United States: a Market or a Nation?

According to a report by "The Economist", trade agreements between the United States and other countries affect jobs. According to a report by the "Chicago Tribune", Mondelez International announced, in July, that it would lay off half of the 1200 workers at a Chicago bakery that produces the Oreo, a chocolate cookie that most Americans have enjoyed eating since their childhood. In an essay published by the same newspaper, Richard Trumka (president of the AFL-CIO) and David B. Durkee (international president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union) attributed the job loss to trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement, which President Bill Clinton signed.

Another angle of this trade issue is whether you view the United States as (1) a market or (2) a nation. The Republican establishment views the country as a market. A market has these characteristics.

1. There is unrestricted trade between the United States and other countries.
2. There is unrestricted immigration between the United States and other countries.
3. Programs that re-distribute wealth are banned. In particular, national health care is banned.

A market maximizes total wealth. Within a market, some people will suffer and die, and no one will care.

Supporters of Donald Trump view the country as a nation. A nation has these characteristics.

1. Trade between the United States and other countries is restricted.
2. Immigration between the United States and other countries is restricted.
3. Programs that re-distribute wealth are established. In particular, national health care is established.

A nation is a group of people who share similar views (and culture) and who help each other. "Helping each other" can mean increasing wealth by allowing trade with other countries, but allowing trade is subservient to the primary goal of not harming other citizens even while some citizens benefit from the trade.

In other words, some citizens in a nation -- not a market -- willingly sacrifice some of their wealth so that other citizens can have more stable lives. National sacrifice is an important characteristic of a nation and is absent from a market, where the only rule is survival of the fittest.

At this point in time, the Republicans who favor viewing the United States as a market will likely prevail. Trump will lose the primary in Wisconsin, and this loss will end any hope for his campaign.

If you are an American serving in the military, you should immediately quit military service. The United States is a market -- not a nation. Many Americans (including many Republicans) insist that you sacrifice your life on the battlefield, but these same Americans refuse to sacrifice any financial gain for the sake of treating the United States as a nation instead of a market. These Americans are playing you for a fool. You put down your weapon and come home: do not sacrifice your life for such people. You must survive in order to ensure the survival of your family in this market called the "United States". If you know any impending terrorist act against Americans, negotiate with the terrorists to save your family and friends but allow the terrorists to kill other Americans. The death of pro-market Americans will free up their resources, which your family, your friends, and you can use to survive and prosper.

Advocates of viewing the United States as a market instead of a nation should live and die by what they believe.