Lou Dobbs is an idiot

The guy parades around on CNN (a respectable news channel) everyday pushing for protectionism and subsidies with the aim of retaining inefficient US manufacturing jobs. As a consumer, why would you want to pay more for a lower quality product? Just does not make sense. Free trade agreements form the groundwork that has created such a competitive advantage for the United States. Countries that continue to shun free trade (i.e. North Korea, Venezuela, sometimes France) grow at a slower rate than countries that embrace free trade; these rate differences are reflected in the living conditions within the countries. A policy is not bad just because people lose their jobs. America is moving forward towards service sector and information technology jobs that pay more. The key is for the government to provide subsidies for the retraining of structurally displaced workers. With this safety net, workers will be shifted into these higher paying jobs, increase their living standards, and receive cheaper goods from low-cost manufacturers abroad. That is the message Lou Dobbs should be spreading.

Prem Panchal