| Many people have looked through history and wondered why over thousands of years significant technical progress has not happened until America came into being. |  |
| | American exceptionalism is about many reforms regarding government allowing liberty, that allowed this country to flourish and advance like no others in thousands of years or across the globe. |
| One of the many reasons was a great free trade zone. The US Constitution: The United States Congress shall have power "To regulate Commerce … among the several States… gave the federal government the power to stop trade barriers between the states, creating one extensive free trade zone. While this causes disruption when one state's production is undermined by other states lower price, the great benefits overwhelm the disruptions. |  |
| | This was a great impetus that advanced this country further and faster than any time or place in history. There is great pressure on politicians from certain industries to create trade barriers when they are losing to competition. These trade barriers are sold as “saving Jobs,” however, this is very short-sighted. |
| The competition has jobs also, and the people in your state could benefit from lower consumer prices. There are many businesses in your state that need the most economical cost of raw material and non-consumer goods to make them competitive and keep their jobs. Thinking past stage one or the counterfactual is hard for most people because there are too many variables to consider. |  |
 | Trade barriers harm overall economic activity and make the vast percentage of people less wealthy and have fewer opportunities. Over the decades, greater trade barriers have been constructed because of political pressure, and campaign money has elected many politicians who either do not realize the harm they are doing or just want the power to control. |
| Education is far from free trade. State rates versus out of state tuition is a barrier that needs to stop. State funding of education moves the needle away from free enterprise towards socialism. |  |
| | Insurance of all kinds has long been state-controlled and with significant barriers that result in higher prices and worse service. It is hard to impossible to see the counterfactuals of no barriers; however, right now the competition is significantly curtailed. |
| The farm bill in Congress is full of very harmful trade barriers, from subsidies, bans, and paying people not to be productive. The farm bill is one of the best examples of bad economics doing great harm. People see that we have an abundance of food and claim the farm bill must be doing good. This is short-sighted, the counterfactual cannot be seen and is unknowable. |  |
| | However, freedom and free markets always yield better results. Many claim astronomical commodity prices if the law did not provide subsidies, they clearly cannot think past stage one. There are many more barriers out there, and this article cannot cover them all. |
| Whether across state lines or worldwide, everyone would be better off with lower and ultimately no trade barriers. I am in the camp that says that states and America will do a lot better if they stop all trade barriers regardless of whether other states or nations drop their barriers. Our example of doing better after dropping barriers will influence other states and nations to drop theirs. | |
