Exanding free trade has freed millions in world from poverty

To The Daily Sun,

I read Dave Pollak's letter this week on trade. I have come to the conclusion the Lakes Region professor brain trust is "intellectually tapped out". Critical path thinking has become extinct behind ivy walls. Academic theory has replaced reality, academic edicts have replaced informed debate. For the professors it is all partisan, liberalism, progressivism, socialism 24/7.

The list of academics, scientists and intellectuals whose certain beliefs were eventually discovered to be wrong is a very long one. How about the earth was flat, or that if one sailed far enough out in the ocean you fell of the edge of the earth. Every one of those beliefs from the great thinkers of the time were proved to be false.

It is more than disturbing to hear professors spout routinely "half the story" on every important issue. We all have to wonder what our children are being taught by these people. Professor views are inflamed, and well far left of the general electorate. It is beyond debate, our kids' brains are being inculcated with much of their political nonsense. The young are overwhelmingly liberal in their views and politics. No one should wonder why. It happens the same way Sunday school school students become believers in the religion they are taught. College students are being intellectually assaulted by people with over-the-hill liberal beliefs that do not represent Main Street America who think Bernie Sanders as a hero. If for no other reason, increased tentacles of socialism are in every public employees best interests financially. We have a conflict of interest as deep as the ocean in what these people believe and are teaching.

Time and time again it is not what professors say. It is what they don't say. Opposing trade is all part of the socialist professor mantra. Opposing capitalism's influence, demanding more costly regulation on business, more controlling government, higher wages, more things free, more things subsidized, stronger unions is all part of every liberal professors attack to thwart free enterprise replacing it with government. The profit motive is bad, it corrupts humanity, is academia's belief. Everything academics spout originates from that one simple belief.

Expanded free trade globally has freed more people from the worst of poverty in the past 25 years than since the beginning of humanity. Check the facts, it is a truth. China alone has freed 160 million people from the worst of subsistence living with expanded trade. India, Malaysia, Thailand, Africa and Mexico are emerging economies on strong growth paths.

Tens of millions of jobs in America are trade dependent. Trade related jobs pay higher-than-average wages than non-trade jobs in a country "starving" for high paying jobs. Ninety-five percent of the world's consumers live "outside" the U.S. Countries ship us blue jeans. We ship them Boeing 757s.

Dave is dead wrong on trade, as professors usually are on every issue in their never-ending attacks on business and capitalism.

Tony Boutin

Gilford