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… is disappointed and worried whenever items that he or his wife or his children order from Amazon.com and other on-line retailers actually arrive at his doorstep. The protectionist is convinced that he and his family would be richer were they not cursed by the actual receipt of the imports they receive from suppliers outside of their household.
… is thrilled on those occasions when, attempting to purchase goods on-line, discovers that the on-line merchants no longer have in stock the goods that he sought to buy. The protectionist explains to his wife: “It’s our lucky day, sweetheart! When I tried to order on-line a birthday gift for you, I learned that the coat that I wanted to buy for you is no longer in stock. So now we get to keep the money that I’d otherwise have wasted on acquiring a coat for you. We’re richer! In fact, I’ve got a great idea! From now on, let’s shop only at stores that are out of business. That way, we’re guaranteed never to have our household flooded with goods, and we’ll get to keep all of the money that we’ve earned. We can stuff that money into our mattress and our standard of living will improve by the day!”