The theory of free trade goes that if one industry goes under via trade those workers will be available for new jobs created by the trade and everyone gets a unicorn. However, real experience shows many of those workers are not trainable for new jobs, lack the skills and/or...
the cost and time to train them is too much and too long. Many people were trained for IT when the steel Mills went out then the IT was outsourced. The end result is that those people and towns lost on the trade and there was not a trade windfall.
This is where people have to be able to separate theory from fact. First rule in science if the facts disprove your theory, you must change your theory. What should work sometimes doesn't when human nature is factored in.
While I remain a free trade supporter, I understand that unilateral disarmament isn't working. That what we call free trade isn't. That these magical jobs are not being created in the numbers needed. Why isn't the theory working?
Not sure, could be the welfare state is causing people to avoid retraining, could be that the theory didn't factor in the limitations of the human condition, could be the theory is flawed in other ways. What we do know is we have 30 years showing it isn't working.
The definition of insanity is to continue doing something and expecting a different result. Our trade policy sucks donkey balls for many citizens. High and mighty theories aren't helping them.
It's time to experiment with other policies, while still trying to shoot for as much open trade as we can. Maybe the theory just needs some tweaks. Maybe it needs scrapped. We won't know until we try.
