Free Trade is Superior to Protectionism

My CaseI. All Partners BenefitA clear consensus of economists agree that free trade is better than protectionism. Neo-mercantilists will always say that free trade hurts the economy because imports kill jobs, but this is not true. Economists like N. Gregory Mankiw has written about how great free trade is. "The main issue is not the number of jobs, but which jobs. Americans should work in those industries in which we have an advantage compared with other nations, and we should import from abroad those goods that can be produced more cheaply there." [1]People complain all the time that if we shut off trade and raise big tariff walls, then America will be in a much better condition. This is false:"Those who are still not convinced should recall that China’s trade surplus with the United States has been widening precisely as the wage gap between the two countries, while still huge, has been narrowing. If cheap Chinese labor was stealing American jobs, why did the theft intensify as the wage gap fell? The answer, of course, is that Chinese productivity was growing at enormous rates. The remarkable upward march of Chinese productivity both raised Chinese wages relative to American wages and turned China into a world competitor. To think that we can forestall the inevitable by closing our borders is to participate in a cruel self-deception. Nor should there be any worry about failing to forestall the inevitable. The fact that another country becomes wealthier does not mean that Americans must become poorer." [2]There is no problem with free trade.II. Economic BenefitsGrowth if great under free trade:"Economic freedom is essential to economic growth, and the true measure of economic freedom involves more than just the question of whether tariff and non-tariff trade barriers are present. It involves other barriers to commerce such as inflationary pressures, regulations that make it more difficult to do business, restrictive banking systems, whether or not property rights are protected, and the fiscal burden of government." [3]Free trade has been proven to help the poor because it lowers prices as well. When there are lower prices a result of free trade and gives the poor more purchasing power with cheaper clothes and food. [4]III. PeaceWhen countries interact together, they are less likely to go to war. Countries that do business don;t want to go to war because that would mean losing the wealth of trade. Free trade is the greatest economic policy of all time primarily because it can stop a World War III. Wars are avoided to help the economy. Wars destroy wealth rather than creating it. [5]Sources1. Mankiw, N. Gregory. "Economists Actually Agree on This: The Wisdom of Free Trade."The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 May 2015.2. Blinder, Alan S. "Free Trade." The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. Library of Economics and Liberty, n.d. Web. 20 May 2015.3. Eiras, Ana I. "Why America Needs to Support Free Trade." Heritage. The Heritage Foundation, 24 May 2004. Web. 20 May 2015.4. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: At a Glance 2008 Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2008. Print.5. Adorney, Julian. "Want Peace? Promote Free Trade." The Freeman. Foundation for Economic Education, 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 May 2015.