Jonah Goldberg on Economic Nationalism on National Review Online

Jonah Goldberg on Economic Nationalism on National Review Online

This piece is covering concerns over "economic nationalism." For example; recently French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin "blocked an Italian company from taking over a French energy company. De Villepin said he put the kibosh on the plan out of '"economic patriotism."'

According to Goldberg the debate in Europe is much "nastier," because of the state of many European nations, i.e. "it (Europe) has an asthmatic economy, a civilizational crisis brewing over Islam and immigration, an aging and shrinking population, and an anemic military establishment. And its reason for existence — the EU — is adrift without a constitution."

He compares our forays into this realm by citing companies moving HQs overseas or as John Kerry called them during the campaign "Benedict Arnold" corporations.

I would be concerned that this was the case with the Dubai deal, but for the most part I do not think that was how most average Americans felt. It was more the security or concerns about the lack of it, that drove me.

He mentions a couple bipartisan instances: NC Republican Rep. Sue Myrick sent a one sentence letter to the president saying, "Not just no, but HELL NO." and Senator Barbara Boxer, "We have to have American companies running our own ports.

If the politicos reasoning was for anything other than the security of the whole thing, that is one thing. However, I certainly hope "economic patriotism" is not the logic behind it.

As with nationalized healthcare, we have more than enough examples of what not to do.