This recent EconLog post by Scott Sumner is among my very favorites of the many excellent posts that Scott has written. Scott was prompted to write it by a comment, also at EconLog, by Warren Platts – someone who is known by Cafe Hayek patrons to reach rather indiscriminately and without much economic knowledge for convenient protectionist excuses.
Please read Scott’s entire post. But here’s my favorite slice; it’s in response to a question that Platts asks about Scott’s opposition to the U.S. government’s punitive taxes on Americans’ purchases of goods sold here by the Chinese (emphasis original to Scott):
Now let me answer the commenter’s question:
Scott: How can you support in any way the most murderous, totalitarian empire in world history?
I strongly oppose that regime, and trade with the Chinese people is my method of opposing the regime.
