Free Trade!

The WSJ Ed Page, in "The Case for Cafta" (paid-site only, sorry!), points out that he complex regulations are "far from [a] free-trade nirvana" but they still support CAFTA because:

Still, the most important goal of free trade is opening domestic markets to competitors offering high quality goods and services. Once locals can lay their hands on the world's best imports, consumers have more disposable income and producers have access to components that make them more competitive. Export markets develop. So Central Americans will be markedly better off under Cafta even with its warts.

That's the main thing to remind the protectionists and the Gephardt-iacs, and those who insist that the deal be crafted to favor American exports. Free trade rules both ways.

My pet project is still a freedom-freetrade zone where nations that offer self determination to their citizens will get advantages to goods and markets.

Posted by jk at January 5, 2004 11:40 AM