Comments on: Huckabee on Farm Policy: Subsidies ‘Not About Farmers’ but Cost of What’s in Your Grocery Cart

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:22:42 +0000

Fair enough Why don't you go ahead and get started working on getting all of the other nations of the world to eliminate their ag subsidies so we can eliminate ours. See you in Doha?

By: Ad1

Ad1 — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:04:56 +0000

2 choices "three choices: deny Americans their soda and chocolate and sweets (seriously doubt if that would work out too well)"

you're right, it would not work out so well-

in fact is it even fair to call this a "choice"?

What if the choice was: people must pay fair market price for sugar and imported sweets?

No one's blaming farmers for "growing what is in demand" ...

We're blaming the effect that crop subsidies have on the so-called "free-market"

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:57:20 +0000

Amen to that last point Dien

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:02:03 +0000

Yeah, but Subsidies may lead to consumption of more processed foods, but only indirectly. The fact is, the United States can't produce enough sugar to satisfy the people's sweet tooth.

As I see it, we basically have three choices: deny Americans their soda and chocolate and sweets (seriously doubt if that would work out too well); import more sugar from foreign nations (I don't like that idea at all); or find alternative sweeteners like corn syrup.

Changing the nation's diet is not going to be easy, but it can be done. But let's not start blaming farmers for growing what is in demand.

By: desmoinesdem

desmoinesdem — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:49:18 +0000

if Huckabee wants to fight the obesity epidemic Then he should oppose the subsidies that have led to thousands of processed foods containing high-fructose corn syrup.

This sweetener is implicated in a lot of health problems, but current farm policy strongly pushes food manufacturers to use it.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:21:08 +0000

Nope Sorry, but I have to disagree.

"National sales tax" wouldn't cut it in this reference. It's not descriptive enough.

Huckabee has received a big push by a special interest group called FairTax.org. It is their specific tax plan that he always talks about, and it is their organization that has been credited with giving him the boost he needed to place second in the Ames Straw Poll.

My use of the term was as much a reference to their organization as it was to their proposal.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:59:43 +0000

Talking points Dien uses the Republican talking term "Fair Tax" instead of the more descriptive, neutral term that calls it what it is: sales tax.

That's not very independent of you.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Talking points Dien uses the Republican talking term “Fair Tax” instead of the more descriptive, neutral term that calls it what it is: sales tax.

That’s not very independent of you.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nope Sorry, but I have to disagree.
“National sales tax” wouldn’t cut it in this reference. It’s not descriptive enough.

My use of the term was as much a reference to their organization as it was to their proposal.

By: desmoinesdem

desmoinesdem — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

if Huckabee wants to fight the obesity epidemic Then he should oppose the subsidies that have led to thousands of processed foods containing high-fructose corn syrup.

This sweetener is implicated in a lot of health problems, but current farm policy strongly pushes food manufacturers to use it.