----- Original Message -----
From: john courtneidge <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: November 02, 1999 2:26 PM
Subject: Two Rules, The World ?
> Dear Co-operators and future(of)work friends,
>
> Regarding the below.
>
> It is mind-boggling (tho' not really ! ) that guaranteed incomes for farm
> businesses are politically correct, while guaranteed incomes for citizens
> are not !
>
> In Europe, we (and I truely mean *we*) pay 'farmers' to *not* grow food
(the
> Set-Aside scheme in the EU's Common Agricultural - sic - Policy.)
>
Good point, John.
FARM SUBSIDIES
These surely did not begin with the EU. In Joseph Heller's classic novel
"Catch-22", set in WW II and published in the 1950's, the father of one of
the characters (Major Major Major, I believe) made his living by not growing
alfalfa. Heller's may have indulged in an anachronism and he certainly used
comic exaggeration, but I don't think he just plucked the idea out of thin
air back in the 50's.
FARMERS VS. (POOR) CITIZENS
It's been said that farmers live poor and die rich. As a long time rural
dweller I can tell you that even 25 years ago in Ontario a fairly modest
dairy farm might have a book value of $1 million. That would mean that the
farmer today could sell out, and even bank interest would provide him with
at least twice as much income as I get from a factory job, at least four
times as much as a single mother with two children on welfare.
WHO IS A FARMER?
It might be plausible to argue in favour of farm subsidies in order to keep
food production in the hands of farm families--those who do live poor and
die rich. Unfortunately it appears that the horse has already been stolen,
so there is no point in locking the barn door now. Last year in Ontario
there was a great outcry about hog farmers who were being forced to sell
their pigs at less than the cost of production. Eventually some sort of
subsidy was finagled. However, it was noted at the time that because of
trade rules the subsidy would have to be made available not only to family
farms but also to any agri-business engaged in hog production. In many cases
these would be vertically-integrated companies with hog farms,
slaughterhouses and meat-processing factories. As I understand it, the price
of pork was pushed low at least partly because hog farms owned by
agri-businesses were selling dirt-cheap to their own slaughterhouses.
Live long and prosper
Victor Milne
FIGHT THE BASTARDS! An anti-neoconservative website
at http://www3.sympatico.ca/pat-vic/pat-vic/
LONESOME ACRES RIDING STABLE
at http://www3.sympatico.ca/pat-vic/home.htm
DDT - DON'T DO TELEMARKETING
at http://www.web-wiz.org/DDT/
