Readers Digest, and Commodity Payments

February 19, 2007

“You Sow, they Reap: Why are your tax dollars lining the pockets of wealthy farm owners?” This was the title to an article I recently read in Readers Digest.

I was given a subscription to the Digest as a Christmas gift. It looks a little odd stacked up next to my other magazines (Harpers, and the occasional sojourners and new yorker), but I have been reading fairly regulary. I have learned a lot about diet, cancer research, identity theft and other things I don’t normally read about, but it was a treat to find this article about farm subsidies to corporate farmers…an issue I have been hearing quite a bit about from organizations fighting poverty, but we call them “commodity payments” rather than subsidies.

Bread for the World has chosen the farm bill (the bill containing titles dealing with commodity payments) as the focus for this years offering of letters. Churches and students are being mobilized to write congress about this bill because commodity payments as well as other titles in the farm bill effect rural communities at home and abroad.

Family farms are often not eligible for commodity payments and struggle to compete with corporate farms that are, and many family farms are forced to mono-crop certian crops soley because they recieve payments to do so, and otherwise their farming is not secure. This hurts the land, takes the creativity and ingenuity out of farming, and binds them to one commodity because it is secured by payments.

Internationally our commodity payments make competition very difficult. Becasue of payments from the government US grown commodities can be sold at an artificially low price on the world market. This price is often below the cost of production for certian commodities. This puts rural local farmers out of business as they cannot compete with such artifically low prices.

Readers Digest criticized commodity payments solely because it is unjust to taxpayers. Why should our tax money go into the hands of wealthy land owners who live in Beverley Hills just because they have a strong lobby and own corn fields?

I thought it was so interesting that we are all wanting the same end, but for different reasons. Give the article a read, and also check out www.bread.org as well as www.maketradefair.com for more information on the farm bill.

-jason

Post ID Posted at 12:33 PM EST | Comments (0)

micah mail

February 16, 2007

This is an email I sent out last week to a new list of about 475 young people, professors, and interested parties. It has a lot of information packed into a little bit, but is worth checking out. enjoy!
-jason



Friend of the Micah Challenge,

This is a new list of the students, professors, and young people who do justice, are passionate about kindness, and walk humbly with God. Some of you signed the Micah Call, others of you visited Micahmorphosis, and others we encountered through campus visits or events. Welcome!

New Developments

Websites

  • Micah Challenge’s international website got quite the facelift. Check it Out
  • Halve-it!. Halve-it A new global justice and MDG resource library.Upload your own resources or check out others.
  • Micah Challenge US launches very own website
  • MicahMorphosis, a Youth led website of the Micah Challenge is undergoing changes. We believe there is a void among the social networks on the interweb. So to fill that void we are in the process of creating a Social ‘Justice’ Networking tool that allows student groups, conferences, clubs, and individuals to have their own unique section that they control. This new section would include blogs, photos, events calendars, and whatever else you like. If you see the potential that we see and are interested in helping develop this tool email Jason Fileta.

Events

Mark your calendars—great events from the friends and partners of Micah Challenge US.

  • International Rural Development Conference; February 22 -24 2007 at Messiah College, Grantham PA. This student-led conference focuses on the interrelation between faith, cultural issues, public policy, economic development, appropriate technology, and international health…more
  • Christian Peace Witness for Iraq; March 16 2007, Washington DC and in Your Community. End the occupation, Support the troops—bring them home, commit to rebuild Iraq, say “no” to torture and “yes” to Justice…more
  • Sojourners/Call to Renewal Pentecost: Taking the Vision to the Streets; June 3-6, 2007 at National City Christian Church, Washington DC. The goal of Taking Vision to the Streets is to call individuals, churches, and most importantly, our political leaders to commit to putting poverty at the top of our national agenda…more.
  • Bread for the World National Gathering: Sowing Seeds, Growing a Movement; June 9-12 2007 at American University, Washington DC. A totally unique DC opportunity equipped with worship, workshops, lobbying, an interfaith convocationpresidential candidate forum, revival…more
  • Want to monitor elections in Sierra Leone? June 2007. Micah Challenge Sierra Leone and Micah Challenge US are working on bringing a group of excited professors and students to monitor national elections in Sierra Leone this summer. We are still in the developing stages of this opportunity. If you want to be part of the discussion, and are interested email Jason Fileta.

    • Please pass this email on to your friends, family and whoever else may be interested. If you received this from a friend and would like to subscribe please email us. God Bless you as you Do Justice, Love Kindness, and Walk Humbly.

    Post ID Posted at 11:59 AM EST | Comments (0)

    notice

    January 31, 2007

    comments are temporarily shut down because of all the spam that gets through. its not worth the trouble for the one commentator to comment (sorry mom). from now on if you are dying to tell me something email me

    Post ID Posted at 09:30 AM EST | Comments (0)

    The anticipation is growing

    January 29, 2007

    The World Social Forum ended last week, and I wish I could have been there. It sounds like such a place of celebration, activism, and solidarity. I know of one Micah Challenge Facilitator who attended, and I am dissapointed that more MC folks were not there.

    The world social forum is a collossal event and statement in itself—it typically meets during the world economic forum and contrary to that stuffy neo-liberal meeting it is held in the global south. It is a time for activists, groups, leaders, individuals, and whoever wants to come together and ” pursue their thinking, to debate ideas democratically, formulate proposals, share their experiences freely and network for effective action”.

    Sometimes, the Forum gets a bad rep as being a magnet to leftist, Marxists, anti-establishment activists…but I would re-classify some of these people as innovators who are not afraid to say that the economic process of the last 50 years isn’t working and never really was, specifically for the poorset in our world. Here they come together to figure out new ways of bringing the voiceless to the decision making table…and of course I would leave the classification of leftist Marxist for some of the participants who have claimed such titles for themselves.

    I wish Micah Challenge (by the way check out the new website) had been more present as I am sure in a setting like the Christian voice is not very strong…and Christianity might be wedded to moral degenerate neo-liberal imperialistic policies that they are there to oppose, for some of the activists at least. It would be refreshing for them, and opportune for christendom to represent at the next WSF. I may be wrong about the underrepresentation of Christians, and will have to do research to know for sure, but this is my instinct.

    Finally to what I actually did last week. I went to Wheaton College and had a fantastic time. I was able to have lunch with some inspiring students and faculty, and then attend a task force meeting on HIV/AIDS to discuss the colleges response to this global pandemic.

    I wish every school, especially small Christian colleges, had such a task force, and not just on HIV/AIDS, but on the MDG’s, Global Health, Hunger, Homelessness, etc. all of our pressing needs in our country and abroad.

    For those of you who may live in IL, check out the AIDS benefit they are having at Wheaton College coming up in February…it looks like a good program and if you want more information email me.

    Thats all for now, I think I may have promised pictures at some point, they will come.

    -jason

    Post ID Posted at 11:55 AM EST | Comments (0)