Free Trade and Immigration

Both free trade and immigration are hot topics in the United States these days. Senator McCain’s position on immigration has angered many conservative Republicans. On the other hand, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was enacted during the administration of Senator Hillary Clinton’s husband Bill, and anti-free traders oppose her nomination for that reason. Opposition to free trade is based largely on the idea that imports are harmful to Americans. While this may be true for some workers, it is not necessarily the case for either consumers or business owners.

Today, it is generally the Republicans who are the strongest supporters of free trade, but such was not always the case. For many years, the Republicans espoused the protectionist policies of Hamilton’s “American Systemâ€