Things Are Looking Up

It is always risky to predict what politicians will do, but after a recent four-day visit to DC, I feel better about things. There is still plenty of opposition to mandatory COOL and the fair competition initiatives, both from commodity groups, certain farm organizations and from powerful members of the congress. But, an agricultural aide for one of the strongest congressional opponents stated in a public forum that he expected both funding for mandatory COOL and Senator Harkin’s Fair Competition Act to pass overwhelmingly. That heightened my mood for the whole visit.
I was joined for the last two days of the visit by Michael Stumo and fellow Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) Board Members Bob Johns, Dave Frengel and Rob Dumont.

(In case you haven’t gotten the word, we have chartered two non-profit corporations; Coalition for a Prosperous America, Inc. and Coalition for a Prosperous America Education Fund, Inc., to pursue reform of our errant trade agenda. The current board of these corporations consists of Bob Johns, Charles Blum, Fred Stokes, Rob Dumont, Jock Nash, John Dittrich and David Anderson. Johns, Blum, Nash, and Anderson represent manufacturing and labor while John Dittrich and I represent agriculture. Michael Stumo, not on the board, is deeply involved in all the activities of the organizations.)

The five of us visited with the staff of Rep. Boswell (D IA), Sen. Thune (R SD), Rep. Barney Frank (D Mass), Sen. Casey (D PA), Sen. Grassley (R IA), Rep Kagen (D WI), Rep. Braley (D IA), Sen. Dorgan (D ND), Sen. Harkin (D IA). Thanks to the good work of Cap Dierks, we met personally with Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Senator Nelson was enthusiastic concerning our efforts and expressed his willingness to work with us to cause a review of trade agreements.

We also visited with Representative Duncan Hunter, a Republican candidate for president. He is very strong for fair and balanced trade and is interested in working closely with the new coalition as it progresses.

During our visits, we emphasized the commonality of problems caused by unfair trade for all producers, especially agricultural producers and manufacturers. We hit the trade deficit heavily and pointed out that the Free Traders want to talk exclusively about the virtues of “free trade” (which exists only in their overactive imagination) and the wondrous benefits of exports and ignore the negative impact of our much greater imports.

I believe we laid a good basis for support for MCOOL, competition, denying renewal of Fast Track and a top-to-bottom review of existing trade agreements.

Nevertheless, I am very concerned about the future of family agriculture and about the assault on our people, our national sovereignty and national security posed by a trade policy. There is still hard work to be done.

Free traders continue to quite correctly point out that U. S. exports in 2006 grew at 14.5 percent. They are quick to point out the dollars and jobs represented by these exports. What they
fail to reveal is that in 2006, our trade deficit rose to an all-time record of $764 billion. Also missing in their spiel is that our deficit in 2006 with Japan, which was the largest ever between our two nations and that our deficit with China was the largest ever recorded between any two nations. These negative trade numbers also represent dollars and jobs --- going the wrong way!

Amazingly, one still encounters those who contend that NAFTA has been a boon for U. S. interests; totally ignoring the fact that our trade surplus with Mexico in 1994, quickly turned negative and was a startling $60 billion in 2006.

These debates with free traders bring to mind the old saying; “figures don’t lie but liars can figure.” Theodore Roosevelt, my all-time favorite president is reported to have written:

“Thank God I am not a free trader, Pernicious indulgence in the doctrine of free trade seems inevitably to produce fatty degeneration of the moral fiber.”

Our trade deficits and our foreign debt are very dark clouds that loom over the future of our kids and grandkids. We have had ourselves a wild party on their credit card and they are likely to be upset when they get the bill.

My feeling is that our generation broke it; we should at least try to fix it. It is a matter of duty and honor. I am hopeful that our rapidly growing coalition will be an effective counterbalance to the powerful forces totally devoted to making a quick buck with utter disregard for the harm they cause.

Please continue to support OCM as we work on a number of fronts and in concert with others to make a better day for family agriculture and our country. FS