General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Since Free Traders believe that America should lower its standard of living to help the third world [View all]Populist_Prole
(5,364 posts)"isolationist"? Another strawman. Since when did this issue become Hobson's Choice? A place practicing beggar thy neighbor mercantilist policies ( and as a multinatnational, mostly US company's toady ) against a nation practicing unilateral open trade regardless of unfair advantage ( currency manipulation, oppressive regimes ) will net the former a huge trade imbalance, which the latter should have every right to take measures to mitigate.
"Trade wars"? Not bloody likely. Not much of a war, and certainly nothing to fear from sabre rattling by a nation currently having a titanic trade imbalance. "Trade war" is just a term the corporate media uses to scare low-info voters who don't read into the issue. As it is now with the current imbalance, every "deal" made is a relative loss for the US: Making more of them is not going to improve our lot. Making less of them would be a gain, in and of itself. Maybe no need to. The simple threat to do so could level the playing field. why the hell would they "retaliate" against their biggest market? And what are they going to do with all their T-bills? Make a bank run? We're broke. Beggar thy neighbor made them from a 3-rd world country to a first world power. Good for them. Keeping those policies are in the exact best interests of the 1 percent.
"It used to take place within this country - factories moved to the South, which had a lower wage base. That was OK simply because southerners took jobs from northerners and westerners?"
No it's not fine. It never was, and never will be. It was "fine" for the capitalists though. Anybody could see those moves in retrospect as just a waypoint in the move offshore.
"But foreigners have no right to better their condition."
False dilemma. Capitalists aren't offshoring to make foreigner's lives better, they're doing it to fatten their bottom lines at the 99 percent's expense. I see very few well-heeled types espousing globalism as enlightened though willing to throw themselves under the bus to prove the theory so practical and good.
Edit: I think what Petrus said in post #32 summed it up tidier than I did.