10/21/08 Obama and McCain anti-ag positions

Both presidential candidates have taken stands in opposition to agriculture. I'm Bill Scott. Back with Today's Idaho Ag News after this. Two weeks from today we will chose the 44th President of the United States. Both John McCain and Barack Obama have taken positions on key issues that are in opposition to agriculture. Obama wants to renegotiate NAFTA because it has no labor or environmental protections like recent trade deals. But Clinton Administration USDA Trade Advisor Paul Drazek says it makes no sense to revisit the treaty. DRAZEK "I guess people could sit down and have a conversation with negotiators from the other side but I have a feeling that it wouldn't take too long before people would state to realize there's a potential to lose ground." On the other side, McCain is calling for an end to ethanol subsidies that are backed by ag. Renewable Fuels Association spokesman Matt Hartwig says such a move would set America back economically, environmentally and in our quest for energy security. HARTWIG "The paltry sum of money that constitutes the federal tax incentives for ethanol pales in comparison to the economic benefit generated by America's ethanol industry." He says more than 30 billion dollars in added tax revenue and savings in farm payments and oil imports are at risk versus the three and a half billion dollars it costs to give tax breaks. Hartwig says McCain's plan to also end the ethanol import tariff would only end up hurting American taxpayers. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott