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NewslettersIs it time to use American food as a weapon
Everyone knows we feed the world, essentially. The USA produces the most grains in the world. Along with that comes animal feed.
Personally, the time has come to create a OFEC, the Organization of Food Exporting Nations. The USA, Canada, Australia and Argentina. 80% of the worlds food exports.
We'll cut off places like North Korea, the entire Islamic world, parts of Asia that are not cooperative in the war on Islamofacism. Or, who just piss us off.
Food is much more immediate a weapon than oil or energy. We can stop the flow of money into the nation of the Sudan, so that Darfur begins starving EVERYONE, not just the people the government wants to starve.
We stop the flow of food into Venezuela. Let them eat 12 cent per gallon gasoline. Cuba too. Let Castro have the people eat cigars.
China? Stop the pork imports. Stop the rice imports, stop the grain imports. No more cheap food, no more noodles and dumplings. Both I an Marissa can live with Walmart having to go someplace else to stock its stores.
Then our foreign trade policy becomes the mirror of the nation we trade with. Japan have draconian inspection requirements for meat and vehicles? Our trade laws are their trade laws. The importation of fish for sushi ends - because it has a 4 days delay for inspection.
Fair is fair. I think America needs to stop being Mr. Nice Guy when it comes to food and trade. Let the world see what happens when America decides to really flex its muscle.
Comments wanted - let me have it.
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I remember back in the '70's when the so called oil shortage was upon us seeing a bumper sticker that said "A bushel of Wheat for a Barrel of Oil". Maybe it is time for the US to actually use our grain production as leverage.
If we were targeting Japan, Egypt, Iraq, Mexico, the European Union, etc.
Not one OPEC nation is in the top 20 of US agricultural export nations.
With competition from South America the way it is and given our horrendous debt status such a food war would last about a day. China and Japan hold the note on our entire government. What are we gonna do, threaten not to feed them or any of their pals? Not hardly.
No, I think we'd better stick to nuking folks who pizz us off.
Ad, I serious here. So Japan and China hold our notes - what are they gonna do? Sell? To whom? At what price?
If they put the dollar in the tank all we do it sit back and laugh. Maybe it'll force us to actually balance the budget.
Maybe it'll stop the cradle to grave entitlement mentality.
Maybe, they'll go broke too. Without the US to BUY the Chinese junk and the Japanese vehicles, both of THOSE economies go straight into the toilet.
Look ad, I appreciate the 'oh, it'll be bad if they sell our debt,' but they have ALREADY given us the money. If they dump the dollar, deflate the currency, that helps us too since we pay them back in deflated dollars. There is no down side here.
Ass for the middle east, we can not DIRECTLY send food to Saudi and Kuwait, et al, but THEY send food and money to Syria, and Egypt, and Lebanon, and Hezbollah and Iran. go check out IRan and the percentage of food and animal feed THEY import.
You see, once we STOP flooding the market, these nations all of sudden need to worry about feeding themselves = and their allies who no longer can get cheap food from OFEC. I HAVE thought this through you see.
And I like your approach. I think it could work, but it will never be implemented, because our country has too many bleeding hearts. There are too many children in the countries that would be affected who would starve to death. Plus, aren't we supposed to help everybody else, while our own people live in refrigerator boxes, and starve?
Where are all these starving Americans? I know where they can eat free.
Where are all these starving Americans? I know where they can eat free.
They darn sure don't live in Frogmore! We've got some wide loads around here.
And I like your approach. I think it could work, but it will never be implemented, because our country has too many bleeding hearts. There are too many children in the countries that would be affected who would starve to death. Plus, aren't we supposed to help everybody else, while our own people live in refrigerator boxes, and starve?
I agree. The American people are giving. Look at Katrina and 9/11, and also the tsunami in Asia. I dont ever think our government would stop the food flow to any nation on earth, except for one like North Korea or Iran. And our government knows that just because the government of another country may have it out for us, its people may not. And just think how bad that would make us look to the rest of the world. America the starver? If our government cut off food aid, as I was saying, the people of this country are generous. We would send money ourselves to countries to help feed them now as we do with Africa.
OH nooooooo