One of the most blatant examples of the persistence of economical ignorance and the power of anti-economic superstition is sympathy with certain forms of protectionism even by those who claim to realize the rule of comparative advantage and the benefits of global free competition. specified sympathy is mostly justified by the proposition that participation in specified competition is indeed beneficial for a given society only if the principles of specified competition are respected by all its abroad trading partners, but if they apply protectionism themselves, they must be answered accordingly.
This kind of reasoning is simply a caricatural example of the rule of “on the spite of my grandmother’s (quickly) freezing of my ears.” The anticipation of acquiring cheaper import goods is beneficial to all productive members of a given society, regardless of whether the origin of their cheapness is solely a comparative advantage of a abroad maker or the political advantages it enjoys in the country of production. It is worth noting, however, that the anticipation of acquiring specified inexpensive abroad goods may prove temporary, due to the fact that protectionism inevitably destroys the local culture of entrepreneurship and with it economical productivity. Consequently, those who, in a well-understood own interest, care for the top and ever-increasing economical productivity of their abroad trading partners should usage all possible peaceful measures to destruct protectionism in the countries from which their goods are imported.
In the light of the above, it is clear that sympathizing with the actions of the political class which shoots the local economy at the ft due to the fact that the abroad political class has previously done the same to the local economy towards itself is masochistic madness. Not only does it not aid in any way to remove the yoke of protectionism from the abroad economy, but it escalates the fatal spiral of degeneration of the global culture of free enterprise into a global culture of neofeudal combinationism.
In another words, the free market, free enterprise and free competition bring the top benefits in the absolute sense erstwhile everyone adheres honestly to their principles, but erstwhile only any do, that is where they accomplish the top benefits in comparative terms. The only effective way to bring about the optimal state of affairs in this context is to set a consistent example: if you want others to take care of your freedom, first, take care of it consistently.
Jakub Bożydar Wiśniewski
