7 ms·

> Why is spain suffering from this? A lot of good answers to which I'd like to contribute a personal understanding as someone from the euro south: These count

by kakadu 24d ago

> Why is spain suffering from this? A lot of good answers to which I'd like to contribute a personal understanding as someone from the euro south: These countries were decimated by free trade. A significant amount of the populace is not interested in having a "career" and follow a race to the bottom by competing 24/7. I would say culturally they are incompatible the the free marketeering that has been going on in the past decades. We need to get protectionism back up and running. Work is a necessary evil that needs to take as little of our life as possible.

logicchains 24d ago
>We need to get protectionism back up and running. Work is a necessary evil that needs to take as little of our life as possible. That attitude isn't compatible with paying decent pensions to an ever-growing retired fraction of the population. Someone has to work hard to fund them.
pjc50 24d ago
> We need to get protectionism back up and running. We have known since Bastiat that this makes both sides poorer, because it also clobbers your export industry due to retaliation. And, unless you're willing to forgo iPhones and petrol, you're dependent on imports anyway.
- vladvasiliu 23d ago
  > And, unless you're willing to forgo iPhones and petrol, you're dependent on imports anyway. I think many people who argue for "protectionism" and the like would find that an acceptable price to pay. See the other comment about "relative status". I think many would like to have less in an absolute sense if that meant they were relatively less poor than "the rich". Now I, personally, think that's just rose-tinted glasses. For example, nowadays, farmers in France have it rough. But I doubt that some peasant from 2-300 years ago actually had a better life and had less wealth difference compared to the upper-class of their time.

7 ms·

> Why is spain suffering from this? A lot of good answers to which I'd like to contribute a personal understanding as someone from the euro south: These count

by kakadu 24d ago

logicchains 24d ago
>We need to get protectionism back up and running. Work is a necessary evil that needs to take as little of our life as possible. That attitude isn't compatible with paying decent pensions to an ever-growing retired fraction of the population. Someone has to work hard to fund them.
pjc50 24d ago
> We need to get protectionism back up and running. We have known since Bastiat that this makes both sides poorer, because it also clobbers your export industry due to retaliation. And, unless you're willing to forgo iPhones and petrol, you're dependent on imports anyway.
- vladvasiliu 23d ago
  > And, unless you're willing to forgo iPhones and petrol, you're dependent on imports anyway. I think many people who argue for "protectionism" and the like would find that an acceptable price to pay. See the other comment about "relative status". I think many would like to have less in an absolute sense if that meant they were relatively less poor than "the rich". Now I, personally, think that's just rose-tinted glasses. For example, nowadays, farmers in France have it rough. But I doubt that some peasant from 2-300 years ago actually had a better life and had less wealth difference compared to the upper-class of their time.