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This story comes courtesy of the Belllingham Herald in Washington state. Bellingham is about 90 miles north of Seattle, not far from the Canadian border.
The federal gov't has given millions to Colombia since 1999 to get Colombian farmers to switch from coca to other crops, primarily flowers. Thanks to the beneficence of the US taxpayer, Colombia now supplies about 75% of flowers sold in the US. According to the article there are 7 to 10 Boeing 747s full of Columbian flowers every day flown from Columbia to the US--35 on holidays.
There are only 225 flower farms in California today, versus over 500 in 1991. But at least for all these lost American jobs and businesses, did the program work as intended, to decrease the availability of cocaine to our kids? Sorry, no. Cheap cocaine: Why are coke prices going down? - Slate Magazine
This is the kind of idiocy from DC to make me tear my hair out. It started in 1999, under a Dem admin with an R congress, continued through the Bush-Hastert-Lott era of the early 2000s, and the Obama Pelosi-Reid era of 2008-2010. In short both parties signed off on this insanity.
It's tough for me to imagine a more asinine way for DC to spend my hard-earned tax dollar. Perhaps an example of why we may be doomed....
This story comes courtesy of the Belllingham Herald in Washington state. Bellingham is about 90 miles north of Seattle, not far from the Canadian border.
The federal gov't has given millions to Colombia since 1999 to get Colombian farmers to switch from coca to other crops, primarily flowers. Thanks to the beneficence of the US taxpayer, Colombia now supplies about 75% of flowers sold in the US. According to the article there are 7 to 10 Boeing 747s full of Columbian flowers every day flown from Columbia to the US--35 on holidays.
There are only 225 flower farms in California today, versus over 500 in 1991. But at least for all these lost American jobs and businesses, did the program work as intended, to decrease the availability of cocaine to our kids? Sorry, no. Cheap cocaine: Why are coke prices going down? - Slate Magazine
This is the kind of idiocy from DC to make me tear my hair out. It started in 1999, under a Dem admin with an R congress, continued through the Bush-Hastert-Lott era of the early 2000s, and the Obama Pelosi-Reid era of 2008-2010. In short both parties signed off on this insanity.
It's tough for me to imagine a more asinine way for DC to spend my hard-earned tax dollar. Perhaps an example of why we may be doomed....
It is not the first the American Government has spent money overseas rather than using on/for American citizens.
It's funny Obama criticized Bush for agreeing to free trade agreements during his '08 campaign with Columbia, South Korea and Panama. Then he turns around and signs off on it. I'm sure his buddy from GE who benifited greatly by having a 10% tariff eliminated on in the agreement with Columbia had nothing to do with it at all. Immelt the jobs czar. Yeah jobs growing flowers in Columbia. Funny how Obama and his jobs boys haven't talked much after all this went through.
It is not the first the American Government has spent money overseas rather than using on/for American citizens.
Yeah, we have an entire agency devoted to this very thing, called the 'Exim Bank of the US.' Pres. Obama was here in the Seattle area earlier this year boasting of how he had dramatically expanded it. Tea-party-linked Sen. Mike Lee of Utah fought a heroic battle to get rid of the Exim bank but lost.
I don't see how we survive as a nation unless we can find some way to rein in lunacy such as this. We're borrowing money from China to give to Colombia so that Americans can be driven out of business.
I just noticed that there are no posts from the usual suspect advocates of big gov't on this thread? Yet another "Loud Quiet" from the left. How many pages of posts did we get from them on Sandra Fluke? How many on Todd Akin?
Now with a discussion about sending millions of US tax dollars abroad, with the effect of driving Americans out of business, it's like all those lefty jaws were suddenly and simultaneously wired shut. Are Sandra Fluke's birth control pills really of more significance than a bunch of flower growers very livelihood?
As the OP points out,it`s been going on for years and it seems to be about that silly war on drugs.Bipartisan idiocy.
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