China pays its international debts, Castro does not. He has defaulted on all his international financial obligations, even though, Castro is among the richest chief of state in the world and is building a 700 hundred rooms luxurious hotel in Shanghai and another 400 rooms in the Canaries Isles, Spain, in partnership with the powerful and unscrupulous Spanish Melia conglomerate.
REASONS FOR NOT TRADING WITH CASTRO
1st. Cuba is, and has been a terrorist state for 42 years, and counts with advanced chemical, biological and cyber warfare capabilities aimed against our country. The cooperation between the Cuban regime with Iraq and Iran in the chemical and biological research is well known. A few months before the September 11 attack Castro affirmed at the University of Tehran that their cooperation would put the U.S. down to its knees.
Castro once tried to nuke our cities and he has the means and the will to fulfill his dream of destroying our country. If we are involved in a worldwide war against terrorism, Cuba at 90 miles from our coasts should be a prime target in that war; so, those involved in appeasement policies towards Castro and in the promotion of the lifting of the commercial embargo against Cuba are in fact aiding and abetting our worst enemy.
Castro declared war against the U.S. in 1959 and pledged to make the Andes Mountain range another Sierra Maestra. The Cuban tyrant has pledged repeatedly to destroy us. Did American tourists go on pleasure trips to Germany during War World II? Why this sudden urge to go visit a totalitarian murderous regime as the one in Cuba?
2nd. Cuba has defaulted in all his international financial deals and Castro encourages other Third World nations to follow his example. Why are we going to sell to someone without the expectation to ever be pay. The American taxpayers should be aware that they are the targets of the scam by which the multinationals sell to Castro whatever he needs and we, the taxpayers, end footing the bill.
Castro for 42 years has been with commercial ties with over 150 nations. Now when he has exhausted the patience of nations fool enough to have given him credit, Castro’s puppets in the media, the congress in cahoots with some greedy commercial circles are trying that the American taxpayers shoulder the heavy burden of subsidizing his regime to the tune of 9 billions dollars.
3rd. The American companies can not made legally business with Cuba without violating several American laws.
A.- Trading with the Enemy Act.
B.- U.S. Commercial Embargo Against Cuba.
C.- Helms- Burton Law.
D.- Involvement in bribes in commercial dealings with another nation.
E.- Involvement in slave labor of foreign workers in connivance with the local authorities. We have to wonder why there are so many American politicians promoting the violations of our trading laws and in the process; they are endangering the security of the U.S. Why is the Treasure Department authorizing all those business trips and all kind of conventions in Cuban soil by which American citizens circumvent and break the U.S. laws?
You might not be friend or Castro, but, but it seems to me that your are neither a friend of the Cuban people.
George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Re: The Spider’s Web of Archer Daniels Midland: Sugar, MTBE, Life Savers and Soft Money
Mr. President: The high price of bulk sugar also plays into the profit picture of Agribusiness: Archer Daniels Midland’s (ADM) lucrative High Fructose Corn Syrup empire benefits when equivalent sweeteners are artificially priced out of competition. A good return on investment for their soft money political contributions.
This week Gov. Davis of California extended the use of the gasoline additive MTBE for one year, before phasing in the federally mandated, and heavily subsidized additive for gasoline – ethanol. Since ADM controls 55% of the ethanol market, and ADM is a large contributor to Gov. Davis, at first blush it would appear the Governor is biting the hand that’s feeding him. In actuality he’s dumping the problem in your lap, and placing himself in a win/win situation. As I hope you are aware Mr. President, the cost of energy has been a prime concern to Californians. Gasoline prices have started to creep up in our state – the latest reports state Californians pay twenty cents more per gallon than the national average. This being an election year Mr. Davis would not have survived the huge per gallon spike expected in gasoline prices caused by the failure of the ethanol suppliers to keep up with the expected demand. By postponing the deadline for MTBE until the end of 2003, Gov. Davis has greatly improved if not assured the probability of his reelection. The next year will be spent petitioning your administration for an additive waiver. If you refuse to grant the waiver, and the price of gas skyrockets in 2004, well you can kiss California and its fifty some electoral votes goodbye.
Furthermore, I find myself in agreement with Senator Boxer and Senator Feinstein - Mr. President you have no idea how difficult it is to admit this to anyone – as they attempt to introduce legislation to exempt California from the federal additive requirement. Not surprisingly, Senator Grassley from Iowa is trying to block the exemption. The irony in this sordid morality play, is the three Senators, Boxer, Feinstein, and Grassley are beneficiaries of ADM campaign contributions. Who is protecting the interests of the taxpayers?
As is their custom, ADM has all the bases covered, and will receive a good return on investment for their soft money political contributions.
The Life Saver plant in Holland, Michigan is closing its door at the end of this month. Six hundred workers loosing their jobs to subsidized domestic bulk sugar prices. The plant is moving to Canada, where it can buy sugar at 6 cents a pound vs. 21 cents a pound for domestic sugar. A representative for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union states: "We could have gone to the table and agreed to work for nothing and they still would have saved money by moving to Canada."
Last year Brachs candy cited domestic sugar prices when it closed down its West Chicago plant and took 1,100 jobs overseas. That’s 1,700 American workers who have lost their jobs due to federal sugar beet and sugar cane subsidies. In the meantime, ADM continues to receive 43% of their profit from federally subsidized products. It costs the American taxpayers, including the 1,700 who lost their jobs, $30 for each dollar of profit earned by ADM (CATO Institute Report – The Agribusiness Examiner Issue #123). Where is the equity Mr. President?
The recently passed $171 billion farm bill with its 70% increase in subsidies will continue to benefit a few huge Agribusiness concerns like ADM at the expense of the American taxpayer. Per the NY Times, "lobbyists for agribusiness…are claiming victory."
The farm bill is described by the president of the Environmental Working Group as being "extremely generous to the very largest, most heavily subsidized farming operations in the country." The Sustainable Agriculture Coalition representing small farmers and rural communities generally excluded from the big programs declares "This isn’t farm policy, it’s a check-writing machine for the big commodity growers."
Further proof of ADM receiving a good return on investment for their soft money political contributions. It was very disappointing to read of your less than enthusiastic support for the just passed Campaign Finance Bill. You state you will sign the bill – how could you not with the Enron mess staring you in the face – but you undermine it’s spirit by adding the law presented "legitimate Constitutional questions" thus encouraging Senator Gramm and Senator McConnell both Republicans to fight the legislation in the courts. I am not surprised they would fight any attempt to limit soft money contributions. They have both benefited from the generosity of the master of soft money contributions, ADM. Thus the spider spins it’s sordid web of influence from one end of the country to the other, playing both sides of the fence, leaving nothing to chance.
Your campaign pledged to "restore honor and integrity to the Oval Office." Mr. President here is your golden opportunity to make good on your pledge. As the leader of the Republican Party, pledge your unequivocal support to the Campaign Finance Bill. Use your influence to discourage those from your party who would undermine the legislation. Whether source of the money is Enron who fleeced it’s investors and employees; or ADM who was found guilty of defrauding the American tax payer while reaping the benefits of Federal subsidies; soft money contributions have proven to be detrimental to the impartiality and integrity of the political system.
Respectfully,
Oscar B. Pichardo