In one of the comments to a post, someone asked how I came by my particular views. I mentioned that I was greatly influenced by faculty at the University of Chicago Law School. One course that I especially enjoyed was one on the European Union offered by Professor Gerhard Casper. The late 80s was an exciting time in modern European history as the continent was gearing up the the integration of 1992. There have been discussions on my blog on whether labor is really an important aspect of trade policy or it should be considered something separate. But one of the things we studied in Professor Casper's class was how integrating of the various professions in Europe and freedom of movement of workers were key component in the movement toward a unified Europe.

Professor Casper, a German native, left Chicago in 1992 after spending nearly a quarter century at U of C. He took on the position of president of Stanford University and held that position until 2000. Since then, he has been a professor in the Law School at Stanford. Professor Casper. Thanks Professor Casper!