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Protectionism
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Protectionism is the belief and a social philosophy that claims that protecting a person or group from harm is the most important function of any society. While protectionism can be seen as the unchecked freedom-from, in reality it is nothing more than an attempt to control the population.
Protectionism is the economic policy of promoting favored domestic industries through the use of high tariffs and other regulations to discourage imports. Historical variants of this policy have included mercantilism, a trade policy aimed at maximizing currency reserves by running large trade surpluses; and import substitution, a trade policy in which targeted imports are replaced by local manufactures in order to stimulate local production.
"Protectionism" has received an undeserved bad name of late, because of the steady barrage of propaganda leveled by transnational corporations. The author states that it is time to take back the term protectionism from corporations and restore it to the people. As working people all over the world have become acutely aware, the need to halt the lockstep march of globalization is urgent. The rapid replacement, of secure jobs by short-term contracts, part-time or lower-paid work or technological unemployment sharply accelerates a spreading sense of insecurity, while lowering overall effective purchasing power, a prescription for eventual global economic disaster.
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Protectionism is often referred to as being a barrier to free trade. The word seems to conjure up negative images of isolationism and subsidizing industries that could otherwise not compete fairly against others. (This can help indicate why some industries would strongly support protectionism for themselves.)
Protectionism can be described as the economic means to achieve the political goal of an independent nation. For this reason, the Tariff Act of 1789, signed by President Washington on July 4, was called the "Second Declaration of Independence" by newspapers at the time. The opposite of protectionism, free trade, is the economic means to achieve the political goal of interdependent nations.
Protectionism is just a word, but it is being used to frighten grown men. Newspaper editorials commenting on the large trade deficit are likely to conclude “But the great danger is that the large trade deficit will increase support for protectionism.” What is this thing that is both seductively attractive and some consider economically unhealthy?
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