America first is still a dumb idea

This cartoon by Chad Crowe ran in The Wall Street Journal this week with an editorial that said that business leaders know that “America first” is the wrong approach but that they are being politely silent for fear of upsetting the administration. It’s been an obvious economic truth to me, and I do not have any reason to be concerned about spreading the word.

Political leaders worldwide believe they must cater to voters with a more simplistic level of economic insight. They do not understand that aging gracefully is our planet’s best economic strategy. That doesn’t make it smart.

Well-educated business leaders know that a return to America’s post word war economy is just a fantasy. Perhaps the most influential lessons for me were presented in “Hot, Flat and Crowded” by Thomas L. Friedman about a decade ago. Dozens of other more recent sources support these truths.

‘America first’ protectionism hurts us financially and raises the risk of domestic terrorism. There is a better approach. Let’s spread the word.


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