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

Wed May 21 11:33:38 EDT 2008

Rob,

I think that you just happened on the historical, political and defacto 
answer to the problem quite by an accident of how I read your last line. 
You said "I'm (sic) don't know what the answer to that is." and then you 
gave the classic answer in a one word sentence, "Rob."  Sorry, I just had to 
...

Mike
s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)
Nissequogue River, NY

From: "Rob Lowe" <rlowe at vt.edu>Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 11:27 AM
> 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
>>
>>
> <http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/36c7/3/0/%2a/c%3B188005957%3B0-0%3B0
>>
> %3B12925750%3B4307-300/250%3B26579901/26597758/1%3B%3B%7Eokv%3D%3Bptype%3Dps
>>
> %3Bslug%3Dchi-oped0520mccainmay20%3Brg%3Dur%3Bref%3Dchicagotribunecom%3Bpos%
>>
> 3D1%3Bdcopt%3Dist%3Bsz%3D300x250%3Btile%3D1%3B%7Eaopt%3D2/0/ff/1%3B%7Esscs%3
>>
> D%3fhttp://tribads.chicagotribune.com/jump_pages/gm/ads/0508/week3/showroom.
>> htm>
>>
> <http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/trb.chicagotribune/news/opinion;ptype=ps;slu
>>
> g=chi-oped0520mccainmay20;rg=ur;ref=chicagotribunecom;pos=1;sz=300x250;tile=
>> 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.*
>> __________________________________________________
>> Use  Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?  www.rhodes22.org/list
>>
>>
>> __________________________________________________
>> Use  Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?  www.rhodes22.org/list
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on
> family
>> favorites at AOL Food.
>> (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)
>> __________________________________________________
>> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list 