They are potential. America is not at this point, but there is a play about it in an absurd theater near you.
Official figures show that the signantans of foreign tourists coming to America this year have fallen compared to the same period last year. The Economist writes (“Did foreign tourists really avoid America this year?” August 26, 2025):
Foreigners arrive [20 major] American airports have fallen 3.8% compared to 2024. The slump surged the most sharply between May and July, with arrivals falling 5.5% year-on-year. It was against global trends as tourism finally recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Considering summer (May to July, compared to the previous year), it was particularly steep from Canada. Travel by road has fallen even further. Arrivals from Europe have fallen by more than 2%.
Interestingly, more America is travelling abroad. The combination of the two trends causes a decline in the international balance of tourism trade and thus, in comparison to what would otherwise have been the case, leading to an international balance of goods and services. For protectionists, this should be a major concern. Perhaps another emergency order is needed to subsidize foreign tourists and blackmail America to stay here?
I don’t think many supporters of protectionism have said that what foreign tourists spend in America is American exports. Just like exporting goods, it receives tourists from overseas (business, plea, research, or medical reasons) and uses the resources that American residents belong to to produce goods and services aimed at foreigners. Naturally, foreign tourism in the United States is based on official statistics.
American residents traveling abroad provide a mirror image. They use resources belonging to foreigners – hotel rooms, Airbnb accommodation, food, entertainment, souvenirs, etc. Of course, they pay for it. Any trade is two-way. This simply confirms the benefits of the exchange. Each party gives him a person who values that he value that he value that he value more. It is not surprising that the spending of American tourists abroad is remembered as being an official figure and important. A ban on travel abroad on the US would “save” an estimated $248 billion in annual international trade balances.
This basic analysis suggests that the whole protectionist is fake or absent. So is the goal of investing in the US in foreign companies. Furthermore, foreign investment is a mirror image of the trade deficit, but let’s ignore this and focus on another contradiction. If police began raiding foreign company factors that took place last Thursday in Georgia, the dystopia imagined at the beginning of this post will be approaching (see “Hundreds of Arrested in Immigration Raids at the Hyundai Site in Georgia,” September 5, 2025, Wall Street Journal).
The attacked battery factory under construction is part of a joint venture between two Korean companies, Hyundai and LG Energy Solutions. The majority of the 475 individuals arrested were Korean citizens, including around 50 LG employees (other employees were employed by contractors). Are the arrested “the worst and worst”? Not poor, it’s Semon:
When asked about the attack, Trump said the people arrested were immigrants who illegally involved the country. “We knew it a lot of illegal aliens, so we had it,” he said. “Sub the best people. But we had a lot of illegal aliens working there.”
Another Wall Street Journal Story (How Immigrant Raids at Hyundai Factory Complex Unfolded, September 6, 2025) reports on the results of SubC.
LG Energy said it would halt its business in the US on Saturday and appoint a US mission ordering it to return home immediately or stay at accommodation.
Of course, if there were ongoing murder, rape, torture and other real crimes in the attacked factory, that would be another matter. The story also cites several other phrases with deep signatures.
“There’s a warrant all over this construction site, right?” said the officer wearing the gaiter on his neck and sunglasses. “We are homeland security. We need to monitor the entire site. We need construction to stop immediately.”
For one thing, as if the immigration police were proud to say, this time they weren’t doing anything illegal. Anyway, the image of the masked police attacking factors is not the way people think about America.
Korean citizens have been arrested – some of them have been tied up! “Workers after the attack on a US battery factory,” Financial Times, September 7, 2025).
My objection to my argument may be that as long as trade is a matter of “national emergency,” repelling foreigners represents something more pressing. Following James Buchanan and Friedrich Hayek, please note that I am not advocating for completely free immigration. Check out my post “Strangers Who Live With You.” What I’m arguing is, for both the left and right, this is: If the glory of the power of the state does not address tyranny, it certainly hints at something absurd.
You might think that absurdity is not a concept belonging to the public theory of choice, but this is not a salem. Politicians and bureaucrats, who primarily pursue their own self-interest, can surprise the “public interest” and create a chaotic walk into the policy space, not staggering Condorsetti Cup voters in the “public interest.” “Everything can happen” (emphasis in the original), wrote political scientist Richard McElby and economist Norman Scofield. “Anything” includes absurdity, but also revolutions and civil wars. (Refer to William Riker’s classic book Liberalism Again Populism or my regulatory review [pp. 54-57]a poor but more accessible second best. )
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Two main characters are transformed into Little Kings by Samuel Beckett “Waiting for Godot” (with the help of ChatGpt)
