John Stossel understands trade — and protectionism.
Stossel on Trade and Protectionism
Previous post: Not a Brick in Any Wall
Next post: Three health care questions
where orders emerge
EconTalk Podcast
Recent Episodes-
where orders emerge
Previous post: Not a Brick in Any Wall
Next post: Three health care questions
Recent Episodes
Podcast RSS Feed
Full EconTalk Text
{ 3 comments }
Everyone loves free, when other people do the paying.
Some people particularly seem to like it when other people are FORCED to do the paying.
“the answer isn’t to harm almost everyone by fighting this natural process; the answer is to reduce barriers that block the transition to new professions that are in demand”
One thing that would help workers be able to nimbly move between jobs, and so reduce the shock to them from a dynamic economy, would be if employers provided cash only and up front, instead of providing employer-dependent benefits that are ongoing (health insurance) and anticipated (pensions). That trend is occurring with 401(k)s and HSAs, to great advantage to the US worker and economy.
Another thing is to reduce barriers to employment. Workers that are easy to fire, are also easy to hire. You can’t have one without the other. We have to ask if employment hurdles like minimum wage, unemployment insurance, payroll tax, residency documentation, unionization, and various types of liability employers face for firing people, are making it easier, or harder for workers to move between jobs.