Political Quotes

“Although supporters of the program some years ago changed the name, it was MPP, the Market Promotion Program, to MAP, the Market Access Program, and made some other cosmetic adjustments due to pressure from taxpayer watchdog groups, the basic concept and the cost to the taxpayers remain basically the same. The government is dipping into the pockets of hard-working individuals and promoting private corporate entities. Well over $1 billion has been spent on this program over the last number of years, and studies by the GAO indicate that the MAP program has no discernible effect on U.S. agricultural exports. Further, it basically gives money to companies that would undertake this advertising without the government doing it. I want to again emphasize I think it is good that these companies advertise and that they sell overseas, but rather than doing it with taxpayer dollars they ought to do it with their own dollars.”