Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : The Trump Presidency -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Intrepid1 who wrote (76859)	6/11/2018 10:24:19 PM
From: Wharf Rat	2 Recommendations Recommended By bentway Sam Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 358990

"The huge dairy tariff is in place solely to protect the Canadian dairy industry from a vastly more efficient US dairy industry" Similarly, our huge lumber tariff exists solely to protect Trump's logging friends from the more efficient Canadian industry. Lumber trade war slaughtering US construction industry \| Fox Business foxbusiness.com Apr 9, 2018 - The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) is not happy with President Donald Trump's steep tariffs on Canadian lumber

To: Intrepid1 who wrote (76859)	6/11/2018 10:47:52 PM
From: Sam	1 Recommendation Recommended By bentway Respond to of 358990

Not really. The huge dairy tariff is in place solely to protect the Canadian dairy industry from a vastly more efficient US dairy industry. That is why the tariff is at 270%. Most of the profits from the US dairy industry actually comes from large federal and state subsidies. That is why the tariff is what it is. Not due to some great efficiency in US agribusiness. For example: Dairy subsidies are hard to swallow Agriculture \| Quick Take Aug 25, 2016 \| 5 min read \| Print Article Some might say too much cheese is a good problem to have. Finally, shoppers at the grocery store can afford pricier cheese for their Triscuits. But this is America, where government farm subsidies are literally a way of life. Without them, entire regions of rural farm country would go bankrupt. And, horror of horrors, shoppers would pay less for cheddar at the check-out counter. The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Milk Producers Federation, however, are there to make sure that doesn’t happen. Dairy farms, apparently, are going broke producing too much cheese. So they want the government to buy the surplus to keep prices up and keep them in business. The cheese, according to the Agriculture Department, will be given to soup kitchens, food banks and school lunch programs. continues at taxpayer.net Or here is another one: Dairy industry doesn’t deserve American taxpayer bailout By Joanna Grossman, opinion contributor — 03/08/18 02:45 PM EST Lawmakers in the House of Representatives are preparing to take up the next farm bill, and so the halls of Congress will soon be filled with debate about the best policies to ensure America’s food system is safe, secure and efficient. If we are going to pass a bill for the good of the country, we need to learn the lessons of history, rather than continuing to throw good money after bad. Like spoiled milk, market-distorting dairy industry handouts need to be thrown out. In 2016, the dairy industry asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a staggering $150 million to buy their excess cheese. A spokesperson for the National Farmers Union said they were disappointed to receive “only” $20 million. Surely there are better ways for the government to spend “only” $20 million of taxpayer money than buying cheese Americans don’t want and won’t buy. It’s no secret that Washington doles out enormous subsidies to the largest conventional animal agriculture industries through the farm bill. Individuals of all political stripes are increasingly outraged at these handouts. As the conservative Heritage Foundation notes, agricultural subsidies cost taxpayers about $20 billion a year: “This includes a massive transfer of wealth from taxpayers to mostly large agribusinesses that are (or should be) fully capable of managing their business operations without this special treatment. The end result is less choice for consumers, distorted prices, reduced innovation, and onerous government influence.” Bailouts from the government are a divisive topic, but the argument could be made that the controversial Wall Street bailout of 2008 was necessary to protect the entire U.S. economy from collapse. Continuing the cheese bailout is something quite different. Like other products, the supply of food is meant to meet consumer demand in the free market. If the Coca-Cola Company manufactured tons of Coke they couldn’t sell, we’d be outraged if any federal agency offered to buy the surplus. continues at thehill.com These articles about US farm subsidies are pretty easy to find.