[phoenix] Argument10 第11作业 by 3号 求P

ningbo1990UID: 2641538

TOPIC: ARGUMENT10 - The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a Batavia newspaper.

"The department of agriculture in Batavia reports that the number of dairy farms throughout the country is now 25 percent greater than it was 10 years ago. During this same time period, however, the price of milk at the local Excello Food Market has increased from $1.50 to over $3.00 per gallon. To prevent farmers from continuing to receive excessive profits on an apparently increased supply of milk, the Batavia government should begin to regulate retail milk prices. Such regulation is necessary to ensure both lower prices and an adequate supply of milk for consumers."
WORDS: 440
TIME: 00:30:00
DATE: 2010/3/2 20:42:16

The argument first asserts a report from the department of agriculture in Batavia which says that the number of dairy farms throughout the country is higher than before, and then gives evidence that the price of milk at local market has increased. Subsequently the author gives a measure to prevent farmers from continuing to receive high profits and the author give an explanation to states this regulation is necessary to ensure both lower prices and an adequate supply of milk later. At the first glance, it seems reasonable, while after analysis clearly, there are some flaws and I will discuss them in turn.

First, the increased price of local Excello Food Market of milk does not apply these dairy farms can profitable. There is a possibility that it is inflation that makes the price grow from $1.50 to $3.00, but the actually price do not raised or maybe even fallen during ten years. Even if the inflation does not the reason to cause milk price grow, Excello Food Market do not represent the common phenomenon on milk price increasing of all food markets, maybe only Excello Food market`s price grow so high while others do not. Granted that the milk price in every market is increasing, there is no evidence to show that the farmers received excessive profits, it is possible the competition between diary productions are exciting because the number of dairy farms growing greatly, then farmers earned little though the price is very high. Since maybe there are many possibilities that farmers received excessive profits, there is maybe no need to prevent them.

Moreover, assuming that the profits on an apparently increased supply of milk should be prevented, the author asserts it can ensure both lower prices and an adequate supply of milk for consumers may not reliable. Perhaps the regulation on prices makes some dairy farms cannot continue to support it and finally give up their dairy farms career, thus will make supply of milk is inadequate. So in this situation, the regulation may not effective as it supposed.

At last, the author fails to give evidence that the increasing prices are so high that most consumers cannot afford it. If these prices can be received by consumers, the regulation will not need or even come out negative effects such as low tax for government, more dairy farms will lose job and inadequate supply of milk for consumers.

In conclusion, the argument need to improve whether to farmers received excessive profits and whether regulation of prices is a good measure. The argument also needs to support facts that the increased prices make much consumers hardly to afford.