Marcy Kaptur: “the world is beginning to understand what my constituents have known for far too long, higher food prices and higher…”

“the world is beginning to understand what my constituents have known for far too long, higher food prices and higher commodity prices are destroying prosperity for millions and millions of people here at home and abroad. Whether there is a hungry person in Toledo, Ohio or in Haiti, the rising costs of basic food are really placing the world's marginalized and poor in even a tighter squeeze. Getting in the front of devastation that higher commodity prices can cause is a challenge to all of us. While I am pleased that the leaders of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have called for half a billion dollars more to feed the poor of the world, I'm deeply troubled that these leaders have pointed to the same tired rhetoric in diagnosing the cause of these rising prices. It's been very interesting for me to hear them say they're blaming higher food prices on the production of ethanol and biodiesel in agricultural America, which is actually a new value-added market for our farmers. The real culprit for rising food prices is rising oil prices. Our world is facing a crisis precipitated by the greater competition for dwindling supplies of world energy that has caused all the prices of basic goods to skyrocket.”