Greg Mankiw had another column in the NYT today ridiculing people who oppose recent trade agreements, which he erroneously described as "free trade" agreements. They are not about "free trade" because they do little or nothing to eliminate the barriers that protect highly paid professionals (e.g. doctors, lawyers, and economists) from international competition and they actually raise some barriers in the form of stronger patent and copyright protection. The NYT, like the Washington Post and other major newspapers, is incredibly intolerant of any dissent on this issue. While these papers have presented numerous editorials and columns arguing in support of recent trade deals, many of which are quite insulting to their opposition, their pages are almost completely closed to opposing views. Here is one for those interested.
--Dean Baker
