Everyone knows that the world's economic woes are soluble. Every leader acknowledges the blessings of free trade, low taxes, sound money and less regulation. Yet their actions, as ever, speak louder than words and somehow achieve the precise opposite. Take free trade. It allows cross-border commercial transactions to take place between willing traders unimpeded by government-imposed barriers such as quotas, protective import duties or subsidies. It allows prices to be determined by the markets and the whole community benefits. Right now EU trade ministers are attempting to implement the European Commission's mandate to negotiate a free trade deal with the US. Yet France is determined to veto the talks unless the audiovisual industry is completely excluded.
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