[Grizzly]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVOzXV0NbGs&feature=player_embedded

He put it lightly in his speech, though. Food aid isn't just about 'dependency'. It destroys the entire economy, since the farmers are unable to compete with the underpriced products that are dumped there years after the actual need of food aid has dispersed. Good to see he gets it.

Although he also should point out another problem: The EU and the North Americans subsidy their own farmers and forces underdeveloped countries to drop their import barriers because 'free trade is good for everybody'. This causes the above situation as well, and should be adressed.

[Flaser]

Oh, go ahead, blame the EU!

It's not like America is not subsidizing its own farmers even more heavily and it wasn't the USA in the first place who tried to enforce free-trade worldwide.

[NGTM-1R]

It's not like America is not subsidizing its own farmers even more heavily

Uh, he did point that out. So did Obama, at that.

[Grizzly]

Oh, go ahead, blame the EU!

It's not like America is not subsidizing its own farmers even more heavily and it wasn't the USA in the first place who tried to enforce free-trade worldwide.

Well, I am not up to date with everything America does (Me is Dutch). Modified the main post.

But mabye we should continue subsidieng everything, because apperently, our farming is not sustainable without it (and it provides simply too much food, so we can't afford to ditch it either, however, it might be toned down still). Allowing underdeveloped countries to raise income fees again should work though.

[Sushi]

But mabye we should continue subsidieng everything, because apperently, our farming is not sustainable without it (and it provides simply too much food, so we can't afford to ditch it either, however, it might be toned down still). Allowing underdeveloped countries to raise income fees again should work though.

Got any links to explain/backup why this is?

[Grizzly]

But mabye we should continue subsidieng everything, because apperently, our farming is not sustainable without it (and it provides simply too much food, so we can't afford to ditch it either, however, it might be toned down still). Allowing underdeveloped countries to raise income fees again should work though.

Got any links to explain/backup why this is?

No links. It's just what I heard during school (and stuff). If the small farmers in Holland wouldn't get their fuel subsidied, apperently, the machinery becomes too expansive to run (unless you want food to become much more expensive).

Still, since I can't really prove it, we shouldn't subsidy everything...

[Scotty]

I thought that a large portion of the farming subsidies in the U.S. were paid to farmers for them to NOT plant/harvest anything.  To keep food prices up.

Then again, that's just what I thought about it, and may in fact relate in absolutely no way to reality.

[SpardaSon21]

I thought that a large portion of the farming subsidies in the U.S. were paid to farmers for them to NOT plant/harvest anything.  To keep food prices up.

Then again, that's just what I thought about it, and may in fact relate in absolutely no way to reality.

Nope, that's about it, and has been going on since FDR started it up.

[Scotty]

So, would cutting subsidies simultaneously reduce the defecit and make food prices more affordable?

[iamzack]

I thought that a large portion of the farming subsidies in the U.S. were paid to farmers for them to NOT plant/harvest anything.  To keep food prices up.

Then again, that's just what I thought about it, and may in fact relate in absolutely no way to reality.

Nope, that's about it, and has been going on since FDR started it up.

Wasn't that (at least partially) because farmers were flooding the market with cheap food and then having to grow more food to make enough money to live and then flooding the market with more cheap food and then vicious cycle?

[Scotty]

I think it was more to bump up food prices during the Great Depression to help SOME portion of the economy.

Now, it's a little bit less useful than that.

[iamzack]

Most of our food is grown by corporations now. They generally don't need protection like real people do.

[SpardaSon21]

Yeah, but you try telling Congress that when they're getting tons of campaign contributions from the agri-corporations and facing people who will slam them for wanting to destroy someone's way of life (despite farming being just business now) if they speak out against the subsidies.

[S-99]

Most of our food is grown by corporations now. They generally don't need protection like real people do.

It's thanks to corporations that we have corn in everything now, and that we also have cows eating corn (which also isn't good).

My rant about food is over.

Obama's a thug who also can't handle being called a prick, and hasn't done much of anything as president. Obama's economic re-reform team have come a little too late for anything notable that he's doing just to have something fresh in our minds aside from the last thing he did which was *****ing at BP.

[iamzack]

Most of our food is grown by corporations now. They generally don't need protection like real people do.

It's thanks to corporations that we have corn in everything now, and that we also have cows eating corn (which also isn't good).

My rant about food is over.

Obama's a thug who also can't handle being called a prick, and hasn't done much of anything as president. Obama's economic re-reform team have come a little too late for anything notable that he's doing just to have something fresh in our minds aside from the last thing he did which was *****ing at BP.

poe's law?

[General Battuta]

I'm not a huge party apologist for either side, but saying Obama hasn't gotten much done is a weird claim. Any given president gets a lot done. Read here.

[Mika]

Maybe I haven't been following news from US for some time, but I don't really get the Obama-hate. To me it appears that he actually gets stuff done. General US reception has mainly improved here due to the actions of the current president.

[S-99]

Well aside from the fact that he dressed like a pimp and his wife was his ho once upon a halloween for my great nation to somehow digest this guy is my president, he doesn't handle criticism too well.

[Nuclear1]

EAT YOUR TASTY POESLAW!

[Sushi]

Well aside from the fact that he dressed like a pimp and his wife was his ho once upon a halloween for my great nation to somehow digest this guy is my president, he doesn't handle criticism too well.

Seriously? You thought that was a real photo?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/photos/whball.asp
Do some fact-checking.

EDIT: On the off chance you're just trolling... meh.