La. sugar interests hear sour rumors on tariff (More Free Trade)

[UpInArms]

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/121103/bus_sugar001.shtml

Louisiana's sugar interests, assured for weeks that a protective tariff on imported sugar won't be loosened, are beginning to hear that some Latin American sugar might be welcomed into the United States tax-free.

They're not hearing any response from President Bush, whose negotiators in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are working out a deal with five Latin American countries in Central American Free Trade Agreement talks.

<snip>

To head off sugar trade concessions, the Louisiana congressional delegation -- without U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-Chackbay -- has been joined in the last two weeks by senators and representatives from other sugar-producing states in asking for an urgent meeting with Bush.

They have gotten no response, Melancon, a former state representative, said.

<snip>

"It bothers me that the White House thinks it is above meeting with two, three, four, five, six, seven, whatever it is, senators."

...more...

Louisiana needs to get ready to bend over and kiss its ass goodbye.

[La_Serpiente]

1. My state, Hawaii, will also lose

its last sugar company. Sugar used to be the most important industry here. Not anymore.

[Zech Marquis]

2. keep this in mind Louisiana

when you cast your votes next fall--you're being sold out just like the steel and textile workers. Outside of oil and the oil suckers like Hummers, has ANYONEreally benefitted from the BFEE "trade policy"--and actually see something good come from it?

[salin]

6. perhaps Walmart? Not the employees...

not even the consumers to a great degree (slightly lower prices on some goods) - but the corporation that is able to extract the 'savings' of cheap labor due to trade policies... and keep it as growing profits.

[schultzee]

8. Zech, this will affect all of La. .Small banks hold notes of sugar planter

and some are small farmers and others are large, but it will affect the entire economy. Tauzin,Breaux, McCreary and some others are nothing but Greed pigs, and have not concern for anyone other that the rich. I would love to see a REAL democrat replace Breaux, and see Tauzin where he would do the most good privatized, and see McCreary the hater of the unemployed, unemployed himself. These people are compassionless pigs. G.O.P= Greedy Old Pigs.

[markus]

3. The sugar beet farmers up in the Red River of the North are also hot

Pesonally, I have a hard time generating sympathy for them.

You can tell the guys in sugar beets. They're the guys with the custom brick ranch style farm houses, and an shiny clean F-350 or similar vehicle rarely more than 2-3 years old. They vacation in the tropics every winter.

All this while the rest of the small grains, bean and other farmers are wokring low-wage jobs in town to keep a roof over their heads.

Hey, if free trade is good enough for the rest of us, why not the sugar farmers?

Actually, I'm not suggesting to away with the sugar tarrif. I just think the U.S. should set floor prices for U.S. products so all of the famers can live well.

[hadrons]

4. "They're not hearing any response from President Bush...."

they got what they voted for

[schultzee]

9. Will our stupid fundimentalists continue to vote rePIGlican?

[robcon]

5. It's about time to remove sugar quotas.

They're just remnants of a failed agriculrural policy, fed by campaign donations, and out of step with the world. The U.S, the largest exporter of food in the world, has no business restricting sugar imports.

Sugar quotas are a monument to corrupt campaign donations by the sugar industry.

[schultzee]

7. Greed Pig Tauzin, Breaux, and other have been kissing Bush's

feet since that elitist classist has been nominated president. And both of them should just get out of congress, and add McCreary the total hater of the unemployed to that list. McCreary is against extending unemployment benefits to the unemployed. We have nothing but Greedy Old Pigs who are republicans from Louisiana. Breaux is a republican in Democrat clothing.