Fair trade coffee ballot measure stirring debate in Berkeley, **CA**

sacbee.com ^ | Saturday, November 2, 2002 | By MICHELLE LOCKE, Associated Press Writer

[let freedom sing]

BERKELEY, Calif.(AP) - With a smile on his face and comfortable shoes on his feet, caffeine crusader Rick Young is campaigning the old-fashioned way, hanging up doorknob fliers for his ballot measure requiring that every cup of coffee sold in town come from beans grown and sold responsibly. "Have you heard about the Berkeley coffee initiative? What do you think?" he asks a young man passing by.

[let freedom sing]

BeZErkeley-- future home of coffee beans grown and sold responsibly; "choice" to the last drop.

[Paleo Conservative]

And this referendum violates both the commerce clause of the United States Constituion and GATT.

[zingzang]

Why are these people so completely insane? What is it about that whole area?? If they want coffee that's only from countries that are concerned with worker's rights and all that crap, the people better get used to drinking instant coffee. Is there any country (particulary those that grow coffee) that has anything in place for the protection of farmers, farm workers, etc, like the US? Are these liberals so blind to reality that they can't see that this will just put coffee shops out of business?? I guess even the commies here in Seattle won't go for that, as much as this place runs on coffee.

[Timm]

All the talk about "fair trade" is strange. Why not simply pass a tax increasing the price of _every_ cup of coffee in Berkeley, and give the money to Colombian coffee farmers? Why stop at coffee farmers? Why not just give the money to anyone in Latin America who's not making as much as people in Berkeley?

Oh wait, I know: because measures like those wouldn't pass. So, let's dress up a foreign-aid tax as something much more hip: "fair trade". Socialism with a new album cover.

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Can we just vote to outlaw Berkeley?

[let freedom sing]

Didn't Berkeley withdraw from the Union?