[Rhodes22-list] Farming - Not Really, It's Politics

[R22RumRunner at aol.com]

Rob and Brad,
 
Farm subsidies are necessary to provide the whole population with an  
affordable, clean food supply. I'm sorry that you don't like it or understand  the 
economics of farming, but be thankful every time you sit down to dinner.  
Without the subsidies, there is no incentive for anyone to work the hours and  live 
the lives that our farm families do. Farmers, especially dairy farmers work  
seven days a week and are lucky if they have a neighbor that will milk their  
cows so they can take a vacation. I grew up in the dairy state and my wife 
comes  from a farm family. Many summers I spent working on farms doing duties such 
as  milking, spreading, haying and everything else they do. I wouldn't trade 
the  experiences for anything, but don't kid yourselves, it's not a cushy life 
style.  The odors alone are enough to keep most folks away.
 
Rummy
 
 
In a message dated 5/21/2008 10:21:49 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
rlowe at vt.edu writes:

Brad,
I agree with McCain on his stance and see Bush said he would  veto it.  But
both the House and Senate passed the original measure  with enough votes to
override the veto.  Just another example of where  the legislative process
goes bad.  You still enough earmarks or  subsidies in a bill so that every
congress person district's get something,  and you can get a bill passed.
Truly an example of government gone bad. -  rob


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brad Haslett"  <flybrad at gmail.com>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"  <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 9:37  PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Farming - Not Really, It's  Politics


As most of you know, I have hated farm welfare for  years.  This was probably
not the smartest thing for McCain to say  publicly but he gets kudos for
saying it when few other politicians will,  especially during an election
cycle.  McCain is still a turd and I  can't figure out which is the cleanest
end to handle.   Brad

-----------------------

Farming for riches It's time to  wean ourselves from huge crop subsidies and
flawed policies that distort  the markets and artificially raise prices for
consumers.

By John  McCain

May 20,  2008

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*I*  may surprise some people by saying what few presidential candidates
would  ever be willing to say out loud in farm country: I'd veto the farm
bill—a  bloated expansion in federal spending that will do more harm  than
good.

When agricultural commodity prices and exports have  reached record highs, we
no longer need government-grown farms and mammoth  government bureaucracies.
As grocery bills soar, food banks go bare and  food rationing occurs on a
global scale, we must challenge the wisdom of  this bill. We must question
policies that divert more than 25 percent of  corn out of the food supply and
into subsidized ethanol production. We must  question a supply-control sugar
program that costs Americans $2 billion  annually in higher sugar prices.

Can we honestly demand fair and free  trade from other countries when this
bill increases trade distorting  payment rates and restores an illegal cotton
program? Sen.  Barack
Obama<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/>has  raised
the rhetoric on fair trade and restoring fiscal discipline,  but
his support for the farm bill betrays the inconsistency of his  position: Cry
foul with our trade partners, but break the rules at  home.

The majority of subsidies in this proposal go to large commercial  farms that
average $200,000 in annual income and $2 million in net worth,  and the bill
allows a single farmer to earn more than $1 million before  cutting
subsidies. How can we credibly extend this largesse to this  constituency? If
I am elected president, I will seek an end to all farm  subsidies and tariffs
that are not based on clear need.

The farm  bill will cost taxpayers nearly $300 billion, including $5 billion
for  direct payments each year to farmers, regardless of whether they  grow
anything. Growing better crops using less land, water and natural  resources
requires a more robust research approach, but this bill spends  more than
twice as much on direct payments as it does on agricultural  research.

I am not opposed to providing a reasonable risk management  for farmers. When
farmers suffer from a natural disaster such as droughts  or floods, we should
assist them. But this bill fails to make the reforms  needed to provide that
assistance responsibly.

Such sensible reforms  may be missing, but the pork is not. Congress should
be ashamed of this  mockery of its promise to rein in waste and earmarks.
Buried within its  hundreds of pages is $93 million in tax breaks for race
horses, a $4  billion trust fund for disaster payments on top of subsidized
crop  insurance that is supposed to take care of such "disasters," and the
list  goes on. If that wasn't enough, this bill would send $250 million  of
taxpayers' money to Plum Creek Timber Co. in Montana. Plum Creek,  according
to its Web site, "is the largest and most geographically diverse  private
land owner in the nation" and paid a healthy dividend to  shareholders last
quarter.

It is time to wean ourselves from the  huge crop subsidies being paid by
taxpayers and the flawed policies that  distort the markets, artificially
raise prices for consumers and pit  producers against consumers.

*John McCain is a U.S. senator from  Arizona and Republican candidate  for
president.*
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