Quote:
Originally Posted by Bucco
"A program that puts billions of dollars in the pockets of farmers whether or not they plant a crop may disappear with hardly a protest from farm groups and the politicians who look out for their interests.
The Senate is expected to begin debate this week on a five-year farm and food aid bill that would save $9.3 billion by ending direct payments to farmers and replacing them with subsidized insurance programs for when the weather turns bad or prices go south."
"Getting a bill to the president's desk will be a challenge. Most of the bill's spending is on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, at an annual cost now of about $75 billion. The Republican-led House is looking for greater cuts to this program than the Democratic Senate will accept"
Farmers face squeeze in proposed subsidy cuts
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The bill on the Senate floor would provide roughly $140 billion in farm subsidies, $55 billion or so in conservation programs and more than $750 billion in food stamp aid, almost a trillion dollars over ten years.
$750 billion in food stamps?? If the GOP and the Tea Party really means what they stand for, this amount ought to be cut dramatically and then maybe phased out completely over the next decade. But I'm predicting that they'll pass this thing in an attempt to get the votes of the lower income people. Then the GOP will wail loudly that "Obama added a trillion dollars to the national debt, mostly for food stamps". Nothing will be farther from the truth. I'm not defending Obama, but if this thing passes, it will be the GOP that passes it.
There are a lot of government programs that the GOP calls "redistribution of wealth" and criticize vociferously. Like raising the taxes on the wealthiest 1-2% of the population. The food stamp program really is redistribution of wealth and I hear very little criticism.
Again, I say--let's watch what happens on this one. It'll tell all of us a lot about what we can expect from the "fiscally conservative" Republicans in the Congress, particularly the House, where the GOP has complete control. Talk and sound bites are cheap. Making difficult legislative decisions is tougher.