Re: NYTimes.com Article: Power Steer

[Guest guest]

Great find Ramit! As depressing as it was, I feel better about the

hormone and anti-biotic free meat I get at the local health food

store now, since it means they can't feed quite as much corn!

Does anyone know anything about the politics of farm subsidies, more

specifically, the liklihood of getting the corn subsidy repealed?

[Guest guest]

-

>Does anyone know anything about the politics of farm subsidies, more

>specifically, the liklihood of getting the corn subsidy repealed?

I don't remember the details anymore, but the corn subsidy came up, at

least peripherally, in Dole's campaign against Clinton, and it was pretty

clear that corn is one of the biggest lobbies around. I think it's partly

because corn companies are also into lots of other things, but regardless,

it was basically an iron fortress. IIRC Dole had been one of the engineers

in the Senate of the corn ethanol subsidy, one of the greater absurdities

of modern life.

-

[Guest guest]

At 05:40 AM 4/1/02 +0000, you wrote:

>Does anyone know anything about the politics of farm subsidies, more

>specifically, the liklihood of getting the corn subsidy repealed?

>

>

Don't know about repealing but this is the farm subsidy database

<http://ewg.org/farm>http://ewg.org/farm/ You can find who gets subsidies in

your county. The list I got this from had some people in areas where the name

of the receiver was not made available. It was thought these were corporate

farms receiving subsidy.

Wanita

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks for the great laugh.

No way jose'. The big companies use the corn subsidies to promote the

future

of the american farmer, and most buy into it.

No corn subsidies, no farmers. Absurd yes but it serves the processors

to

keep a raw material supply afloat for a little while while controlling

them

at the same time(farmers).

We have a grain farmer in our county that farms 800 acres of corn and is

the

biggest farmer we have around here, and his main complaint is that the

government is not paying him enough to farm!!

No kidding..

Not only that the corn subsidy supports the industries that own the seed

companies, that own the processing plants, that own the pharmaceutical

companies, that own the patient on rbgh and the antibiotics feed cows

that

eat the corn that end up in the processing facilities. Cheap meat, i

don't

think so...

It is know as " top down integration "

Nice word for Monopoly, and they play for keeps.. do not pass go, do not

collect 100.00.

justinbond wrote:

> Great find Ramit! As depressing as it was, I feel better about the

> hormone and anti-biotic free meat I get at the local health food

> store now, since it means they can't feed quite as much corn!

>

> Does anyone know anything about the politics of farm subsidies, more

> specifically, the liklihood of getting the corn subsidy repealed?

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

>Does anyone know anything about the politics of farm subsidies, more

>specifically, the liklihood of getting the corn subsidy repealed?

Consider somebody like Tom Daschle. He's out of step with the

politics of a lot of South Dakotans; he's even been recently spanked

by his state legislature (they just passed a law saying that one

can't run for President and Senator at the same time.) Yet he keeps

on getting re-elected. Why? He brings home the bacon for the farmers.

Or consider how the west side of Michigan just lost a Life Saver

factory to Canada, because of sugar price supports that benefit the

east side of Michigan.

Farm subsidies will only be repealed when it is in farmers' best

interests to repeal them. Which means we have to show enough farmers

that they can make more money without the subsidies. The other weak

point is to show how many " farmers " are actually large corporate

agribusinesses. ADM, Ted and the rest don't need your money or

mine.

[Guest guest]

> >

> >Does anyone know anything about the politics of farm subsidies,

more

> >specifically, the liklihood of getting the corn subsidy repealed?

>

> Consider somebody like Tom Daschle. He's out of step with the

> politics of a lot of South Dakotans;

I never realized that Daschle had politics outside of the purely

partisan and local. I'd be interested in hearing more about this.

> Farm subsidies will only be repealed when it is in farmers' best

> interests to repeal them.

Or, as Bradley and McCain both pointed out in the last presidential

election, these things would be toast if we fulfill our obligations

under the WTO. As McCain said explicitly, it's perhaps the only

chance for ending " corporate welfare " .

Too bad both major parties nominate fools and cowards instead of

people with brains and integrity.

Soren

[Guest guest]

> > >

> > >Does anyone know anything about the politics of farm subsidies,

> more

> > >specifically, the liklihood of getting the corn subsidy repealed?

> >

> > Consider somebody like Tom Daschle. He's out of step with the

> > politics of a lot of South Dakotans;

>

> I never realized that Daschle had politics outside of the purely

> partisan and local. I'd be interested in hearing more about this.

>

> > Farm subsidies will only be repealed when it is in farmers' best

> > interests to repeal them.

>

> Or, as Bradley and McCain both pointed out in the last presidential

> election, these things would be toast if we fulfill our obligations

> under the WTO. As McCain said explicitly, it's perhaps the only

> chance for ending " corporate welfare " .

>

> Too bad both major parties nominate fools and cowards instead of

> people with brains and integrity.

>

> Soren

Yes, someone does know more about farm subsidies. See ACRES' USA.

I'll admit up front I haven't read the article yet, BUT are you saying

farmers benefit from subsidies? FARM SUBSIDIES MOSTLY KEEP PRICES

RECEIVED BY FARMERS, BIG AND SMALL, ARTIFICIALLY LOW AND THIS KEEPS

CORPORATE FOOD PROCESSORS PROFITS HIGH, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME KEEPING

SAD FOOD CHEAP AT THE GROCERY STORES. This means farmers are not paid

what their raw materials (products they're selling) are worth when

they sell to food processors. And where else do they sell? The food

processor is the big thief! Who's allowing this?.... Read ACRES' USA

about raw materials. The politicians are not necessarily foolish

and cowardly, howeverthere's a lot of politics going on. Greed,you

scratch my back I'll scratch yours, etc. Getting OT I suppose. Best

Regards, Dennis