Stallman, continued
While U.S. ports on average were last updated around
the same time the Beatles cut their first album, our
international competitors are continually investing in
their trading future. The Port of Vancouver, for example,
is undergoing a nearly $900 million infrastructure
improvement program that will be completed next
spring.
While on the West Coast, the AFBF leaders saw how
critical the ports are for farm products and local jobs.
For example, Washington is the nation’s most tradedependent state, where trade is responsible for 40 percent
of all jobs. Agriculture products are Washington’s
third-largest export. In Oregon, one in five jobs depends
on trade of farm products, accounting for 10 percent of
Oregon’s gross domestic product.
Further, the Port of Oakland supports 73,000 local
jobs and 827,000 jobs across the country. Last year,
nearly half the value of exports leaving the Oakland
port were farm products. East Coast ports, too, are
just as critical to farm exports and are in dire need of
improvements.
Wilfong, continued
these facts to get in their way.
As part of this executive order, the President
has appointed a task force to help guide the
process. All of the appointees are liberal
ideologues. John Holdren is co-chairman of this
task force. He is currently the administration’s
Science Czar. In a book he authored a few years
ago, Eco science, Holdren explained his belief
that a transnational “Planetary Regime” should
assume control of the global economy and should
also dictate the details of how we as Americans
live, using an armed international police force.
He also believes that population control should
be achieved through forced abortions and putting
infertility drugs in our food and water supplies.
Frighteningly, now this man has even more power
and influence than before.
Rails, Regs and Red Tape
There are other issues that affect global exports, such
as state efforts to prevent coal transport and export,
which could affect rail investment and potentially raise
transportation costs to all rail customers, including
farmers. Rails play a significant role in trade. For
example, 40 percent of all activity around the Seattle
port is tied to rail, making its infrastructure maintenance
essential.
Another growing challenge for ports, shippers and
farmers is the cost of keeping pace with the loading and
handling requirements for larger vessels that shippers
are using, along with federal regulations for exporters. In
other words, a lot of red tape.
The U.S. wine industry is faced with such strict export
rules and regulations that it takes a month on average
from the time an international order is placed until it
leaves the U.S., making us the smallest exporter of wine
by percentage in the world.
To maintain our edge in the global market, we need to
invest more in our ports and waterways infrastructure, as
well as alleviate prohibitive regulations that are forcing
farmers to leave opportunities on the table.
Those of us who dare to question the motives
behind these decisions are referred to as stupid or
uninformed by most of the media. But our failure
to protest will only result in more management and
control over our lives. Freedom-loving Americans
must speak out and say we’ve had enough, or
these policies will continue to s х