In this unsigned editorial, the Wall Street Journal‘s editors bust lots of myths about trade deficits (including some of the myths peddled in the WSJ‘s pages earlier this week by Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro). A slice from the Journal‘s editorial:
The “economic nationalists” fret about foreigners buying U.S. property, but that hardly jeopardizes U.S. sovereignty. The U.S. capital stock isn’t a fixed amount and adding to what is here doesn’t diminish U.S. ownership. It does, however, allow current owners to cash out of their property and put that money to other uses. The owner of a bricks-and-mortar business might sell and invest in a tech start-up. Restricting foreign ownership would reduce demand to hold U.S. assets, hardly a way to make America great again.
Mark Perry reveals the importance to each U.S. state of current patterns of international trade.
Jim Bovard explains a very sour aspect of NAFTA.
Richard Ebeling reflects on communism’s legacy of brutality.
My colleague Alex Tabarrok reports that India is much more entrepreneurial than is America.
Here’s Alberto Mingardi on the eclipse of genuine liberalism.
Vanessa Brown Calder puts the “Day Without Women” in proper perspective.
David Friedman asks if Trump is crazy like a fox.