July 31, 2005
If you want the goods, you have to pay for them -- up front
More idiocy from Congress regarding agricultural "trade" with Cuba. Senator Baucus is once again featured in the article. (See Mora's post.) The San Jose Mercury News weighs in on the "showdown looming over farm trade with Cuba" in yesterday's edition. Here's an excerpt:
"It's the most convoluted, ridiculous scheme that totally backfires on the people who support the administration most - farmers in rural America," said Emerson, a Republican.By requiring payment to occur before shipment, Cuba has to own the rice before it leaves U.S. ports. David Coia, a spokesman for the USA Rice Federation, said the procedure is fraught with risks because Cuban exiles with claims against the Castro government could try to seize those shipments before they reach the island nation. Instead of facing those risks, Coia said Cuba is now turning to China and Vietnam to buy its rice.
"It's a huge problem, it's unfair and it goes against the spirit of what Congress intended," Coia said.
Farmers won a partial victory late Friday, when the Treasury Department said it would allow farmers to get around the rule by using a third-country bank as their agent. The agency clarified the rule under pressure from Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., who for months had blocked the confirmation of several Treasury Department nominees over the dispute.
"This kind of transaction is far from ideal," Baucus said in a written statement. "Sales will still be lost. But given the burdensome restrictions imposed by Treasury and the resulting plummet in agricultural sales to Cuba, something had to be done."
As a taxpayer who would eventually have to foot the bill for castro's non-payment -- and I'll remind all of you in the compassionate, anti-embargo crowd that he has defaulted on BILLIONS upon BILLIONS of dollars to European firms -- I am elated that Bush Administration has tightened the "cash up-front" policy.
The howling from the farm states just highlights the idiocy and hypcrisy of the governmental controls and subsidies we have in place in the agricultural sector. Mr. Baucus doesn't give a crap whether I or any other taxpayer ends up with the defaulted bill. His only concern is short-term political benefit he would derive from helping his constituents; the rest of the country be damned.
Sorry Mr. Baucus, we aren't fooled by your BS.
Posted by George Moneo at July 31, 2005 11:17 AM
Comments
I should think it's sort of obvious that an untrustworthy thug ought not be trusted.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at July 31, 2005 12:31 PM
Christopher, if that that simple, common sense attitude you commented on existed within our lawmakers, 95% of our problems would not exist.
It would seem from Sen. Baucus's ranting, that dealing with fidel is not a problem; yet, his international credit rating is at its lowest, and he keeps nationalizing, expropriating -- stealing! -- the capital that other countries have invested in Cuba! Why bother with credit reports for the rest of us? If an idiot like Baucus wants to do business with someone who has a consistent history of defaults then why can't all of us get away with defaulting?
You know why? He sees us -- the American taxpayer -- as his personal wallet for his political gain. Not me, Senator. Take it out of your own pocket. Asshole.
Posted by: George L. Moneo at July 31, 2005 12:37 PM
What a shame that the US govt has to regulate simple common sense for these baucusites. Of COURSE castro is going to run out on his tab! But these big bawl babies just don't get it; reality is too tall an order for them. Infantile idiots need to be regulated because they can't use common sense.
Posted by: A.M. Mora y Leon at July 31, 2005 01:49 PM
POSTER SIZE IT FOR CONGRESSIONAL DIMWITS
I'll copy off the list of Cuba's debts from www.therealcuba.com and hand it in to the deputy of my local congressman, Elton Gallegly, blown up to poster size at Kinko's. It's easy enough for anyone to do, print it out on an 8 1/2 x ll sheet, then enlarge it to 11 x 17, or use their card stock machine to make it 18 x 24 inches.
Posted by: Howarde at August 1, 2005 02:05 AM