NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.e-thepeople.org/petition/10787/view

Okay, what the hell is wrong with that website?

I hate online petitions. Such a cowardly way at political change.

I need more information on this. I don't know enough about agricultural economics to commit to anything. What's there seems reasonable, but I'd have to hear the argument against it first.

One of the parts of Catch-22 that I remember is that somebody's uncle had an alfalfa farm, and he got money from the government not to plant alfalfa. So the uncle bought more land so the government could pay him more money not to plant alfalfa.

One of the parts of Catch-22 that I remember is that somebody's uncle had an alfalfa farm, and he got money from the government not to plant alfalfa. So the uncle bought more land so the government could pay him more money not to plant alfalfa.I believe that was Major Major Major Major's dad...

One of the parts of Catch-22 that I remember is that somebody's uncle had an alfalfa farm, and he got money from the government not to plant alfalfa. So the uncle bought more land so the government could pay him more money not to plant alfalfa.I believe that was Major Major Major Major's dad...

It's been a long time since I've read it. And I had to read it for school, which means I didn't pay that much attention to it. :P

One of the parts of Catch-22 that I remember is that somebody's uncle had an alfalfa farm, and he got money from the government not to plant alfalfa. So the uncle bought more land so the government could pay him more money not to plant alfalfa.I believe that was Major Major Major Major's dad...

It's been a long time since I've read it. And I had to read it for school, which means I didn't pay that much attention to it. :P
If you go back and read it as a text against corperations rather than war, it takes on a whole new dimension. I love that book. The movie was on AMC last night.

Wanna make change? Send a letter to your State Congressman and have a nice check enclosed

Since there are no more small family farms left, but only agribusiness, I support this. Derail the gravy train.

i support thios too

Why agricultural subsidies are bad:

*excerpt from my Economics notes on the World Trade Organisation*

However, what many developing nations need today is not free trade, but fair trade. The WTO is unable to stop First World nations from exploiting the Third World. While pressuring the Third World to abolish trade barriers, the First World refuses to do so. This results in First World products pouring into Third World markets, while Third World producers are forced out of business because they have no market. This case is especially serious in the agricultural field.
First World countries heavily subsidise their agricultural market, defying restrictions. The result is a low price and large surplus. The governments of these countries then “dump” their surpluses on Third World countries, which had forced to remove barriers to imports. As cheap food imports pours into the country local farmers cannot compete, and they go out of business and join the impoverished population. The grand plan was that these dislocated farmers would begin to produce cash crops instead or take up jobs in the industrial sector. However, it assumes the unrealistic “perfect factor mobility”, and cash crop markets are increasingly dominated by First World corporations anyway.

The situation is even more serious in Britain, where a lot of small farmers, only able to sell to major supermarkets who want to keep prices low and hence unable to make a profit, essentially live off subsidies and then whine about the government being anti-country. (Though what the right to tear foxes into bits has got to do with this is beyond me).

You could ask the companies to pay a decent price to everyone, British or not, but that would be socialist.

well if u all sign it would help

well if u all sign it would help
Ah, fair enough. that's exactly what i'll do. :D