Posted on 06/11/2012 5:59:43 AM PDT by Kaslin
Vilifying the productive is a leftist trick. The economic argument if you want: how bout halving entitlements. Entitlements are busting economies aaround the world, not business subsidies.
“Also that they complained how no one could make a living farming while driving new Cadillacs, Lincolns...”
Things haven’t changed a bit. I grew up in Iowa and in the 50’s that was still true...during the depression FDR’s Secretary of Agriculture (and later, VP), Henry Wallace, an Iowa boy, was responsible for initiating a lot of what is still wrong with agriculture today.
Don’t lose sight of the fact that the Farm Bill also sets research agendas for the next 5 year period, including biofuels research and subsidies. The USDA increased its emphasis in biofuels as a means of maintaining “relevance” and increasing funding. The farm bill helps to set research agendas not only for appropriated USDA funds, but also for University researchers which compete for taxpayer dollars based on agendas outlined in the Farm Bill.
As a nation blessed by abundant energy resources, we are wasting hundreds of millions of dollars chasing grass as a source of fuel. What a joke.
We are borrowing 1/3 of every dollar spent, and can’t find anything to cut in the budget? Let me help.
Doesn’t look like you are going to have to worry about that any time soon. The new farm bill touted as a money saver is according to some economists expected to add to the present subsidies a cool trillion over ten years, thus not saving a dime.
No one who is in their right mind, is going to argue the point that food isn’t a pretty important commodity, and we are feeding more with fewer farmers. A shortage of fuel, parts, seed, chemicals, desire, or a catastrophic weather event could place the world at risk. We have not had such since the dirty thirties.
Last I heard the deficit is 40% of every dollar spent by the federal government.
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