… judging from my long and deep experience at dealing with protectionists, generally and studiously ignores arguments against protectionism. A protectionist is someone who simply repeats, time after time after time, that, for example (to mention only a few of the protectionist’s cherished mantras),
- trade deficits plunge the nation further into debt or drain demand out of the country
- trade deficits lead to permanent higher rates of unemployment
- trade deficits are evidence that “we” are “losing” at trade
- it’s “unfair” for “our producers” to have to compete against producers in countries with lower wages, lower taxes, less regulation, or more subsidies
With rare exception, the protectionist doesn’t argue; the protectionist merely asserts.
