tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770674.post3619581367955446407..comments2009-09-02T12:47:37.687-04:00SCOnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770674.post-64480980808038526422009-09-02T12:47:37.687-04:002009-09-02T12:47:37.687-04:00I&#39;m no expert here, so please take anything I say with a grain of salt. I do have real concerns about moving towards a &quot;lowest common denominator&quot; standard of living. Likewise, I&#39;m concerned about the sustainability of an economic system that provides a luxury standard for one nation at the expense of others (something of a neo-colonial model).<br /><br />The good news is, I&#39;m increasingly convinced that this is a false dilemma. Historically, standards of living have risen in both nations that participate in free trade because participants have access to wider markets, greater resource pools, and fresh talent.<br /><br />I&#39;m currently reading a great book on the subject: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Markets-Sovereignty-Council-Foreign-Relations/dp/0300149247" rel="nofollow">Money, Markets, and Sovereignty</a>, by Benn Steil and Martin Hinds. For such a dry topic, the books is quite accessible and I feel like I have a much better understanding (conceptually, anyway) of international trade and monetary policy. As such, I highly recommend it.<br /><br />Again, I&#39;m no economist, so this is really just one Seth&#39;s semi-informed opinion. And I&#39;m certainly not invested (groan) in any particular theory, so if anyone has recommendations for alternative readings, I&#39;m totally game.Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11608453855348959205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770674.post-76523799201439620182009-09-02T08:18:56.205-04:002009-09-02T08:18:56.205-04:00I&#39;m no expert on this stuff, but it seems to me that free trade will be great once our standard of living has fallen to that of the rest of the world. How do you have free trade and a standard of living that is the envy of the world? A young engineer in the US may buy a condo and a BMW while one in India rides a bike and lives with his family. Is that where we are trying to go? And does that not continue the great economic unwinding that we are currently witnessing?longwinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037319798873706088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770674.post-50070475222879885832009-03-09T22:50:00.000-04:002009-03-09T22:50:00.000-04:00Good points, sure. But moving around ain't easy. especially if you've got a wife and kids. Lots of people just want to be secure at home. People yearn for "roots". There's got to be something in between.Giuseppehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582043853388196139noreply@blogger.com