McCain is Right on Free Trade

Conservatives rightly have many fears over John McCain. However, it is noteworthy that on certain issues — health care, earmarks, agricultural subsidies, and the subprime situation (“no bailouts!”) to name a few — he is notably superior to our current president.

The Club for Growth today released this statement on his free trade policy, which is also meritorious:

Washington – The Club for Growth commends Senator John McCain for calling for a new free trade agreement with the European Union.
Currently, the United States and the European Union have low tariffs on most manufactured goods traded between the two entities. Even with these tariffs in place, U.S. trade with the EU accounts for the largest bilateral trade relationship in the world. These tariffs, though, function like a tax on goods and services at the international level. Tariffs penalize American and European consumers for engaging in business with their transatlantic partner and serve as a disincentive for commerce. Removing these tariffs would be a huge boon for economic growth for all countries involved.

Incidentally (although it won’t matter in the long run), the strong Euro-weak dollar situation would make such a policy particularly advantageous for us at the moment.