Big Sugar: Rent seeking industrialists not farmers

Last weekend I attended The Big Sugar Summit in West Palm Beach. During the summit there was a breakout session regarding sugar burning out in Glades.

 

David Guest from EarthJustice, who knows this subject like no other said. “Big sugar is in the subsidy business. They are in lobbying business. The are in the government influencing business. But these people are not farmers. They are industrialists.”

Which is true if you think about it. They are not doing the real farmers or the people that live out there any favors. They hold the people hostage by not allowing any other economy to flourish. People are brainwashed that they can’t live without them just like people think they can’t live with sugar.

No one hates farmers! The silliest propaganda I have ever read. Where would we get our veggies from? If I was farmer I’d get far away from the big sugar giant corporations as I could.

David also talked about the mindset. He said they simply have a resistance to change. He said because they just talk to each other they see people from the outside world as enemies. “You have the sense when you go to talk to them “David said “That they think you actually are the devil. That you are a satanic person that is attacking them.”

His premise is that Big Sugar won’t budge on a thing not because they can’t but because they do not want to.

David Guest at the Big Sugar Summit in West Palm Beach

David Guest at the Big Sugar Summit in West Palm Beach

I’ve always said dealing with Big Sugar is like dealing with a bunch of five year old children. They want what they want. I’m now downgrading it to toddler. They are toddler’s and the only word they know is no.

Toddler / Early Childhood Years: 18 Months to 3 Years

Autonomy vs. Shame – Will

The second stage occurs between 18 months and 3 years.  At this point, the child has an opportunity to build self-esteem and autonomy as he or she learns new skills and right from wrong.  The well-cared for child is sure of himself, carrying himself or herself with pride rather than shame.  During this time of the “terrible twos”,  defiance, temper tantrums, and stubbornness can also appear.  Children tend to be vulnerable during this stage, sometimes feeling shame and and low self-esteem during an inability to learn certain skills.

One thing I really believe in is is you have a business and your making money you should be helping out the rest of the world. I would tell anyone who or what but we need to move beyond ourselves and our egos. We need to move beyond the almighty dollar.

Here is a good example of them really not caring about anyone. The photo of the people with the yellow teashirts  a SFWMD meeting.  Hendry County Commissioner  essentially calling us all a bunch of tree hugging elitists, insisted it was our septic tanks, a said wanted to take their jobs away etc. even though the solution of a reservoir and floway south would benefit everyone.

Big Sugar rent seeking industrialists not farmers

Big Sugar rent seeking industrialists not farmers

Commish Janet Talor from Hendry County with her talking points and her group dressed up in t-shirts. Absurd.  The next day I saw almost the same words written by another person the very next day and realized this is the new propaganda campaign. Then it went through all the big sugar propaganda papers.  Almost word for word without even changing things around.

Essentially, big sugar blames our woes on our septic tanks even though the algae bloom started in Pahokee,  grew its way over and came down our canal to our river to us where it sat coagulating and stinking. Most of the people who went to sit in their t shirts had no earthly idea why they were there. One person was from Miami and told some friends he was asked to come and wear a shirt. One step up from the paid tea party actors that thought they were filming a documentary.One more time! The algae bloom started in Pahokee not north of the Lake. 

nasaalgaebloom

Please see the photo above. There is no algae bloom NORTH. You can where it started and how it got here

I find it repulsive Janet Taylor would use the people that live out there as pawns. I find repulsive that she and her friends scare them. The truth about the Glades is you try to help out there and your sent away. It’s very isolated. They want their own world.  We went three years ago to see what we could do to help to bring an economy out there and we were rejected. Do your homework Glades People! Your being hoodwinked! And yes we are all here wanting to help you guys. Don’t buy in the fearmongering! You can have great stuff going on there. If you don’t change your economy one day big sugar will sell its land to the biggest bidder and you will all be out of a job.

So that brings me to this:

Someone shared this great article on TreasureCoast.com’s Facebook page and I loved it.

What is ‘Rent-Seeking

Rent-seeking is the use of the resources of a company, an organization or an individual to obtain economic gain from others without reciprocating any benefits to society through wealth creation. An example of rent-seeking is when a company lobbies the government for loan subsidies, grants or tariff protection. These activities don’t create any benefit for society; they just redistribute resources from the taxpayers to the company.

Read more: Rent-Seeking Definition | Investopedia https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/rentseeking.asp#ixzz4IRsKYNfR
Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

Big Sugar like many companies are just this. Without  the government they would be nothing.

We can be friends with the farmers and the people that live in the glades. We just have to be bridge builders. Because imagine this! Imagine all of us together taking care of the water and making Florida a better place! Imagine that. Imagine.

Just say no rent-seeking, subsidy seeking, industrialists that pretend to be farmers!  Say yes to real farmers and to real people trying to have a life.

 

TreasureCoast

TreasureCoast

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  • Posted 8 years ago

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