82 replies to this topic

[Yamato]

questionmark, on 23 January 2013 - 09:29 PM, said:

Is 36% the feeding the world? And yes, thank you for confirming what I was saying. The US used to be the biggest exporter of corn. Welcome to the basher's club.

Do you ever think before posting? Or are you just driven by  the want to be right?

What are you reading to keep claiming that?    36% >> 16%.   Yes we are feeding the world and by far #1 in both corn production and exports.   What I'm surprised about is your claim that you're from Iowa and you can't even acknowledge that the US easily dominates world corn exports.

[questionmark]

Yamato, on 24 January 2013 - 03:57 AM, said:

What are you reading to keep claiming that? 36% >> 16%.   Yes we are feeding the world and by far #1 in both corn production and exports.   What I'm surprised about is your claim that you're from Iowa and you can't even acknowledge that the US easily dominates world corn exports.

Did I say Brazil?

If you want the South American corn producers you will have to add Brazil, Argentina Uruguay and Paraguay.  Or is Brazil another one of your rethoric masterpieces to appear to be right when you are not?

[rashore]

Sooooooo.... The NRA is powerful because U.S. industry isn't what it used to be? Or is it supposed to be a point of the U.S. sucks in general because it isn't the world leader in enough stuff, and the topic of this thread has zilch to do with that argument?

I'm not too shocked that Q isn't in with the corn thing. I think tractors and other machinery, soybeans, and pork products are right up there with corn in Iowa exports at this time. Tractors seem to lead Iowa exports.

[questionmark]

rashore, on 24 January 2013 - 06:19 PM, said:

Sooooooo.... The NRA is powerful because U.S. industry isn't what it used to be? Or is it supposed to be a point of the U.S. sucks in general because it isn't the world leader in enough stuff, and the topic of this thread has zilch to do with that argument?

I'm not too shocked that Q isn't in with the corn thing. I think tractors and other machinery, soybeans, and pork products are right up there with corn in Iowa exports at this time. Tractors seem to lead Iowa exports.

Correct, corn was the second largest export from Iowa until 2011. The jury is still out on 2012 and it looks like pork will replace it. But we will have to wait for the census data due out sometime in April.

And no, I am not saying that the NRA is powerful because the US industry is faltering, it is powerful because since the 70s it seems to have only one aim: keep up the sales of the gun industry, which incidentally is the only US industry that has not been in crisis yet.

[rashore]

questionmark, on 24 January 2013 - 06:33 PM, said:

Correct, corn was the second largest export from Iowa until 2011. The jury is still out on 2012 and it looks like pork will replace it. But we will have to wait for the census data due out sometime in April.

And no, I am not saying that the NRA is powerful because the US industry is faltering, it is powerful because since the 70s it seems to have only one aim: keep up the sales of the gun industry, which incidentally is the only US industry that has not been in crisis yet.

I can hang with that point of view. A lot of other industries have had falterings where the weapons industry has remained strong. One could argue that the military probably has just as much to do with it as the NRA. But the argument in this thread is the NRA's role, so lets stick to that.

One could also argue that since the 70's some of our industries have flourished, like the entertainment industry, sports, medical technology and pharmaceuticals, illegal drugs, legal alcohol.
The culinary industry has been hustling right along too. Which is kind of interesting when you factor in the farming industries and gardening movements and all that. American food, particularly fast food, has been spreading out of the U.S. like mad for years now.

[Yamato]

We're the highest in the world in many industries, not just corn, but why the NRA is powerful is another subject.   Good organization, selective incentive, and personal benefit are factors that make any group more powerful.  These factors aren't only applicable to the NRA, the NRA is just the case study I put up for discussion here.

I have no personal interest in the NRA.  I don't subscribe to it.  I don't always agree with it.  And topics I post for discussion shouldn't automatically assume that I implicitly support whatever position it is I'm posting.  If the substance of the video in the OP is wrong, good discussion for this thread would include pointing out how it's wrong.

[Yamato]

questionmark, on 24 January 2013 - 01:46 PM, said:

Did I say Brazil?

If you want the South American corn producers you will have to add Brazil, Argentina Uruguay and Paraguay.  Or is Brazil another one of your rethoric masterpieces to appear to be right when you are not?

Actually you did.

When people say that the US is #1 in something, they are comparing countries.  Not the US to other continents.   Or to random groups of other countries combined together that you silently think I'm psychic enough to think you mean.

[questionmark]

Yamato, on 24 January 2013 - 08:52 PM, said:

We're the highest in the world in many industries, not just corn, but why the NRA is powerful is another subject.   Good organization, selective incentive, and personal benefit are factors that make any group more powerful.  These factors aren't only applicable to the NRA, the NRA is just the case study I put up for discussion here.

I have no personal interest in the NRA.  I don't subscribe to it.  I don't always agree with it.  And topics I post for discussion shouldn't automatically assume that I implicitly support whatever position it is I'm posting.  If the substance of the video in the OP is wrong, good discussion for this thread would include pointing out how it's wrong.

The Wall Street Journal does not seem to agree with you. I know, they are also just America bashing...

[questionmark]

Yamato, on 24 January 2013 - 08:55 PM, said:

Actually you did.

When people say that the US is #1 in something, they are comparing countries.  Not the US to other continents.   Or to random groups of other countries combined together that you silently think I'm psychic enough to think you mean.

questionmark, on 23 January 2013 - 09:19 PM, said:

used to be, in 2012 the South American economies overtook the US. What is still true is that the US is the largest producer. And thank God that Mugabe ruined the Zimbabwe agriculture, them neither the US or Argentina and Brazil would have anything to laugh about. Check on the 2012 statistics, not on 2009.

Then read it again.

[AsteroidX]

I dont know why you guys are saying the NRA is so powerful. There are several other lobbying groups with much more power in Washington. Big Pharm, Big Oil, Banking, AARP, and to a lesser degree the NAACP. So lets not pick on the NRA and expand this to why these groups have so much power over our culture. TBH the NRA while vocal is by far not the strongest lobbying group.

[questionmark]

AsteroidX, on 24 January 2013 - 09:08 PM, said:

I dont know why you guys are saying the NRA is so powerful. There are several other lobbying groups with much more power in Washington. Big Pharm, Big Oil, Banking, AARP, and to a lesser degree the NAACP. So lets not pick on the NRA and expand this to why these groups have so much power over our culture. TBH the NRA while vocal is by far not the strongest lobbying group.

Which is also correct, but it is the only large lobby group that associates the welfare of a certain industrial sector to liberty. And that gives it a lot of clout even with little investments.

[aztek]

AsteroidX, on 24 January 2013 - 09:08 PM, said:

So lets not pick on the NRA and expand this to why these groups have so much power over our culture.

but.. but.. nra is evil, nra eats babys for dinner

Edited by aztek, 24 January 2013 - 09:15 PM.

[questionmark]

aztek, on 24 January 2013 - 09:15 PM, said:

but.. but.. nra is evil, nra eats babys for dinner

I wish they would actually do something to ensure that the second amendment is not abolished instead of blocking any sensible laws put forward to increases gun security. As I said before: If the gun lovers don't work on a solution for the present untenable situation the gun haters will. And guess what we will like better?

[ExpandMyMind]

The NRA is so powerful because... ...They have lots of guns?

[AsteroidX]

Quote

I wish they would actually do something to ensure that the second amendment is not abolished instead of blocking any sensible laws put forward to increases gun security. As I said before: If the gun lovers don't work on a solution for the present untenable situation the gun haters will. And guess what we will like better?

Its not easy to beat back the Feds when there on the warpath. Ask the Native Americans.