House Democrats botch chance to overhaul wasteful crop spending.
Why do you think nothing changes in Washington?
USATODAYS-If now isn’t the time to overhaul the nation’s Depression-era system of farm subsidies, it’s hard to imagine a better one.
Crop prices are high, driven in part by a huge demand for corn to make ethanol, which squeezes the land available for other crops and raises their prices as well. Democrats took over Congress last year, vowing to show they’re the financially responsible stewards their Republican predecessors were not. And President Bush asked Congress to direct the subsidies to the smaller, family farmers that politicians love to claim they support.
So, given this confluence of events, what did House Democrats do? Not much. Last week, under heavy pressure from farm organizations and fearing for the survival of Democratic freshmen from rural districts, they pushed through a business-as-usual farm bill that largely extends the current subsidy system for five more years.
In a small nod toward change, the bill cut the $2.5 million annual income limit for getting subsidies to $1 million (or $2 million if a husband and wife each claim subsidies). House Democratic leaders called this “reform,” but it was just a ghost of the real thing. Bush had proposed a $200,000 ceiling.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:44 am
I’ve been working “outside the box” as a Republican for free enterprise and competition. Organic foods and small farmers are a TECTONIC FORCE!!! It’s better for the country, cheaper “healthcare” and better to eat also!!!
http://www.localharvest.org/
http://www.organicconsumers.org/
http://www.georgiaorganics.org/
August 1st, 2007 at 7:57 am
re: “Crop prices are high, driven in part by a huge demand for corn to make ethanol, which squeezes the land available for other crops and raises their prices as well.”
(and depletes the soil also) Fertile land doesn’t last forever without either good stewardship (organic farmers)or flooding (like the Mississippi valley before all the dams)
August 1st, 2007 at 8:06 am
John
I don’t think taxpayers should pay one penny for these commodity grains which go overseas “feeding the world” or for ethanol production!!!!
August 1st, 2007 at 8:14 am
When the government gets involved in agricultural production you’re destroying free markets with a ham-fisted top down approach which is destructive overall. Just look at what happened to rice production in Cambodia after Pol Pot took over.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:26 am
Looks like ADM has dedicated a separate web page for North America. (I feel so special) Does anybody have to guess where the loyalties lie with this GIANT WELFARE QUEEN??? (the United States or the North American Union??)
http://www.admworld.com/naen/