www.marketplace.org You can listen to it instead of reading this. About 13:50 into the program. I recommend listening to the whole thing if you can.

If your still here and reading,here's some of the editorial. I tried to get it as best as I can. This is most of it.

"Farmers, Do we need them?" David Manasian of the Economist Magazine (A British publication BTW). "...A more objective look at farming has forced people to come to a rather obvious conclusion - it's an industry no rich country really needs anymore. British farming contributes only 1.5% of Britons GDP, and it's poluting and destroying the countryside."

"It would be a lot cheaper and a lot less messy to let poor countries do most of our farming for us. And to let our countryside revert to what it should be, in any modern industrial economy. A bucolic playground for non-farmers....which means nearly all of us"

Interesting ideas Mr Manasian puts forth. I've already generated my own opinions about this editorial, I'd like to hear what you all think about this.

-- John in S. IN (jsmengel@hotmail.com), March 20, 2001

Answers

Typical of the "professional" class. Sounds to me like another recipe for disaster. Does "oil crises" ring any bells? How dumb can people get?!

I'll be adding the author to my long and growing list of candidates for the much needed, revolutionary, surgical procedure RECTAL CRANIONOMY.

-- john (natlivent@pcpros.net), March 20, 2001.

Oh, goodie! Let the bastards cut thier own throats.Any one out there have problems with neighbors that are urban transplants?Folks that just don't seem to get it.Looks like England has at least one with access to the media.It is no different here.Look at all the prime farm land that is being paved and turned into shopping malls and subdivisions.I will make a prediction here folks........In the decades to come there will be trillions of dollars spent on the new science of farm land reclaimation.Thats right as population grows unchecked and food supplies dwindle all those lovely homes will be torn down on the chance that there is still some fertile land underneath them.This time around the farm land will be controlled by the state not individuals. Gotta go recalibrate my crystal ball.

-- greg (gsmith@tricountyi.net), March 21, 2001.

I heard this, and I yelled in frustration. I wonder what in the world this guy had for lunch, and WHERE it came from? Folks HAVE to eat; What was he thinking? He also said he wanted to turn the countryside into a "playground" for the city folks. So, what happens if all the farms get shifted to the "third world," and a energy crisis happens. Shipping all that food takes energy, too. And haven't there been cases of diseases caused by the lack of regulations in third world food (or the usage of pesticides that had been banned by richer countries...)?

It doesn't make sense. The only thing I can figure is that this guy was speaking tounge in cheek. He SURELY couldn't be that arrogant and shortsighted!!!!

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), March 21, 2001.

I have read this before by someone that is a NWO ( new world order ) critic. And it was said about the United States. It was the plan for the 3rd world countries to take over all food production. It was to "balance" out the world economy.

-- Lynette (fear_the_bear@webtv.net), March 21, 2001.

It's one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. Let this fool eat only food grown in third world countries, don't they still use DDT in those countries. DUH!!!!

Blessings

-- judymurray (nomifyle@yahoo.com), March 21, 2001.

Maybe it would be wise to consider moving to a third world country?!? At least there would be food to eat -- unless the 'powers that be' get so much control over the food supply that they can keep the locals from eating what they grow. (A la Great Britain during WWII with the severe rationing.)

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), March 21, 2001.

Makes you wonder where they think their food comes from doesn't it? (The store right?!!) What a disheartening thing to say when so many of their own ranchers,who work to put that food in their mouth, may be homeless before to long. I certainly do appreciate what I have and where I live (more and more each day). I intend to count my blessings twice today!!!

-- Vickie Allen (ouvickie@hotmail.com), March 21, 2001.

Well... my opinion is probably more to the left even still.... If you want to get really terribly frightened, go into our own cities. Ask a child where that burger comes from... If they get much past McDonalds or Burger King, I will be amazed.

I come from the burbs outside Chicago. My own daughter's friends think that the grocery is where the food COMES FROM.... No. Not a cliche. Not a joke. Honest answers from TEENAGERS.

Corporate folly. All of it. Most of those folks couldn't live a minute without their electric gadgets, their petroleum powered vehicles, and their rose-colored glasses. And, YES. They really do think these things.

They have no clue about what growing food means. Not just the product. The fierce determination, courage, strength, morals, ethics, compassion, respect for people and for nature, the true benefits of the venture (the Spiritual benefits???). Where would all those stuffed white shirts be if there were no farmers???

(Don't know if I said it right, but I think all of you know what I mean!!!)

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 21, 2001.

I see you guys saw this about the same way I did. BTW, Mr. Manasian did specifically mention the U.S. About farming being only a little more than Britons 1.5% of the GDP, and how it is so subsidized.

Mr. Manasian sounded like he is from the U.S.A. He didn't have a bit of a British accent.

I wonder about the stability of the governments in so many (most) "poor" countries. Just seems so short sighted. "lets pack up our "messy farming" and send it off to mess up someone elses land. Using tons of oil to ship it all back here so we can waste our clean water washing off the DDT and E-Coli from the petro/Human fertilizers". "After we've infused enough cash into a "poor countries" economy, some Ghadfi type thug can be tempted into holding us hostage w/ our feedbag". Duh.

I realize this guy is an economist and only sees dollars and nonsense. But where does he think all the people involved w/ farming are going to go for employment? Think about ALL the different jobs are out there that are related to farming. As an economist, he must have some concept of how an idea like eliminating farming would go over in a real application.

I'm really kind of ticked at NPR also, for giving a Doofus like this an outlet for stupid s**t ideas. I realize they lean way left of center in most areas, but stupid they aren't. NPR is a very professional organization. Stupid s**t just doesn't "slip by". I don't understand the motive. John

-- John in S. IN (jsmengel@hotmail.com), March 21, 2001.

The motivation is that it makes you instantly aware (by virtue of such idiocy, that farmers are important, and gets you to think about it. Sorta like newspapers and radio shows that print or air un- edited letters supporting opposing views that are sent in by complete morons who couldn't make a viable sentence if you held a gun to their head. It discredits their opinion just by publishing it. Same same.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), March 23, 2001.