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From: todd@SCIRTP.UUCP (Todd Jones)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.politics
Subject: Re: The role of America in world hunger & red spread
Message-ID: <305@SCIRTP.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 13:25:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: SCIRTP.305
Posted: Wed Aug 14 13:25:06 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Aug-85 16:29:38 EDT
References: <295@SCIRTP.UUCP> <10996@rochester.UUCP>
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Organization: SCI Systems, Research Triangle Park, NC
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Xref: watmath net.flame:11561 net.politics:10447

> > We are providing Americans with foodstuffs we cannot grow as cheaply
> > in America.  E.G. bananas, sugar, coconuts.
> > 
> > Of course they're not staples. They are being farmed from land
> > *capable* of growing staples for the persons of that country.
> > But as long as "agribusiness" controls land use, staples for
> > the locals will not be grown. The locals cannot afford to
> > buy food at prices Americans buy food for.

> If we can grow food stuffs cheaper in other countries, 
> why are we growing corn, wheat, etc. in this country?  

Because (as my first posting indicates) it is bananas, sugar and coconuts
that are cheaper (and possible) to grow in tropical climates. Corn and
wheat may be more expensive to grow *and ship* to America than corn
and wheat grown in America.

> My suggestion to you is to start a campaign against banana and 
> coconut consumption in this country and if is is successful, 
> see if hunger and poverty is reduced in other countries.  

Sounds easy enough! I'll devote my Saturday mornings to it.

> Chances are the result will be to add banana and coconut farmers 
> to the impoverished list.

It will not add banana and coconut farmers to the impoverished list
because it is Dole Inc., Del Monte Inc., and all the other
multinational agribusinesses that are the banana and coconut
farmers. The people who work the fields in Central American
countries very very rarely are the owners of the land (bourgeoise.)

It's not as simple as boycotting these products, since your
average Jose fieldworker will hurt long before Landrape Inc.
hurts. If the citizens of these countries owned and farmed the
land, they would be able to counter the hunger problems of their
nation and still have some crops left over for export. This way
Jose gets the profit that Landrape Inc. used to get. The only
problem with this solution is that Landrape Inc. has a wee bit
more influence on Senator Phillip Buster than poor old Jose,
so I'm not holding my breath. But you'd better believe that
if we don't do something drastic and keep Landrape Inc. out
of third world countries, the Marxists will walk right in,
woo the citizens and voila, another communist satelite!

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   [ O-O ]       Todd Jones
    \ ^ /        {decvax,akgua}!mcnc!rti-sel!scirtp!todd      
    | ~ |
    |___|        SCI Systems Inc. doesn't necessarily agree with Todd.