Christopher Shays: “I do not know how any opponent of this amendment can say with a straight face ``un-American'' or use the word ``world…”

“I do not know how any opponent of this amendment can say with a straight face ``un-American'' or use the word ``world market'' and talk about ``consumer-oriented'' and talk about the free market. Give me a break. Un-American? Yes, it is un-American not to let Americans grow peanuts, but you can go to jail if you grow peanuts and sell in the market. You can certainly get arrested and you can be fined. The point is, you cannot grow peanuts and sell at the $6 price. Mr. Chairman, I just would say, the bottom line is I would be embarrassed to be opponents of this amendment and talk about un-American, consumer-oriented program, world market, free market. The bottom line is the world market cannot compete. They are not allowed to sell peanuts unless they come and they crush them and they do not get the price. There is no free market, because people from outside this country cannot sell and people in this country, Americans, cannot sell peanuts unless it is to be crushed. Talking about consumer-oriented, what is consumer-oriented about fixing supply? They fix supply. They are told it is going to be about 900-and-some tons, 1,000 tons. That is fixing the price. What is American about that? What is free market about that? The problem is we only allow a few people to farm peanuts, only a few. We fix the price by limiting the supply. We attempted to reform that system and we failed.”