Posts Tagged ‘Brazil’

Cottoning On

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Brazil is slapping some tariffs on US cotton and many other goods, having won every round in the WTO, and it’s yet another example of why those who preach fair trade rarely practice fair trade.

US agricultural subsidies have the effect of keeping prices artificially high for US consumers and promoting poverty in countries like Brazil, where domestic producers can’t compete.

And is there any chance we’ll get rid of the subsidies, a huge waste of money at a time of ever growing deficits?

Gorilla answers: “No chance of borrowing for Paul from Peter Cottontail!”

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A Quarrela De Brazil

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Chuck Grassley, last seen defending the free market monopoly of health insurers in Iowa, is now protecting the heavily subsidized ($853 million in 2006) corn farmers of Iowa from Brazilian ethanol competition.

He does this by putting a hold on the US Ambassador-designate to Brazil’s nomination, apparently because of remarks suggesting that the tariff on Brazilian ethanol one day might be repealed.

Gorilla says: “In this age of cannot do bipartisanship, at least you can count on Republicans to defend home grown socialism right up to the water’s edge!”

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