Bush offers $770m for food crisis

Couple of days ago I was grasping the same thing when our Canadian Government was forking over taxpayers moneys to the UN to the tune of $50 Million.

Just recently our local food bank was in a glut and some businesses and individuals made some modest donations to help them out of a bind.

I question the integrity and reasons how this government works and for whom???

I guess their temporarily buying into other nations so they can rape their resources by giving an opportunity to corporations who would benefit and profit from others missfortunes....

Wow if you link this story to this story:

www.abovetopsecret.com...'

Big scam going on here.

Where does this jerk get off?! I hate that our government robs us blind with taxes and then they go and throw billions of dollars away to foreigners who don't even do anything of value for us. It's sickening.

Originally posted by MikeboydUS
You can't blame this whole mess on one man. This is something we have known about since the 1970's and no one had really tried to make preparations or repairs.

Yes, Food First aka Institute for Food and Development Policy certainly has sounded the alarm for decades.

Originally posted by marg6043
No only that but must of the money for farmers in developing countries is going to produce crops for ethanol, one of the problems of shortage with the rice, in many countries is because the governments of those countries are no producing crops to feed the people but to sell for bio fuel.

Because is more profitable for their governments, but not for the hungry poor.

Yes, this using of poor countries' land for crop export has not benefitted the poor. Pushing the poor off their land or having the poor grow crops for export rather than for feeding their nation has been known for awhile. There were countries in Africa who actually exported food crops while their poor were starving.

These government humanitarian efforts are as much for helping out corporations, or family farmers (or farm corporations) by buying out excess crops in American and delivering them elsewhere, as for helping those in need. The school lunch program and the food stamp program, like the global efforts, are a corporate gift in a box wrapped in altruism.

We are certainly not teaching countries to fish.

BTW, at the same time I saw starving Biafran children on tv in the 1970's, the US was flying in loads of guns, maybe more guns than butter.

It's because of the crap we are doing that people around the World are starving. HELP OURSELVES? I want to puke. First of all, its only 700million which is part of a 70 BILLION dollar budget just for the next year in Iraq.

We do things like make Countries dependent on US instead of themselves and so they end up in predicaments like this,

We decide ETHANOL is the way to go and force Farmers to use their Food for Energy, when it doesnt even producde the same amount of energy that is used to MAKE IT

We are a bunch of self centered assholes and I seriously cry every single day now for the suffering that is going on around the World while we bitch about $4 gas to fill up our SUVs. WAKE UP - ITS NOT OK TO LET PEOPLE STARVE CAUSE UR CONCERNED ABOUT UR GAS PROBLEMS. WHEN UR STARVING TO DEATH YOU WILL WISH HIGH GAS WAS YOUR ONLY CONCERN. CHRIST. SOMEONE STOP THE EARTH, I WANT TO GET OFF.

Originally posted by kelbtalfenek
Unfortunately, international trade is NEVER conducted in "third world currencies," as you put it.

No, it is conducted in Dollars.

I never insinuated otherwise, just that, one US dollar buys more in third world nations.

Also that "superiority" will be dubious at best once China finishes dumping it's dollars,

China owns very little U.S. debt as a percentage of the GDP. China only owns less than 6% of all of the U.S.'s outstanding debt.

Furthermore, China needs to keep those dollars so it keeps its trade imbalance with the United states. China only buys our debt to devalue its currency so it can create an artificially created trade deficit. So china buying US debt is in Chinas best interest, if china wants strong, continued, economic growth, that is.

Many U.S. investors want China to sell off the U.S. debt because in the long term it will decrease the trade deficit (improve the stock market, boost home prices, increase consumer spending, increase job growth, etc.)

Who owns US debt?


Contrary to what most people think, a weak dollar is not bad for America. It helps U.S. automakers and manufacturers. It also reduces the trade deficit which reduces unemployment (and the national debt. The dollar is fine. The falling dollar helps the economy.

and OPEC refuses to sell oil in dollar amounts.

Speculative nonsense.

I would like to also point out, thanks to the federal reserve easing rates, for this week alone, the euro fell 1.3 percent against the dollar while, the dollar gained 0.9 percent against the yen . This week was the dollar's second straight week of gains against the euro and the third consecutive week of gains against the yen. I would say, based on todays economic report, the US economy, while sluggish, is moving forward, and reports of a looming recession seem overblown.

Sending $770M anywhere is at best a stop gap and at worst another mess for the next administration to be blamed for.

$770M is just another drop in the bucket. I have no idea why so many people are making such a big, ill-informed fuss about something that is so minuscule. I guess the sky really is falling "this time".

[edit on 2-5-2008 by West Coast]

reply to post by St Udio


thank you St Udio for the listing of where the money is going to.

$620Million - Direct food shipments (mainly to Africa)
$150Million - In farm aid, to farmers in Developing countries.

It should be the other way around. Spend more money showing them how to farm and giving them seeds, and less of the food shipments. The money will not feed a whole contry. It seems rather pointless.

So now what happens to that extra $600 rebate check us tax payers are going to get back in the mail?

I received my money this morning. (300$) My family and I are spending it on ammo and stockpiling canned goods just in case.

Reply to WestCoast,

Here is what the Dollar is rallying on:

Analysts said the Fed's statement lacked the explicit signal that its easing cycle was over, but concerns that it might cut rates yet again eased after a run of economic data that was somewhat stronger than market forecasts.

www.cnbc.com...

to equivocate: lacked the explicit signal, somewhat stronger than forecast

If this is the spin that you're latching onto then I feel sorry for you. Good luck and please send me a Drop in the Bucket. ($770 million) Hurry though, I need it while it's still worth something.

[edit on 2-5-2008 by HimWhoHathAnEar]

reply to post by HimWhoHathAnEar


There is a saying....

Good news is no news, Bad news is Great news.

A case of fear mongering tactics. You undoubtedly subscribe to the mass media diatribe that still would have you believe we are in a recession.

What I was implying, things are not as bad as people would have you believe (in this case, the media). This is something the mass media is not picking up on. We are not in a recession, and have not been. The dollar, while the future is far from certain, has made some gains. The stock market is strong, the job report is stronger than expected, the economy grew at 1.3% this Qtr, which is higher than expected, etc.

A lower dollar, as mentioned, is actually a good thing for US manufactures. The overpriced Euro is starting to weigh on the struggling economys of the EU.

reply to post by West Coast

by westcoast
the economy grew at 1.3% this Qtr, which is higher than expected, etc.

You really are demonstrating your Ignorance. Growth was reported at .6%.

Fourth straight month of job losses even by their manipulated standards.

Please stop assuming that I listen to the MSM. It's quite the opposite, I read 8-9 independent papers on Economics every day while watching your MSM as well. That's why I was able to provide the MSM link with its double speak which you parrot so well.

Originally posted by HimWhoHathAnEar

You really are demonstrating your Ignorance. Growth was reported at .6%.

I apologize, I made a spoof, I was thinking about the currency, and did not bother to proof read what I wrote. Furthermore, my point was, .6% does not make a recession.

Fourth straight month of job losses even by their manipulated standards.

I agree, however, the losses were not nearly as bad as were predicted.




[edit on 3-5-2008 by West Coast]