I hate it when I agree with the New York Times

MM, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while and the NYT's has seen this before.

Protectionism has been an ugly undercurrent in this Administration for some time. Look at the free trade deals with Korea and Columbia it has sat on. When you allow unions to have as much say so in your trade policies as Obama does, it was inevitable. Remember his Mexican trucking ban and tariff increases on some Mexican fruits? Mexico retaliates and it costs us billions.

Now China will start up. Wonder who blinks first? They sure sell more than they buy. Like the economy needs this hit too.

Remember his Mexican trucking ban

The "Mexican Truck Ban" is a continuation of policy under both Clinton and Bush. The original agreement to allow Mexican Trucks and drivers on US highways was a (stupid) part of NAFTA. Neither Mexican trucks or Truckers are trained, screened or maintained to US standards. I've driven extensively in Mexico and have the gray hair to show for it.

No it wasn't Pelaguis. The truck ban was a very recent Obama move which invalidated an earlier Bush policy. As you note, under further revisions of NAFTA, Mexican drivers were allowed Xmiles within the US. US DOT records showed no measureable difference in safety stats between the two countries but the issue was pushed by the Teamsters.

How many union jobs are lost in the response, do you suppose?

I would not like to be the one to get the call from that union brother, or sister.

Not as many as will be lost if we set off a trade war.

The jobs lost won't be union so it's not an issue for them. Union jobs constitute such a small part of the US labor force that as long as certain job sectors are protected (steel workers in tire manufacturing) for example, the unions don't worry about trade wars.

But the largest pricing disparity make the best targets. By targeting union labor, you not only play tit for tat, but you get to keep the market to yourself.

Unions are doomed.

So we balance domestic policy vs foreign policy.
Hey maybe we can do what they did before income tax and use tariffs instead of tax to run the government.

Outstanding idea! Unfortunately the government is so large now that tariffs unless jacked up a lot (or government slashed) would make up about 10% of required revenue.

I am unconvinced on the total "Protectionism - Bad; Open Trade Good" mantra. I'd really like to spend some time with someone who could show me some real numbers (as opposed to opinions) on "Free Trade."

Much more than the money issues, it concerns me how many essential manufactured goods (like tires) we are importing from China. I noticed this down at the hardware store. Nails, nuts, bolts, hinges ... basic hardware. Almost all from China. Do we even have American producers of these fundamental goods? Like food, domestic production of certain goods is a matter of national security.

China, in particular, is in a strange socio-political space between old-school Maoism and whatever they are evolving into. The chances of major unrest and disruption in China in the next 10 years are non-trivial.

I personally been on a low-intensity boycott of China since the Tienanmen Square Massacre back in '89. (You almost can't live without buying some Chinese-made goods, but I dodge them as much as I can.)

One of my big surprsies, lumber at Lowe's and Home Depot, check where the plywood comes from.