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A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A few days ago, while on vacation hiking Washington State’s Olympic Mountains, I took a quick daytrip from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., and stopped in Bellingham to eat lunch.
In the historic district of this northern Washington city I went into a tobacco shop that had a large Ron Paul sign in the window and a stack of Paul for President pamphlets on the counter.
As I purchased a pack of American Spirit Ultra Lights I asked the clerk if Paul had some kind of organized effort in tobacco shops and bars, a sort of smoker’s rights thing going on — considering the Texan’s libertarian views.
The clerk seemed suspcious of my question so I settled for the American Spirits.
But the thought stuck with me: Could Paul have an angle with smokers? With smoking bans extending more and more to private property it could make sense for Paul to seek votes among the smokers clustered curbside.“He doesn’t believe it’s the job of the federal government to tell you what to eat, drink or smoke,” said Paul communications director Jesse Benton.
Benton said Paul is generally against “neo-nannyism” in government. That said, Paul doesn’t think the federal government can overturn a state or local ban on smoking — but if Paul were on a city council he would oppose smoking bans and let individual businesses decide for themselves.
I don’t know that anyone would vote for a president based on smoking issues, but then again, in day to day life, these bans are major matters for the nicotine addicted.
So far, there have been no visible smokers’ rights efforts in the Paul campaign.
“It’s the first time I’m hearing of it but it makes sense,” Benton said.
He sees his candidate as collecting a number of niche groups under a libertarian banner.
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