Reply #12: I think the big problem is that they mistakenly assume that free trade is the removal of barriers...

[Solon]

on trade. In reality, it is much more than just that. The second, and more insidious part, of "Free" Trade, are the set of rules imposed on nations by trade organizations that LIMIT what governments, whether democratic or not, can do to protect their people from abuses in the workplace, environmental protection, etc. This reduces the power of democratic institutions, and places the power into organizations such as the WTO, which aren't transparent, and aren't accountable to the people their policies affect. Its dangerous to assume that free markets leads to having a free citizenry.