Is the free trade hurting blue collar workers?

We live in a global economy, and making believe we can produce and consume everything we need by ourselves is ludicrous. We don't live in the same world of 1790 or 1980 anymore. And the 1st world is by no means "flat broke;" what's happening is that emerging markets in Asia and South America and Africa are becoming more involved as consumers in the global economy instead of just suppliers of raw materials.

The real problem is growing wealth inequality, where wealth is being shifted from the middle class and the commons to a tiny, transnational elite. Until this is addressed, opposing trade agreements or imposing tariffs is at best nothing more than rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, and at worst will only accelerate this process.