Regarding
"good" and "bad" trade, there are indeed both categories
when you look at trade from a national perspective – rather than just that of
the individual. Individuals engage in trade because it is mutually
beneficial, but what is good for the individual trader may not be good for the
nation. This statement will set off the libertarians, but conservatism is
not about unbounded liberty in commerce or any other facet of life.
Mr.
Wilkie asks the following profound question:
Who is to determine what trade is "good" and what
trade is "bad"? Would you rather trust some faceless bureaucrat
in Washington with a bunch of letters after his name or Joe Doaks, who is
operating a business on Main Street? I believe that the answer is self-evident.
I, too, believe that the answer is
self-evident, and it is neither of the options. It is the collective
American public that should determine what trade is "good" or
"bad." And the public is speaking very clearly this election
cycle..........
