from National Review, Who Will Protect Americans from the Protectionists? by George Will

Today’s Republican administration promises protection against the destruction of American jobs by the Chinese, Mexicans, and other foreigners. The really prolific destroyers are: Americans. As Reason’s John Tamny says, Americans streaming movies from Netflix (based in Los Gatos, Calif.) erase American jobs in movie theaters and DVD-rental stores. Americans buying books from Seattle-based Amazon have caused many American bookstores to do what Borders (400 stores, 11,000 employees) did: disappear. Americans using San Francisco–based Uber are destroying many taxi drivers’ jobs.

Evidently our protectors in the administration must believe this: The destruction of American jobs because Americans buy goods or services of some American companies rather than those of other American companies is benign. But the destruction of American jobs because Americans buy goods or services of foreign companies is intolerable.

As today’s Republicans celebrate a protectionist administration that is confident that Washington’s superior wisdom can improve upon the market’s allocation of economic resources, Democrats must resent Republican plagiarism. Who will protect Americans from their protectors?

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