Where The Trough Is Overflowing

[Guest]

That's the title of a recent New York Times article on a new bill to be considered by Congress renewing and even increasing the direct payments and price support subsidies paid to farm owners for the next ten years or so. Here's a brief excerpt from the article..."Every five years or so, Congress promises a new, improved farm bill that will end unnecessary subsidies to big farmers, enhance the environment and actually do something to help small farmers and small towns. But what it usually does is find ways of disguising the old inequities, sending taxpayers dollars to wealthy farmers, accelerating the expansion of industrial farming, inflating land prices and further depopulating rural America.

The new five-year farm bill that could hit the Senate floor as early as this week promises more of the same — excessively generous handouts, combined with a serious erosion of environmental protections. The nearly trillion-dollar bill would provide over 10 years roughly $140 billion in farm subsidies, $55 billion or so in conservation programs and more than $750 billion in food stamp aid."Just one table shown in the article pretty much tells it all. 26% of all the aid paid to farmers will go to only 1% of farm owners. 76% of the payments will go to only 10% of farm owners. It's pretty clear that the lobbyists for the corporate-owned farms are doing their job very well. And Congress has covered their butts as well, by making sure that the food stamp program is included in the farm aid bill. Can't have one without the other, right?

We're about to find out just how conservative the Congress really is, particularly the House which is in the firm control of the Republicans. This bill is starting in the Senate, but has to be passed by both houses of Congress, of course. And it's hard to argue that any of the 535 members are pandering for a lot of votes from the family farmers. The vast majority of big farms are corporate-owned these days. This will be as clear an evidence of lobbyists buying votes as any piece of legislation you'll see introduced in Congress anytime soon.

So I'll ask all of you to keep your eyes and ears open. Let's see how much news coverage or debate this trillion dollar piece of legislation gets. Let's see if either presidential candidate even mentions it. Let's see how serious the GOP is about cutting spending. This bill can't get passed without all the Republican votes.

Hey, it's only another trillion dollars!

Here's the link to the entire article...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/where-the-trough-is-overflowing.html?_r=1

[Guest]

"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 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120604/us-farm-subsidies/)

[Guest]

"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 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120604/us-farm-subsidies/)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.

[Guest]

The nearly trillion-dollar bill on the Senate floor would provide over 10 years roughly $140 billion in farm subsidies, $55 billion or so in conservation programs and more than $750 billion in food stamp aid.

$750 billion in food stamps (three-quarters of the total spending on the "farm bill")?? 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.

There are a lot of government programs that the conservatives call "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.

Will be watching....just wanted to post a completely different set of facts as you presented. Amazing how much these sites give you two different versions of the same story !!!

[Guest]

Will be watching....just wanted to post a completely different set of facts as you presented. Amazing how much these sites give you two different versions of the same story !!!

That is why I have repeatedly said that links prove nothing. People always ask for links....they are always biased toward one political side or the other....worthless for the most part. :(

[Guest]

That is why I have repeatedly said that links prove nothing. People always ask for links....they are always biased toward one political side or the other....worthless for the most part. :(


A couple things on your post....I agree generally with what you say.

First, folks ask for a link because, unfortunetly folks come on here and simply make things up or mostly just leave things out. This is truly sad but if you want to discuss things you cant just say things.

Big thing for ME is...I learn this way. As with this particular thread. I do not accept a link without doing my own investigation. Does a couple things for me....makes you aware of posters who dont care about truth at all, AND you learn doing the investigation.

I am a bit addicted to the reading and learning thing so it works for me, but getting the facts straight is imperative. I also have a thing for liars and lying.