Posted on 04/01/2011 7:44:21 AM PDT by re_tail20
The collapse of communism brought an end to many of the world’s command-and-control economic systems and central planning by government bureaucrats. But a notable exception is the United States government’s sugar program. A complicated system of marketing allotments, price supports, purchase guarantees, quotas and tariffs that only a Soviet apparatchik could love, the U.S. sugar program has actually lasted longer than the Soviet Union itself.
It imposes a hidden tax of billions of dollars annually on consumers and businesses and has destroyed thousands of U.S. manufacturing jobs. It substitutes the federal government for the private sector in basic decisions about buying and selling, supply and price.
I first voted against this job-killing, market-distorting monstrosity in 1977. I have made repeated efforts since to abolish it. Today, given our fragile national recovery and the clear need to roll back government overreach, I believe the new members of Congress will help us prevail, and I am introducing legislation to end the sugar system once and for all.
The beneficiaries of this Depression-era relic are sugar beet farms in some Northern states and sugar cane farms in Gulf states and elsewhere. But the biggest winners are a handful of huge industrial operations that cover thousands of acres.
In sugar land, as in communist countries, prices are set by the government, not the market. Agriculture Department central planners determine “marketing allotments” to assure domestic producers at least 85 percent of the market. They limit imports to keep prices inflated far above world levels. The planners set the split between cane and beet sugar and mandate a sales limit for each processor and mill.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Dick Lugar actually making sense. I thought this was an April fools joke. But I checked the publication date. March 29. SO this is for real. Good on you, Dickie!
Dick Lugar: Out of touch and soon to be voted Out of Office!
A really hope a Mike Delph or Travis Hankins steps up and takes out Lugar. Mourdock is a party insider and not much of an improvement over Lugar.
So cut it.
Must be that one issue he can pull out to show his “sincere commitment to fiscal responsibility”. Dust it off, trot it out, have nothing happen, then whine about how hard you tried to get rid of it next year and every year thereafter.
Knock the subsidies out...all of ‘em but put tarriffs on foreign imports.
So how does he feel about Big Corn?
Indiana farmers are a large part of the ethanol scam.
primary pitch ping
It’s time for this dinosaur to be fossilized...
I think the sugar protection racket began during the Spanish American War to protect farmers from Philippine sugar. We should abolish all subsidies and import tariffs. They are just free money to inefficient farmers, paid for by the American taxpayers.
Subsidies, yes, should be abolished. Import tariffs, however, have their place, and its not just arbitrary. We should switch to a 100% fair trade system: all import tariffs on a product are based on that respective country of origin’s tariffs on our exports. You go free trade? We go free trade. You have tariffs on our stuff? We have the exact same tariff on all your stuff.
Lugar is trying to act conservative since he up for election this year. There’s another pubbie against him in the primaries. I’m voting against the RINO Lugar.
Not on this issue. Lugar is right-—the sugar subsidy has been a corporate welfare abomination for decades. Corruptly supported by RINOs, Dims, and even by Conservatives.
If this were eliminated—hopefully in the budget cutting bills—sugar prices would drop and we would get less of this “high fructose corn syrup” crap in our foods.
Interesting question, but I am sure his sugar position does not endear him with the corn farmers. The second half of this story is that Corn producers love the sugar tariffs. The US can not produce enough sugar for soda, candy and all the food condiments. Since imported sugar is too expensive, thanks to our federal government, corn producers are more than happy to supply the market with high fructose CORN syrup!!
Corn producers also love sugar tariffs and import restrictions because they extend into products made with sugar. So ethanol made with sugar is highly restricted and regulated as well. This helps the corn producers with their CORN ethanol production.
“The collapse of communism brought an end to many of the world’s command-and-control economic systems and central planning by government bureaucrats.”
Oh really, Dick?
So... if another government rewards their political supporters our government should reward its political supporters?
Chief Richard Runs with Donkeys.
Him speak—forked tongue.
Me no likeum.
Lugar spewing the Liberal Free Trade Communist line in regard to sugar.
Lugar also wants to “open trade with Communist Cuba”. The only thing Cuban Communists have is sugar.
Lugar and his fellow traveller Free Trade Communists would rather ship American wealth to Cuba at the cost of many American jobs.
One of the few positive things in the NAFTA Free Trade Communist agreement was that sugar was off-limits in the Free Trade deal. We would have had massive amounts of cheap foreign sugar dumped on America, costing hundreds of thousands of US jobs.
Like the usual idiot Free Trade Communist Globalist....Lugar thinks that “manufacturing jobs are lost by protecting US industries”. What a moron
Of course, the free Trader Communists will spin this is some way to attack American producers while endorsing the Cuban Communists. Lugar is attacking US sugar producers because he wants Free Trade with Communist Cuba
Subsidies, yes, should be abolished. Import tariffs, however, have their place, and its not just arbitrary. We should switch to a 100% fair trade system: all import tariffs on a product are based on that respective country of origin’s tariffs on our exports. You go free trade? We go free trade. You have tariffs on our stuff? We have the exact same tariff on all your stuff.
Your approach is sensible, and realistic. But Free Trade Communists call it “protectionism”
Free Trade Communists think their failed trade agenda is the only way...even as America loses its manufacturing base and agricultural production. A Free Trade Communist would rather enrich a commie than hire an American.
As for subsidies....if they are bad now...wait when a Free Trade Communist deal is done on sugar. They will get even more subsidies as the US sugar producers no longer can afford to produce
Government restrictions and expensive American sugar have cost thousands of US jobs.
And I know you're not very good at math, but please explain how cheap foreign sugar would have cost us so many US jobs. Feel free to use your fingers AND toes.
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