Sound Off!
On International Trade

Last week, I was driving on the freeway and found myself behind a Prius with a bumper sticker that read "If you're not angry, then you're not paying attention." I immediately moved into another lane.

If there is one place I don't want to tangle with an angry person, it's a California freeway!

Anger is a necessary part of the human emotions--just like faith, hope and love. But its destructive force must be channeled and released appropriately. I'm not sure where one might go to safely release road rage, but this is the place to vent all those pent up emotions around international trade.

What is it about international trade that generates such strong emotions? We either love it or hate it. If we love it, anyone who disagrees is just an "idiot!" who wants to live in a bygone era when we grew our own crops, made our own clothes, and lived with the ever-present fear of scarcity. And if we hate it, then international trade is evil personified.

Why must it be black or white? Either/or?

When the sheer noise generated by both sides in the free trade debate gets to be too much to bear, I just have to Sound Off! In this section, expect to find short, opinionated, and sizzling commentary on the issues of the day.

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