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Bill: Likatonia Free Trade Agricultural Policy Act [REFORMED]
Details
Submitted by[?]: Kapitalist-Arbeitsfamilien Partei
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: July 2490
Description[?]:
| AMENDMENT: (a) This bill denies subsidies to otherwise INEFFICIENT domestic farmers b/c agricultural products are actually of CHEAPER & better QUALITY in the 3rd World nations in Terra. We must embrace FREE TRADE!!! (b) However, this bill EXPLICITLY makes an exception for "Agricultural crops which are considered beneficial to the enviroment or to the continued ecological safety of the state are subsidized. (Article #1)" (c) In addition, this bill is amended to state that since Likatonian farmers LEAD Terra in Bio-Technology and GM foods, our farmers can get to EXPORT our biotechnology to the more EFFICIENT farmers in the 3rd World nations while they export their raw crops to our markets at lower prices and better quality. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Government agricultural and farming subsidies policy.
Old value:: All agricultural operations are state-owned and operated.
Current: The government allows local governments to craft agricultural subsidy policy.
Proposed: Agricultural crops which are considered beneficial to the enviroment or to the continued ecological safety of the state are subsidized.
Article 2
Proposal[?] to change The government's policy concerning farm size.
Old value:: Farms that grow too large are broken up and the land redistributed.
Current: Farm size is not regulated.
Proposed: Small farms are encouraged to merge together into larger ones.
Article 3
Proposal[?] to change Commercial fishing regulation.
Old value:: Commercial fishing is completely banned
Current: Local governments can establish fishing quotas
Proposed: The government establishes fishing quotas.
Article 4
Proposal[?] to change The government's policy concerning genetically modified (GM) crops.
Old value:: Production and selling of GM crops is banned. Research is allowed.
Current: All activities related to production, selling or researching of GM crops are allowed.
Proposed: All activities related to production, selling or researching of GM crops are allowed.
Article 5
Proposal[?] to change Government policy concerning the use of pesticides.
Old value:: Chemical pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are banned.
Current: Farmers are required to list chemicals used on their crops.
Proposed: Farmers are required to list chemicals used on their crops.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 09:24:49, November 22, 2007 CET | From | Commonwealth Workers Army | To | Debating the Likatonia Free Trade Agricultural Policy Act [REFORMED] |
| Message | This isn't actually bad, for a CWFP agenda. Article one is very good. Supporting the essential industry is a noble goal, especially in the all-important farming sector. Protecting our environment is just good sense. However - why break up the current successful farming policy? Article two could go either way. If the government runs the big farms in a hands on approach, there is no reason to separate them up... if the people are having their small farms conglomerated by rich megacorps, there is no reason to help them be incorporated. Article three is good - establishing quotas is the only rational way to deal with the problems of over-fishing. On the other hand, we currently HAVE no problems with over-fishing. Or ANY fishing. We see no good reason to upset that status quo. Article four is good. We support opening up the GM market. Article five, on the other hand, is awful. Worth opposing this bill JUST for this article. It makes no sense to allow farmers to treat their crops with highly toxic chemicals under the proviso that they 'list the chemical'. Consumers won't necessarily know how they are being pisoned. The environment becomes a casualty of labelling. |
| Date | 10:05:19, November 22, 2007 CET | From | Kapitalist-Arbeitsfamilien Partei | To | Debating the Likatonia Free Trade Agricultural Policy Act [REFORMED] |
| Message | (1) The current farming policy is FAR from successful. It infringes on the GOOD people of Likatonia to farm and manage their own crops in FREEDOM!!! (2) Article #2 says that SMALL family farms should MERGE to form large corporate farms so that they can EQUALLY compete with the Mega corporate farms. (5) The chemicals are NOT toxic but are used to kill off DANGEROUS disease-carrying pests. If they are "toxic," they are the LESSER of the two evils when compared to disease-infected pests and bacteria. |
| Date | 14:07:36, November 22, 2007 CET | From | Commonwealth Workers Army | To | Debating the Likatonia Free Trade Agricultural Policy Act [REFORMED] |
| Message | One: The current farm policy is successful. We have no famine. That's the test of a good farm policy. Managing crops in freedom is a cute idea, but has no value if it doesn't feed everyone. Two: If small farms are encouraged to merge, they don't become 'competition for megacorps'... they become 'megacorps'. If we really care about the farmers, why not let them buy into the government unified vision, then grant them the autonomy to produce for the nation. Five(?): Apparently the CWFP doesn't understand how pesticides work. They are toxic to pests. Okay - so, we don't care what happens to the pests... but we SHOULD care about the fact that a chemical that is toxic to bugs in small amounts, might well be toxic to humans with prolonged exposure. Add to that, of course... pesticides are rarely specific... and it's not like we can control the pests directly. So - we have to mass poison... and, in this day and age, with our super potent chemicals, we really have NO idea what the longterm impact on the food-web will be. A last thought... pesticides are just a bad idea anyway... they lead to resistance. Pesticides should be an absolute last resort. |
| Date | 17:28:51, November 22, 2007 CET | From | Kapitalist-Arbeitsfamilien Partei | To | Debating the Likatonia Free Trade Agricultural Policy Act [REFORMED] |
| Message | "If small farms are encouraged to merge, they don't become 'competition for megacorps'... they become 'megacorps'. If we really care about the farmers, why not let them buy into the government unified vision, then grant them the autonomy to produce for the nation."--Drang We don't see your reasoning here: Yes, the small merge and BECOME Mega-corps., BUT they are competition to the EXISTING mega-corporate farms. Case in point: the Likatonia Mint issues out 100 pennies to equal ONE Likath, right? The ONE Likath is the equivalent to ONE large corporate farm that mass produces agriculture; however, each individual PENNY is the equivalent to a small family farm in Likatonia, right? Therefore, an individual penny (family farm) CANNOT compete on a level playing field with a LIK bill (corporate farm); the current law says that the Federal Government should FORCE the 1 LIK bill to break-up into smaller pieces--thus, grossly violating their inalienable private property rights in the process--so that the invidual pennies (family farms) can equally compete in the market. However, the CWFP is simply advising that instead of the Government infringing on the INALIENABLE private property rights of the corporate farm (represented by 1 LIK bill), instead the State should ENCOURAGE the individual pennies to MERGE into a single LIK bill so that they can then equally compete with the corporate farm. In this way, EVERYONE benefits. |
| Date | 17:30:58, November 22, 2007 CET | From | Kapitalist-Arbeitsfamilien Partei | To | Debating the Likatonia Free Trade Agricultural Policy Act [REFORMED] |
| Message | "...but we SHOULD care about the fact that a chemical that is toxic to bugs in small amounts, might well be toxic to humans with prolonged exposure."--Drang Yes, the chemicals can have a negative effect to humans in the long run, BUT that is substantially BETTER than the risk posed by the disease-carrying bugs. Life sucks, so we must choose the proverbial "LESSER of the two evils" :( |
| Date | 07:50:17, November 23, 2007 CET | From | Commonwealth Workers Army | To | Debating the Likatonia Free Trade Agricultural Policy Act [REFORMED] |
| Message | The CWFP clearly know nothing about agriculture. The pesticide law cited here is about produce - it says farmers must list the chemicals used on their crops. Thus - we are not talking about deforestation because of Luthorian Baynay Virus, we are talking about something very different - we are talking about pests that damage produce. Nothing about diseases - harmful to people, animals or plants. No - this law is about spoiling the appearance of the market-ready Valruzian Delicious Apple. That is not a worthy trade. We'll take a couple of scrapes and no cancer, thankyou. |
| Date | 07:53:40, November 23, 2007 CET | From | Commonwealth Workers Army | To | Debating the Likatonia Free Trade Agricultural Policy Act [REFORMED] |
| Message | Regarding the other point: where is there an 'inalienable' right to property? Does the CWFP even know what the word 'inalienable' MEANS? They consistently misuse it, so we have our doubts. But - even ignoring the fact that all 'rights' are granted by society... breaking up megacorps and handing them to the actual farmers is placing property in the hands of the people... isn't that what the CWFP was saying they want? Ignoring the CWFP ramblings about pennies... equity can be achieved one of two ways... you can collect together all your pennies and exchange it for one LIK, sure. Or - you can take all your LIK notes, and trade them for pennies. The pennies would be more versatile - you could spend them in a multitude of places, invest them differently. The clear advantage here, is in smaller autonomous units. |
| Date | 08:12:12, November 24, 2007 CET | From | Kapitalist-Arbeitsfamilien Partei | To | Debating the Likatonia Free Trade Agricultural Policy Act [REFORMED] |
| Message | (1) "breaking up megacorps and handing them to the actual farmers is placing property in the hands of the people... isn't that what the CWFP was saying they want?"--Drang What you have just described is: THEFT!!! pure and simple. You have a RIGHT (that you are BORN with as a human being) to JUSTLY acquire property, but you do NOT have a right to take another person's property by force or government decree. That is theft. (2) "Or - you can take all your LIK notes, and trade them for pennies. The pennies would be more versatile - you could spend them in a multitude of places, invest them differently. The clear advantage here, is in smaller autonomous units."--Drang So, Drang, when you shopping this year for "Immeressen's Mass" (haha), are you going to carry bags of 5,000 pennies or would you rather carry 500 LIK Notes more CONVIENTENTLY in your wallet??? |
| Date | 16:41:17, November 24, 2007 CET | From | Commonwealth Workers Army | To | Debating the Likatonia Free Trade Agricultural Policy Act [REFORMED] |
| Message | Response to the CWFP: 1) No - it isn't theft. Most of what a megacorp is.... is land and people. You keep insisting that people are not possessions, so megacorps CAN'T own their number one resource. And how can an individual or a corporation actually OWN Likatonia? This lump of land was here before the first Likatonians, and it will probably be here after. The idea that an ephemeral claim of 'ownership' has ANY meaning, when it comes to the actual land we walk on... is ridiculous. So - corporations can't own the people... and they can't claim a real ownership of the land. All that is left is the vested equity... and that is symbiotically entrusted to the workers. It doesn't matter how much farmland you have, if you have no workers. So - put the rights AND the responsibilities in the hands of those smallest autonomous units - the individual workers. Greatest freedom. Also - where did the CWFP get an idea as inane as a 'right'; you are 'born' with? 2) SO - we should conglomerate businesses for convenience? That's your argument? Okay. we'll bite. Let's conglomerate ALL businesses for the sake of convenience... and let's put that one big conglomerated business in the hands of whoever is best qualified to run that kind of nationwide endeavour. Congratulations, CWFP - you just (re)invented Nationalised Industry. |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | |||
| yes | Total Seats: 244 | |||
| no |
Total Seats: 290 | |||
| abstain | Total Seats: 132 |
| Random fact: Party candidates for head of state elections are not visible to the public. This means that you cannot see who will run and who will not, which adds another strategic element to the elections. |
| Random quote: "He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself." - Thomas Paine |