China’s increased aggression and secrecy require a change in thinking by the United States. Over the past few years, the United States has been involved in a trade war with China that negatively impacted economic growth and cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. COVID-19 has led to cries from many elected officials to move our supply chains back to the United States, a costly effort that will increase costs and burdens on the taxpayer.

Much has been made in the media about uncertainty regarding our nation’s trade policy. Stories of those harmed by the trade tensions between the United States and China, as well as by the tensions between the U.S. and its North American neighbors, permeate the news cycles. Most of this uncertainty is blamed on President Trump’s confrontational negotiating style.

The nightmares are all the same. I wake up at some ungodly hour after dreaming about a looming final exam. Math was my worst subject, so the test will invariably cover numerical concepts never understood in classes sparsely attended. Some hate to have their sleep interrupted, fearing that there will be no more. In my case a sleepless night is better than the agony of a cruel dream that just won’t die. And the odd thing is, the last time I attended school was during the Clinton administration.