Peter Wiley wrote:
In article , katy
wrote:


Peter Wiley wrote:

In article , katy
wrote:



Peter Wiley wrote:


This from a citizen of a country that does everything it can think of
to keep agricultural produce *out* of the USA.......

Ah, the irony.

PDW

In article , Capt. JG
wrote:




I don't think it's a matter of protectionism. It's a matter of other
countries opening up their markets.

We do import out-of-season produce from South America. And we grow
enough here to supply our own needs. Why would we import? Why
would I eat French or British apples when I can have a far superior
(I've seen what the Brits call apples) apple from Michigan, Oregon,
or Washington Why would we import potatoes from anywhere when you
can get 20 lbs. of Michigan, Maine, or Idaho potatoes for 2.99/bag?
Why would we import wheat, corn, or soy when we have acres upon
acres of our own? And why would we import produce from countries so
far away that the produce would have to be fixed with some type of
preservative so it didn't become overly ripe along the way? Not to
mention that the closer the fruit is to ripe on the vine, the more
nutrients there are in it, thus making some imports less valuable as
a food source? Why import beef when some countries have mad cow
disease and we don't and we have the ability to raise it ourselves?
We're a huge country, with many different climes and growing
seasons, unlike some countries that are limited by their latitude.
What do you want us to import that we don't already have? We are
even growing our own kiwi fruit now.


Shrug. Most US beef is from feedlots. IMHO feedlots are a disgusting
aberration and rate as cruelty to animals. This is an informed opinion;
I once spent 2 years designing & building cattle feedlot management
software for Australia's top agro-science research group. During that 2
years I spent a *lot* of time working hands-on in feedlots. One of the
most important modules in the software dealt with vetinary drugs, their
effects & witholding periods from market etc. I quit the day V1.0 was
finished when they wouldn't let me go to a different project. If you
don't have some form of prion disease, you're very, very lucky because
I know that your husbandry methods aren't the reasons. Or weren't 10
years ago when I was doing this stuff.

As for fresh fruit & vegetables, I agree fully. Local is best.

The problem with your acres & acres of wheat, corn soy etc isn't that
you have too little, it's that it costs you too much. To prop up your
farmers, you refuse to allow imports from places which can grow those
foodstuffs more efficiently. Hence my comment WRT the irony of a US
citizen complaining about protection. It is a *fact* that other
countries can produce those foodstuffs more cheaply than you can,
including delivery to the USA. Often those countries are 3rd World ones
trying to get a better std of living for themselves by exporting
agro-produce. Stopping them is doing 2 things, both bad. First, you're
paying more than you need for domestic foodstuffs. Second, you're
helping to keep others impoverished.

Of course, it's actually worse than that because you use market
subsidies to sell to o/s countries, thereby distorting the
international markets.

You probably waste enough money annually to pay for another invasion
of, say, Syria.

PDW

I don't adhere to the Walmart mentality...importation of cheap goods
to the US is driving US manufactureres out of business. And I am
not an adherent to an a system of equal global economy, which IMO,
smacks of socialism.


Riiiiiiiiiight. So what you're saying is, you'd rather inefficient and
expensive locally made goods than something of equal quality from
overseas, at a lower price.

So - tell me why you own a French yacht when there are so many more
expensive and inferior US made ones available.

PDW
I didn't import it...we bought it used,,,and I don't think we should
be isolationist...I am a proponent of the American farm movement,
though, have had many friends who are small patch farmers eking out
an existence...yes, big cities and large national food chains do use
feed lot beef, but in the heartland of America, you'll find
homegrown produce and homegrown meat in the stores. Some local
chains make a point of buying all the 4-H animals and the FFA
winners. It's your perspective of America. You think of big
cities, etc. I think of the midwest and rural life. Selling out by
importing cheap produce only anihilates a lifestyle that is part of
our history that us struggling to exist.