Protectionism in an Age of Free Trade

President Trump takes a lot of heat as a Republican for advocating for the use of tariffs.

Bob Greene : We live in an age of free trade; protectionism prevents that lowest price option, raising cost of living.

Greene: Free trade is sacrosanct; we simply must find some remedy that doesn’t call for overturning free trade.

There are hundreds of such requirements in every country, like food safety and hazardous transportation regulations.

Di Leo : These countries concoct costly new measures every few years , so that as soon as a foreign vendor gets up to speed on the last one, there’s something new a required Authorized Representative to print on the box, or a new mark to mold onto the housing.

The rest of the world knows it, but they don’t want to jeopardize their respectability as ostensibly free-trade marketplaces.