--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The US does not observe the free-trade…" description: "\"The US does not observe the free-trade principles. Those are for the weak. So agribusiness is highly subsidized and pours product into Mexico and drive..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/noam-chomsky-42_agribusiness_the-us-does-not-observe-the-free-trade-p_1662963.jpg" --- # The US does not observe the free-trade principles. Those… ![“The US does not observe the free-trade principles. Those are for the weak. So agribusiness is highly subsidized and pours product into Mexico and drives out Mexican farmers. Maybe they have to go into the cities, and they don't have jobs to support them, so they flee across the border.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/noam-chomsky-42_agribusiness_the-us-does-not-observe-the-free-trade-p_1662963.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/noam-chomsky-42_agribusiness_the-us-does-not-observe-the-free-trade-p_1662963.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/noam-chomsky-42_agribusiness_the-us-does-not-observe-the-free-trade-p_1662963.jpg) > “The US does not observe the free-trade principles. Those are for the weak. So agribusiness is highly subsidized and pours product into Mexico and drives out Mexican farmers. Maybe they have to go into the cities, and they don't have jobs to support them, so they flee across the border.” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The US uses trade policies to favor powerful agribusinesses, harming weaker producers and forcing migration. **In simple terms:** US trade favors big farms, hurting small farmers and causing migration. Key Takeaway Recognize and address inequitable trade impacts. Themes trade inequality migration agriculture policy Mood critical concerned Type analytical advocacy When to use this quote - policy analysis - activism - development aid - immigration reform Key Concepts economics political science social justice Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives can protect small farmers? - How can policy balance power? A Different Perspective Complex global markets limit simple solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agribusiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agribusiness/) [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Farmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farmers/) [Free trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-trade/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Mexican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mexican/) [Mexico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mexico/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) ## Related quotes > [Buy your fair-trade coffee beans by all means, but don't assume fair-trade principles govern the conditions of the men who fetch it to you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-george/buy-your-fair-trade-coffee-beans-by-all-means-but-don-t-assume-fair/) [Rose George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-george/) > [The poorest of families, the poorest of children, are subsidizing the growth of the largest agribusinesses in the world. I think it’s time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/the-poorest-of-families-the-poorest-of-children-are-subsidizing-the/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [Colombia was a big wheat producer in the 1950's. That was eliminated by what sounds like a nice plan, called "Food for Peace. "…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/colombia-was-a-big-wheat-producer-in-the-1950-s-that-was-eliminated/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Haitian rice farmers are quite efficient, but they can't compete with U.S. agribusiness that relies on a huge government subsidy, thanks to Ronald Reagan's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/haitian-rice-farmers-are-quite-efficient-but-they-can-t-compete-with/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There is a phrase in trade theory; it's called "kicking away the ladder." First you violate the rules - the market rules - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-is-a-phrase-in-trade-theory-it-s-called-kicking-away-the-ladder/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It's not a free trade agreement. It has virtually nothing to do with free trade... It's a protectionist agreement; it's anti free-trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-not-a-free-trade-agreement-it-has-virtually-nothing-to-do-with/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“The British succeeded. India deindustrialized, it ruralized. As the industrial revolution spread in England, India was turning into a poor, ruralized and agrarian country.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-british-succeeded-india-deindustrialized-it-ruralized-as-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ When \[Bill\] Clinton came along, it sort of moderated a little bit, but Clinton had a different device for breaking unions called NAFTA \[North… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/when-bill-clinton-came-along-it-sort-of-moderated-a-little-bit-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The idea that a relatively fixed group of privileged people might shape the economy and government for their own benefit goes against the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-william-domhoff/the-idea-that-a-relatively-fixed-group-of-privileged-people-might/) G. William Domhoff > [Agribusiness - with its wicked powerful lobby and its infiltration of top bureaucratic posts - essentially runs roughshod over the government agencies that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/agribusiness-with-its-wicked-powerful-lobby-and-its-infiltration-of/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [Thanks to farm subsidies, the fine collaboration between agribusiness and Congress, soy, corn and cattle became king. And chicken soon joined them on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bittman/thanks-to-farm-subsidies-the-fine-collaboration-between-agribusiness/) [Mark Bittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bittman/) > [There are more obese people in the world than starving people. As China and India start to develop our eating habits - and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/there-are-more-obese-people-in-the-world-than-starving-people-as/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Agribusiness could provide an opportunity for joint Israeli-Palestinian projects, spurred on by Israeli technical expertise in this field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-bronfman-sr/agribusiness-could-provide-an-opportunity-for-joint-israeli/) [Edgar Bronfman, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-bronfman-sr/) > [Our lack of community is intensely painful. A TV talk show is not community. A couple of hours in a church pew each Sabbath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/our-lack-of-community-is-intensely-painful-a-tv-talk-show-is-not/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [The enclosure of the biological and intellectual commons in this way is a real threat to the future of people everywhere because it creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/the-enclosure-of-the-biological-and-intellectual-commons-in-this-way/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More Agribusiness quotes > [The enclosure of the biological and intellectual commons in this way is a real threat to the future of people everywhere because it creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/the-enclosure-of-the-biological-and-intellectual-commons-in-this-way/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [Our lack of community is intensely painful. A TV talk show is not community. A couple of hours in a church pew each Sabbath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/our-lack-of-community-is-intensely-painful-a-tv-talk-show-is-not/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [The poorest of families, the poorest of children, are subsidizing the growth of the largest agribusinesses in the world. I think it’s time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/the-poorest-of-families-the-poorest-of-children-are-subsidizing-the/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [Agribusiness could provide an opportunity for joint Israeli-Palestinian projects, spurred on by Israeli technical expertise in this field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-bronfman-sr/agribusiness-could-provide-an-opportunity-for-joint-israeli/) [Edgar Bronfman, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-bronfman-sr/) > [Haitian rice farmers are quite efficient, but they can't compete with U.S. agribusiness that relies on a huge government subsidy, thanks to Ronald Reagan's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/haitian-rice-farmers-are-quite-efficient-but-they-can-t-compete-with/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are more obese people in the world than starving people. As China and India start to develop our eating habits - and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/there-are-more-obese-people-in-the-world-than-starving-people-as/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Thanks to farm subsidies, the fine collaboration between agribusiness and Congress, soy, corn and cattle became king. And chicken soon joined them on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bittman/thanks-to-farm-subsidies-the-fine-collaboration-between-agribusiness/) [Mark Bittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bittman/) > [Agribusiness - with its wicked powerful lobby and its infiltration of top bureaucratic posts - essentially runs roughshod over the government agencies that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/agribusiness-with-its-wicked-powerful-lobby-and-its-infiltration-of/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [The idea that a relatively fixed group of privileged people might shape the economy and government for their own benefit goes against the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-william-domhoff/the-idea-that-a-relatively-fixed-group-of-privileged-people-might/) G. William Domhoff > [“The word agriculture, after all, does not mean "agriscience," much less "agribusiness." It means "cultivation of land." And cultivation is at the root of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-word-agriculture-after-all-does-not-mean-agriscience-much-less/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Agribusiness and food processing are important parts of modernizing our economy, of modernizing our agriculture and moving into a phase where a more modernized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manmohan-singh/agribusiness-and-food-processing-are-important-parts-of-modernizing/) [Manmohan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manmohan-singh/) > [Agribusinesses should never dictate the quality of school meals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-polis/agribusinesses-should-never-dictate-the-quality-of-school-meals/) [Jared Polis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-polis/) > [The response by agribusiness interests has been to back laws that ban animal advocates from taking pictures or videos at these facilities, and ban…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-pacelle/the-response-by-agribusiness-interests-has-been-to-back-laws-that-ban/) [Wayne Pacelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-pacelle/) > [Our food chain is in crisis. Big agribusiness has made profits more important than your health—more important than the environment—more important than your right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-robbins/our-food-chain-is-in-crisis-big-agribusiness-has-made-profits-more/) [John Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-robbins/) > [Colombia was a big wheat producer in the 1950's. That was eliminated by what sounds like a nice plan, called "Food for Peace. "…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/colombia-was-a-big-wheat-producer-in-the-1950-s-that-was-eliminated/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Browse all 23 Agribusiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agribusiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The US does not observe the free-trade principles. Those are for the weak. So agribusiness is highly subsidized and pours product into Mexico and drives out Mexican farmers. 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