Tornado Alley (PROG)

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Trump’s Trade Pullout Roils Rural America

"How America Lost Its Mind"

M. Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO

Special Report

After the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, other nations launch 27 separate negotiations to undercut U.S. exporters.

By ADAM BEHSUDI

August 07, 2017

EAGLE GROVE, Iowa—On a cloud-swept landscape dotted with grain elevators, a meat producer called Prestage Farms is building a 700,000-square-foot processing plant. The gleaming new factory is both the great hope of Wright County, which voted by a 2-1 margin for Donald Trump, and the victim of one of Trump’s first policy moves, his decision to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

For much of industrial America, the TPP was a suspect deal, the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which some argue led to a massive offshoring of U.S. jobs to Mexico. But for the already struggling agricultural sector, the sprawling 12-nation TPP, covering 40 percent of the world’s economy, was a lifeline. It was a chance to erase punishing tariffs that restricted the United States—the onetime “breadbasket of the world”—from selling its meats, grains and dairy products to massive importers of foodstuffs such as Japan and Vietnam.

The decision to pull out of the trade deal has become a double hit on places like Eagle Grove. The promised bump of $10 billion in agricultural output over 15 years, based on estimates .. https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4607.pdf .. by the U.S. International Trade Commission, won’t materialize. But Trump’s decision to withdraw from the pact also cleared the way for rival exporters such as Australia, New Zealand and the European Union to negotiate even lower tariffs with importing nations, creating potentially greater competitive advantages over U.S. exports.

A POLITICO analysis found that the 11 other TPP countries are now involved in a whopping 27 separate trade negotiations with each other, other major trading powers in the region like China and massive blocs like the EU. Those efforts range from exploratory conversations to deals already signed and awaiting ratification. Seven of the most significant deals for U.S. farmers were either launched or concluded in the five months since the United States withdrew from the TPP.

“I’m scared to death,” said Ron Prestage, whose North Carolina-based family pork and poultry business made its huge investment in the plant near Eagle Grove in part to reap expected gains from the TPP. “I don’t guess I’ve gone beyond the point of no return on the new plant, but we did already start digging our wells and started moving dirt.”

He and other agricultural businesspeople and workers have reason for concern.

[...]

Stability and predictability were two key principles for Woodley. So far, he doesn’t see any of that coming out of the Trump administration when it comes to his trade policy and ability to strike new deals.

“Creating instability is not good business practice when there are fierce and competitive producers around the world,” he said. “Stability and predictability are tremendous to me as I seek out business partnerships, so why would it be any different for any other country we work with?”

Adam Behsudi is a trade reporter for Politico Pro.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/07/trump-tpp-deal-withdrawal-trade-effects-215459

That one specifically posted to the 8th video down in yours.

Lawrence: Pence is the most dangerous man in America for Trump

[with comments]

This one .. Teach the Controversy

DarkMatter2525
Published on Feb 18, 2011

I believe that the human race is currently going through growing pains. The bible was written by a bygone culture, and we are having trouble letting go of it. We are experiencing a temporal culture clash. To use the bible's words...it is time for us to put away childish things. We can't allow ages-old superstition to impede our progress.

*The bible does clearly state that this ritual "cleanses leprosy". But what is "cleansing"? Let's look to Matthew 8:2-4, Mark 1:40-45, and Luke 5:12-16. In those passages, Jesus is described as "cleansing the leper". for example, in Matt 8:3, Jesus HEALS a leper and these words are used to describe it: "Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying 'I am willing; be cleansed.' Immediately his leprosy was cleansed." The wording in Leviticus also uses the word "cleansed" as it describes cleansing the leper with this bird sacrifice procedure. Occasionally, leprosy has healed without treatment. If that happened it might have given some false credibility to the bird sacrifice. In most cases, however, it surely didn't work, but they might have believed it needed to be done - as with many superstitions. If the leprosy wasn't healed, it was "God's will" (punishment).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=140g0qmZZ24

posted specifically to the first in yours, repeat "How America Lost Its Mind".

See also:

I think the value, worth, pros and cons of trade deals is the point of the thread .. which started here ..
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=121312103

US opponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership don’t understand how it works
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=121312699

Why a Trump Presidency Could Be a Boon for China
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=127320565

Trump’s Trade War May Have Already Begun
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=128351888

White House civil war breaks out over trade
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129446452