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> Since the 1990s, we've sort of skirted our moral responsibility on who we trade with... What trade laws prior to the 1990s were created due to "moral respons

> Since the 1990s, we've sort of skirted our moral responsibility on who we trade with... What trade laws prior to the 1990s were created due to "moral responsibility"? I believe all trade policy from the start of the country was designed to make certain people rich for political favor. You can say NAFTA and the WTO are bad deals, but that doesn't mean what came before it met some standard of morality. > This responsibility isn't limited to "don't trade with countries that have concentration camps"... Case in point, in WWII, US companies were allowed by US law to trade with Nazi Germany. IBM even helped directly with the genocide. When did the US trade policy driven by "moral responsibility" appear?

remarkEon 4y ago
> What trade laws prior to the 1990s were created due to "moral responsibility"? Almost all federal revenue prior to the 20th century came from tariffs. The US still managed to industrialize just fine during that period. After which, and with the institution of the income tax, things get way more complicated. It’s probably obvious to me but those trade laws did protect domestic industrialization, which is, again, obviously a good thing. You’re probably reading too much into my use of the word “moral”, and that’s my bad, because I should’ve used some word that denotes ensuring self sufficiency in your country. That’s all I’m really talking about. Don’t screw over your working and middle class so some nerds on Wall Street who can’t bench press 100lbs can make a couple basis points.
- fineIllregister 4y ago
  Thanks for clarifying. I agree that the protectionist policies might have had some benefits for workers. However, they were primarily to the benefit of the landed gentry, and then industrial capitalists. Free trade reflects our switch to finance capitalism. Marx made a similar point to yours: the interests of the industrial capitalists are more aligned with the workers than the finance capitalists, yet the industrial capitalists will choose finance over the workers.

remarkEon 4y ago

> What trade laws prior to the 1990s were created due to "moral responsibility"? Almost all federal revenue prior to the 20th century came from tariffs. The US still managed to industrialize just fine during that period. After which, and with the institution of the income tax, things get way more complicated. It’s probably obvious to me but those trade laws did protect domestic industrialization, which is, again, obviously a good thing. You’re probably reading too much into my use of the word “moral”, and that’s my bad, because I should’ve used some word that denotes ensuring self sufficiency in your country. That’s all I’m really talking about. Don’t screw over your working and middle class so some nerds on Wall Street who can’t bench press 100lbs can make a couple basis points.

fineIllregister 4y ago
Thanks for clarifying. I agree that the protectionist policies might have had some benefits for workers. However, they were primarily to the benefit of the landed gentry, and then industrial capitalists. Free trade reflects our switch to finance capitalism. Marx made a similar point to yours: the interests of the industrial capitalists are more aligned with the workers than the finance capitalists, yet the industrial capitalists will choose finance over the workers.