Ptolemaic Obama
Episode Number: 2022Publication Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I’m all for democracy, but I’m sure glad science isn’t put up for a vote. If geocentrism were up for political grabs, would governments be forced to go against Galileo again? After all, a plurality could say: See, the sun rises and sets — all the proof you need that the sun revolves around the Earth!
Just so with trade policy. There are few truths so firmly established as comparative advantage and the notion that with free trade we all gain.
But some see only the negatives, fearing competition. Who? Some businessmen, some workers.
Which is why Barack Obama has been making noises to renege on NAFTA.
Now, NAFTA is no free trade utopia. It’s a real-world political document that freed up a lot of trade, far from perfectly. Still, most of the complaints against it are nonsense.
Which is also why major Obama campaign consultants have whispered to Canadians that, no, Obama does not mean what he says. The candidate’s only saying nasty things about NAFTA to pick up extra votes.
I don’t know what Obama really believes. Right now he’s pandering to the protectionist Democrats. I am glad, however, not to feel such a need to lie.
And I am happy to affirm, once again, that the Earth revolves around the sun.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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