Free trade is a free market policy followed by some international markets in which governments do not restrict imports from, or exports to, other countries. Trade treaties increase freedom to trade and do not result in loss of sovereignty. However, most governments still impose some protectionist policies that are intended to support local employment, such as applying tariffs to imports or subsidies to exports. Governments may also restrict exports of natural resources. Other trade barriers include import quotas, taxes, and non-tariff barriers, such as regulatory legislation. Take the United States as an example. There is a growing rhetoric about imposing tariffs and limiting freedom to trade internationally. It reflects a resurgence of old arguments that stay alive in large part because the benefits of free international trade are often diffuse and hard to see, while the benefits of shielding specific groups from foreign competition are often immediate and visible. This illusion fuels the common perception that free trade is detrimental to the U.S. economy. It also tips the scales in favor of special interests seeking protection from foreign competition, which results in thousands of tariffs, quotas, and other barriers imposed to trade. However, restrictions on foreign trade all too often harm the very people they aim to protect, i.e., American consumers and producers. Trade restrictions limit the choices of what Americans can buy; they also drive up the prices of everything from clothing and groceries to the materials manufacturers use to make everyday products. Lower-income Americans generally bear a disproportionate share of these costs.Not only do they spend more of their income on consumption goods, many of the goods they consume are subject to higher tariffs than more expensive goods of the same type. There is a broad consensus among economists that protectionism has a negative effect on economic growth and economic welfare, while free trade and the reduction of trade barriers to trade has a positive effect on economic growth. However, they also point out that liberalization of trade can cause significant and unequally distributed losses and the economic dislocation of workers in import-competing sectors.