free. How could it be, that in the middle of the "free trade gilded age era" that a famous debate on the issue goes seemingly unnoticed. This debate was between two towering American intellectuals before congress in 1791. They were bitterly arguing about trade policies and how they would affect relations abroad, protection of our business's at home, and protecting the consumer as well. These men never even mentioned free trade. One of them wanted multiple tariffs (Hamilton) and the other simply wanted one tariff (Jefferson) and it was not to be at the port authority because of corruption possibilities. They briefly mention the concept of not engaging in mercantilism simply because we can't win that war! Jefferson would even go on to write Adams that he realized his error back then, but only later in his life did he come to say that the tariff was a true trade miracle... as long as the government didn't control it. I mean to me this is sensational. If it has obviously been so self evident that free trade has enriched our lives, why don't we see this wonder of globalism? Why when looking objectively at the forensic evidence it shows us a drastically different story. You don't even need the hard forensic evidence really. You could see the results using empirical, demonstrative, or documentary evidence. (Specifically NAFTA also the TPP) Academic economist's are like everything else that academia gives us these days. Like the kids they teach (social justice warriors) they feel that because they have a PhD that their irrational dogma can't be challenged. You know especially coming from the monetary or demand side group that these economist's would actually follow their own advice. It's a religion of empiricism and yet they refuse to see what is exactly staring them in the face. If it doesn't show up in their equations and graphs then OBVIOUSLY the aggregate data is wrong. So presented with evidence they go to the classic a playbook and blame the evil technology. If you listened to this you might think that we have a 1:1 robot to human ration on our earth these days. Technology undoubtedly hurt some folks, but to assume that technology did this is simply insane. It's akin to people saying things like we don't make things any more so who cares about the production process. I mean, I don't have to even go there right? It's almost as if we should build an entire society based on social media because apparently its forward thinking and the future. Those same companies are so forward thinking that they are working to censor us as we speak, we're all Russian shills, remember? Once again back to technology, it's been a real factor in the unemployment in places like the rest belt. However the root cause and where they rot began early on was the labor unions. The unions maybe have been the worse thing to ever happen economically to our country ever. That was the initial blow to our economy and this monstrous cacophony of calls for globalism will finish it off. At least we will have equality via central planning and social engineering, right? Our own government has overtaxed and hyper regulated businesses so erroneously that they willingly left our country and located across the world to make a profit. My god, I have the IMF 2016 global value-added chain in front of me. It is nearly mind numbing to see how many places our consumer goods/communication/ input factors are shipped off to only to finally be finished in Mexico and or China. Then this lovely process manages to get back into our country... at our prices and for us to buy. We know we must consume right? I mean my god, what did we do before 100 years ago. It's literally on billboards brainwashing us that we have to spend money on anything and everything to help the economy. You know, if you just started to trace your steps or maybe our country's steps...can you not honestly think to yourself, "wow, if I didn't know any better it would seem this is almost on purpose." I mean explain to me the reasoning behind creating an economic system that has the highest (almost) corporate tax rate, individual rates, state and local taxes, estate taxes, property tax (depending on business structure and size) ever increasing transfer axes (S.S. Medicare, Medicaid) that can nearly add up to 45-55%, like I said explain that to me. I can't forget to mention the 120,ooo page federal regulations codebook. i think with a smile, Mr. Obama was working towards 4,000 new regulations this year...impressive Mr. POTUS! Three separate studies have been done and the conservative guess is that all told, of the regulations still in force the cost on the economy nationwide was over 1 trillion dollars...annually. The hard data for all the rules only showed around 300 billion in cost, but the implementation, new construction, new hiring and then mostly firing, costly equipment, and finally the closing of business's due directly or indirectly to overburdensome regulations which lead to welfare, subsidies, food stamps, disability, unemployment insurance, and they all agree that the number is almost surely well above 1 trillion. The greatest economic engine to ever grace the planet and they want to kill it? Now its easy to dismiss my diatribe as an angry young economist venting a bit. That may be partly correct, but I am also an investment advisor and co principle at our RIA so I really don't have this kind of time to write something this long. Ask yourself this , why in the world, if they really thought the regulations, laws, bloated bureaucracy, and crazy high corporate tax actually worked and was helping the US citizens and the country, would they then allow business of every kind pick up shop and take the entire production process with them abroad and then sell their products back to us at our prices? How is everyone not asking this question? Or with the TPP can anyone explain to me how it is even conscionable to allow our rights as US citizens and in so doing the natural rights of all men, to be written out of history with a pen and contract? These corporatist sycophant's included a lovely last minute provision in which a world court essentially had global jurisdiction. This of course would mean that our individual rights as well as our country would be gone forever. This world court would be able to adjudicate or prosecute anywhere. It would or at least try to supersede US or any other national sovereignty. This is the free trade we are supposed to embrace. I would love to be proven wrong in regard to Ricardo and free trade. We are told and taught that free trade made the US into the power we are now. That it was prevalent not just here, but all over the world. Prima Facia you might get away with making that statement. However if we dig down to the available documents and verifiable history, it's simply not there. Not like we are taught it is. I think free trade would be great. The problem is that seemingly we are the only country in the world that actually practices (so were told) this doctrine or really even advocates it. So no, I am currently not into our free trade situation at the moment .