Since we are (by which we mean “I am”) all about illustrating the limitations and strengths of economic thinking in simple terms lately, I should point out that you can get an equally good, if not better, education elsewhere. Read Uwe Reinhardt on free trade today.
The meta lesson is, sometimes economists can be too right. That is, yes, about some things they are technically correct. About those very things, they should recognize the real (possibly short term) collateral damage associated with their recommendations. To shrug that off with a casual “my way is more efficient” type response is a recipe for marginalization, and rightly so.
