THE INSIDER
MAY 2002, NO. 295
The Insider is published monthly by The Heritage Foundation’s Coalition Relations Department. Begun in January 1978, The Insider
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U.S. TRADE POLICY IS ALMOST ALWAYS DEBATED IN TERMS OF
ECONOMIC UTILITY. DOES FREE TRADE RAISE OR LOWER
INCOMES? DOES IT HELP OR HURT U.S. INDUSTRY? DOES IT
CREATE OR DESTROY JOBS? BUT BEHIND THE STATISTICS AND
ANECDOTES LIE MORAL ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT HUMAN NATURE,
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE INDIVIDUAL, AND THE ROLE OF
GOVERNMENT IN A FREE SOCIETY. FREE TRADE MAY DELIVER THE
GOODS AND BOOST EFFICIENCY, BUT IS IT MORALLY SUPERIOR TO
PROTECTIONISM?
THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS SENDING CONTRADICTORY
SIGNALS ON THE ISSUE OF FREE TRADE. IN MARCH, PRESIDENT
BUSH ANNOUNCED MEASURES TO PROTECT THE U.S. STEEL
INDUSTRY FROM FOREIGN COMPETITION. IN MAY HE SIGNED A
FARM BILL THAT INFLATES SUBSIDIES FOR U.S. “AGRIBUSINESSES”
AND DISTORTS GLOBAL TRADE. BUT IN A SPEECH IN MAY OF LAST
YEAR BEFORE THE COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS, PRESIDENT BUSH
JOINED THE MORAL DEBATE, TELLING HIS AUDIEN