good one On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 11:45:35 +0000, you wrote:
>Those Illegal Farm Subsidies > >Published: April 28, 2004 > >http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/28/opinion/28WED1.html?th > >America's lavish handouts to its farmers harvest poverty throughout the >developing world. And they are illegal as well. That's the conclusion of a >World Trade Organization panel that heard Brazil's challenge to the cotton >subsidies that belie this nation's commitment to free and fair trade. > >Cotton is far from the only crop that American farmers are able to dump on the >international market at low prices thanks to federal subsidies. But it is one >of the most outrageous cases. Brazil was wise in choosing it as the first >target in the developing world's challenge of the roughly $1 billion a day in >subsidies that rich nations dole out to their farmers. If the preliminary >ruling stands, as expected, it may mean the beginning of the end for European >and American practices that provide their farmers an unfair advantage. > >In addition to Brazil, an agricultural superpower, some of the world's poorest >nations, including the West African republics of Mali, Benin and Burkina Faso, >are vindicated by the W.T.O.'s decision. Cotton is West Africa's cash crop, >the one economic activity in which the region has a competitive advantage. By >underwriting much of the costs of America's 25,000 cotton farmers with checks >that can total $3 billion a year, Washington erases that advantage. Aided by >American experts who are critics of this warped system, Brazil convincingly >argued that in the absence of subsidies, the United States would have produced >and exported substantially less cotton than it did in recent years. >Consequently, growers elsewhere would have enjoyed greater market share and >higher prices. > >The glaring contradiction between American farm subsidies and the principles >underlying the global trade system has long posed a moral and political >problem for Washington. Now it is also a legal problem. Instead of digging in >its heels and spending years appealing the panel's ruling, the Bush >administration needs to seize upon it as a reason to negotiate the surrender >of rich nations' trade-distorting farm subsidies. > >The administration has a mixed record on this issue. It offered proposals to >start weaning corporate farmers off their subsidies two years ago ÷ admittedly >after approving a farm bill that exacerbated the problem. Then it backed away >in the face of strong opposition from Congress and the European Union. That >retreat not only hurt the poor nations' farmers, but also American taxpayers, >consumers and most business interests, including more competitive farmers. > >The W.T.O.'s talks on the further liberalization of trade faltered over the >subsidy issue at Cancœn last year, but this week's ruling will vastly >strengthen the position of Brazil and others advocating the dismantling of >agricultural subsidies that distort trade. The sooner they prevail, the >better. > > > > > > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > >Biofuels list archives: >http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ > >Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. >To unsubscribe, send an email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
