Watching the news lately on rising gas and oil prices made me ponder-why don't the U.S., Canada, Australia, and maybe Argentina & Ukraine band together and form the Organization of Grain Producing Countries (OGPAC for short, oyy ugly acronym). I mean it may seem cynical {a label I gladly accept} for countries to band together to manipulate the price of food, but no more cynical than a bunch of dictatorships banding together to manipulate the price of oil.
I mean think about it, with the prices of grains and cereals so high, the U.S., with the most efficient and productive farmers in the world could make a serious dent in our trade deficit by keeping the price of wheat and grains high. Not the most moral thing perhaps, but just think how much more diplomatically valuable our food aid would be, huh? Maybe we could get a little respect and gratitude for being the #1 food donor in the world.
AND, even better, we could let our Arab friends know that the free ride is over-our new exchange rate is a bushel of wheat for a barrel of oil. Think how that go over with Sheik So and So. After all, they can't eat their oil now, can they?
Whether we want to realize it or not, food is going to become an increasingly scarce strategic resource in the 21st century and wouldn't it be smart to use our food surplus as a diplomatic and financial benefit to our country and farmers?
Just a thought....
I mean think about it, with the prices of grains and cereals so high, the U.S., with the most efficient and productive farmers in the world could make a serious dent in our trade deficit by keeping the price of wheat and grains high. Not the most moral thing perhaps, but just think how much more diplomatically valuable our food aid would be, huh? Maybe we could get a little respect and gratitude for being the #1 food donor in the world.
AND, even better, we could let our Arab friends know that the free ride is over-our new exchange rate is a bushel of wheat for a barrel of oil. Think how that go over with Sheik So and So. After all, they can't eat their oil now, can they?
Whether we want to realize it or not, food is going to become an increasingly scarce strategic resource in the 21st century and wouldn't it be smart to use our food surplus as a diplomatic and financial benefit to our country and farmers?
Just a thought....
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