02/02/05 Tax relief; Goodbye Veneman; The Ninth

Look for bills to be introduced within a matter of days in the US House and Senate to permanently repeal the death tax. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo says its just one piece of tax reform legislation this Congress has to enact. CRAPO "If we do nothing and let these tax cuts expire we will see the largest tax increase that this country has ever seen. The second big issue is the reform of the entire tax system. The president has appointed a commission, a bipartisan commission that is studying this and should report back with recommendations this year." Idaho Congressman Butch Otter is singing the praises of Mike Johann's appointment as Agriculture Secretary. Otter says he never had confidence in Ann Veneman as agriculture secretary especially after she told him but then failed to get at least one farm representative on trade negotiation teams. OTTER "I think she did a hell of a lot better job than Glickman or almost anybody in the Clinton administration did but my expectations were just higher. And Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson is back again to try to get the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals broken up so Idaho, Oregon and Washington would be in a different district. His bill last year hit a brick wall. SIMPSON "Dianne Feinstein in the Senate blocked it so we're going to continue to push it and continue to push it. We've got, like I said, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee is very supportive of it. And now with today's Food For Thought here's Susan Allen. We heard it from Washington State asparagus growers and nobody ever listened. US cattlemen are fighting the USDA tooth and nail over this very same issue. Because of this US apple farmers are bracing for an onslaught while Florida citrus growers are fighting for their livihood. The common enemy for all these farmers is imports. The devastating hurricanes left Florida's citrus growers just too venerable. Brazil saw an opportunity and moved right in flooding the market with orange juice priced far below the Florida growers production costs. Currently Florida citrus growers are lobbying for tariffs at a conference at the US trade commission. The growers clam Brazil has knowingly "dumped" juice into our market sometimes up to 78% below what it should be priced. Representatives from Brazil contend that changing US consumer habits along with the hurricanes that are to blame for the financial impact to Florida's growers. Is this a savvy marketing move by Brazil for simply filling a need, Or is this another chapter in the loosing battle US farmers are fighting to continue to produce food on American soil. Northwest Report Bill Scott