018 Top Priority Podcast | Free Trade Priority Initiative

Show: 018 Top Priority Podcast | Free Trade Priority Initiative

Date Recorded: November 26, 2019

Host: Duane Lester, Manager of Issue Education, Grassroots Leadership Academy

Guests: Dan Pearson, Trade Policy Fellow, Americans for Prosperity Show Notes & Timestamps Why is the Stand Together Community involved in the issue of Free Trade? min [4:26] Whenever a country restricts its imports, it reduces the freedoms of its own citizens to do business with whomever they want. —Dan PearsonWhy is Free Trade part of the Stand Together Openness portfolio? min [8:55] • What happens to a society when it is closed off to others? min [11:18] What does the Stand Together Community stand for when it comes to Trade? min [13:21] Self-sufficiency is the road to poverty and trade is the road to prosperity. —Russ Roberts— min [19:23] 

**Treasure Island: The Power of Trade. Part I. The Seemingly Simple Story of Comparative Advantage

**Treasure Island: The Power of Trade. Part II. How Trade Transforms Our Standard of Living If America opens our market to the world—without tariffs, quotas, or barriers—how does that help Americans? min [23:29] What is the China shock? min [35:10] What is the reality of Americas exporting power? America is the world’s largest trading company in terms of the value of imports plus exports. min [39:45] What is meant by a trade deficit and is it a meaningful measurement? min [41:05] Individuals and businesses—not bureaucrats and politicians—should guide trade decisions. min [48:12] Letting capitalism work has been the route to prosperity for all of mankind. —Dan Pearson— Punitive measures, such as tariffs and quotas, are an unjust government intrusion into the lives of hardworking Americans; they violate the property and associational rights of individuals and should all be eliminated. min [51:15] Subsidies and other forms of government support for powerful and politically connected businesses and individuals do not create value; they punish consumers, burden taxpayers, isolate businesses from market competition and should be eliminated. min [53:20]Trade disputes should be solved through existing international trade organizations and agreements. min [58:19]How our Community views Free Trade through the lens of the fourth mutually-reinforcing principle—Self-Actualization. min [1:18:09]Do the laws of economics work for the entire world or just the United States? min [1:18:37] Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. —Milton Friedman— **Additional Resource** It’s a Wonderful Loaf | A poetic lesson on the wonders of Free Trade I, Pencil: The Movie $1,500 Sandwich Illustrates How Exchange Raises Living Standards by Chelsea Follett Free Trade Under Fire by Douglas Irwin