In Praise Of Free Trade

TW: A little Harry Potter example on how free trade can work to the betterment of many (if not all, all the time).

From Economist:
"MATT YGLESIAS finds another fun excerpt from the Economic Report of the President, in which the administration defends trade:

'For example, the ability to sell books across borders certainly enhanced the income J.K. Rowling was able to collect from writing the famous Harry Potter books. Had she been able to sell her books only in the United Kingdom, her audience and income would have been much smaller. In addition, millions of American readers benefited from the increased consumer choice and the ability to purchase her books. Similarly, more Americans can work as well-paid aircraft engineers or manufacturing employees for Boeing or as technology specialists for Apple because those firms are able to sell on a world market. At the same time, it is distinctly possible that some American authors who would have captured a larger share of the “magic-oriented book” market had there been no trade in literature were crowded out by Rowling’s success, or that some handheld music device engineer in the United Kingdom has had to find another career because of Apple’s success.' "
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2010/02/trade