October 13, 2011
The NYT went overboard in covering up the protectionism in the trade pacts approved by Congress yesterday. All three deals substantially increase protectionism in the form of patent and copyright protection. The former will likely increase the price of drugs in the countries partnering with the United States. The distortions created by these protections will reduce real wages and lower output.
For this reason, it is wrong to call these pacts “free trade” agreements, as the NYT did four times in a short piece. It is also inaccurate to say as the NYT does:
“Economists generally predict that free trade agreements, which eliminate tariffs and other policies aimed at protecting domestic manufacturers, benefit all participating nations by creating a larger common market, increasing sales and reducing prices.”
This does not follow when protectionist barriers raise the price of a substantial group of products.
[The Post committed the same sin.]
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