johaneriksson.se

It is no secret that I am an avid advocate of free trade. Its benefits, in terms of economic welfare, are widely established and generally agreed upon by economists across the ideological spectrum. But aside from those benefits, it upholds fundamental values of individuals being allowed to voluntarily exchange goods, services and money. Protectionism and trade barriers means that I am not allowed to buy something from you, simply because you are a foreigner. As Don Boudreaux puts it:

Sen. Sherrod Brown snarls at the notion that protectionist policies reduce freedom (Letters, March 18).  Let’s see.  If I want to buy a pair of pants from China, armed agents from U.S. Customs stop me from doing so unless I fork over to them a fee that Mr. Brown and his colleagues on Capitol Hill determine I should pay for the privilege of engaging in this voluntary transaction.

If I resist and try to buy my pants without paying the fee demanded by Uncle Sam’s armed goons, I will be imprisoned.  If I resist too adamantly, I will be shot dead.

For Mr. Brown to deny that protectionism infringes people’s freedom is disgraceful Orwellian newspeak.

And while on the topic of free trade, do read London mayor Boris Johnson’s column on the G20 summit in his city. The opening paragraph:

So here we go again, folks. It is now 10 years since the anti-capitalists attacked the City of London, and next week they intend to outdo themselves. In student bedsits and in terrace Kensington houses, the alienated children of the middle classes are planning to subvert the G20 summit. Across the desolate wastes of the Leftie internet, their wrathful campfires are already burning, and when April dawns they will surge like the orcs of Mordor in the general direction of the Bank of England.

Mr Johnson is flamboyant as ever, and right on the money this time. Recommended.

—-

Andra intressanta bloggar om: politik, ekonomi, frihandel
Technorati Tags: politics, economics, free trade