[Rhodes22-list] Farming - Politics and Rob Lowe

Tootle ekroposki at charter.net
Wed May 21 21:13:42 EDT 2008


Rob,

My father's family were dairy farmers from New York.  In fact, the town
where I grew up, was were Velveta Cheese was invented.  The old cheese
factory is now the fire department.

Captain Rummy is mixing up family farming with the big conglomerates
collecting big cash for all sorts of  farm subsidies.  Often they do little
farming, just rake in subsidies.  The lands that are eligible for subsidies
sell to speculators like gas futures.

I have no problem with some farm subsudies, but would limit the total amount
paid to any individual, family or conglomerate.  Let us say $500,000.  The
biggies would yell at that figure because many collect millions.  And even
Rummy could live with that figure, you would think.  On the other side,
maybe Captain Rummy would learn to fish off his fancy dock for dinner?

Ed K
Greenville, SC, USA
http://www.nabble.com/file/p17395427/roses%2Bblumming.gif roses+blumming.gif 


Rummy,
I do understand the economics of farming and how hard farmers work.  Have a
good friend that's a dairy farmer.  But how much of the farm bill subsidies
go to them?  I have no problem helping the family farm.  My biggest concern
is most of the money seems to go to agri-buisnesses that don't need the
subsidies or go to farmers not to grow crops to keep the prices high (sugar
being one example).  If they can put together a farm bill that helps the
farmers that need help, I'm all for that, (even if Ed would call that
socialism).  But I don't see this bill doing that.  Too much junk in it and
payments to people that don't need them.  sure, most bills out of Congress
seem to do that.  I'm don't know what the answer to that is. - rob


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <R22RumRunner at aol.com>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 11:07 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Farming - Not Really, It's Politics


> 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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>
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> 1;ord=84840268?>
>
>
> *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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