Posted on 12/13/2015 10:26:17 AM PST by Red Steel
If you grow it, they will grovel.
Something about the cornfields of Iowa makes otherwise sensible conservatives suddenly adopt liberal agriculture policies.
In fact, our preferred candidate for President, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, supports a crop insurance provision that was tacked onto the recently approved transportation reauthorization bill. At least he's honest about it.
Sen. Ted Cruz flip-flopped on the issue live on the Senate floor.
As the Senate clerk was calling the roll on the crop insurance amendment, Cruz voted against it. But after Kansas's Pat Roberts bent his ear, Cruz switched his vote, supporting an additional $3 billion in federal crop insurance subsidies.
Cruz, along with Sens. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, then proceeded to vote against the underlying bill with the crop insurance spending they supported.
Because, you know, they're all such strong fiscal conservatives.
Cruz isn't the first senator to change his vote after getting his arm twisted, and he won't be the last. Such log-rolling is how laws get passed.
Except that Cruz holds himself above the messy business of legislation, railing against Republican leadership for making such deals at the expense of conservative principles. A spokesman says Cruz always supported the crop insurance program, but thought he was voting for cloture on the overall bill.
That would make a great bumper sticker.
"Cruz '16: Not pandering - just confused."
Sorry. Cruz voted for cloture on giving Obama TPA authority, which still sucks. Voting for bills before voting against them is not what I expected when I voted for Senator Cruz. It sounds more like what I expect Cornyn would do. I realize TPA has been around for a while. So has a bunch of other stuff that sucks.
By: Ben Howe (Diary) | November 23rd, 2015
| The longer that Donald Trump's campaign for president goes on, the more he is exposed as a deeply unconservative, anti-free market, anti-limited government liberal who has just conned the media and a bunch of poor, low-information voters into thinking he's conservative by saying a bunch of inflammatory things, usually involving women or minorities.
The latest example: Turns out Trump is big into ethanol mandates and thinks the Renewable Fuel Standard is the bomb. I missed this recently, because catching it would have entailed reading TrumpBart, whose leadership presumably is also all-in for ethanol mandates, socialized medicine, saving the environment from Indian software engineers with H1B visas, auto bailouts, eminent domain abuse, and other deeply unconservative things that Trump likes. But I digress, here's what the TrumpBart piece says:
Billionaire presidential candidate Donald Trump met with leaders of POET, an ethanol company here in Iowa, and some of the co-chairs of the American Renewable Fuels group to talk about the importance of ethanol.
"You know what? he said. "I went out to see some of the folks on the ethanol. Good stuff and great people, put a lot of people to work out here. I just want to thank them, they're doing an amazing job.'
After the rally, one attendee shouted out to Trump as he was signing posters for supporters: "Mr. Trump, What do you think about ethanol?"
"I love it, I'm for it," Trump said simply before exiting the stage.
Now, it is not completely new that Trump is showing himself to be a big-time supporter of ethanol mandates, which are very bad for average American families, drivers, the environment, and basically everything and everyone except Big Corn and politicians willing to sell their souls and compromise their principles to try to guarantee victory in Iowa. Trump recently strongly endorsed ethanol, with about the only media who bothered to notice being the Des Moines Register's Kathy Obradovich tweeting.
But let this serve as yet another reminder: Trump is not a conservative. He has deeply un-conservative and nutty policy ideas. The list of reasons why he should not be the standard-bearer for the GOP heading into 2016 is growing by the minute, and it was already long.
It is beyond me how we've reached a point where voting for a liberal Democrat with an (R) next to his name is the only way to prove you're true conservative, but that's where we are I suppose.
I look forward to all of the Trump fans on twitter explaining to me why the catastrophic RFS mandate is now the greatest conservative idea since tax cuts.
I’m not the one supporting ethanol mandates and subsidies. Trump is, and criticizes Cruz because Cruz doesn’t support subsidies.
http://www.lloyds.com/lloyds/about-us/history/corporate-history/the-early-days
From the rise of Lloyd’s as a maritime insurer to the growth of Lloyd’s non marine market in the US.
1688 First mention of Lloyd’s.
—
So, insurance did exist before the US Constitution. (not crop insurance specifically)
Ethanol does not get a subsidy.
I agree. It was not meant as a criticism. I’m sure Cruz had sound reason for not supporting the bill. McConnell contaminates everything he touches.
Ethanol does not get a subsidy.
Ethanol does not get a subsidy.
So there really isn’t a quote from Trump supporting ethanol subsidies and mandates specifically? He just loves ethanol?
Ethanol does not get a subsidy.
Uhh, it is mandatory to carry crop insurance if you want to qualify for farm support programs. And there are “strings” attached to those programs. I despise the entire bureaucracy that goes with that.
I am idealogically opposed to all such programs. And I do farm and have an associated seed business. It is an incredibly complex and regulated business.
My family has owned/operated farms in this county since 1889. When the original farm programs began, my ancestors refused to participate for a number of years.
He was for The Gang of 8 Bill before he was against it. He even proposed amendments to it, then lied about why he did it.
He was for increasing H1b visas before he was against them
He was for green cards for illegals before he was against them.
He's a self-proclaimed constitutionalist but had to be schooled by Trump and Levin on the unconstitutional anchor baby scam.
He voted away his constitutional right of veto in favor of giving Obama/Kerry unconstitutional authority to give Iran a nuclear bomb.
He makes a stupid vote then gets up, in an empty chamber, waving his arm as if there's anyone else there and whines that he was lied to.
Brilliant constitutionalist conservative my ass.
He's a fraud of the highest (or lowest) order and he's not even a good liar.
Ethanol does not get a subsidy
Ethanol does not get a subsidy.
No, you’re supporting the un-Constitutional spending that benefits a constituency you favor.
Period.
L
You’re really out to lunch on this one. All the corn crops around where I live are subsidized.
?
http://www.wsj.com/articles/dirty-rotten-ethanol-scoundrels-1433716070
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/01/ethanol-subsidies-not-gone-just-hidden-little-better
http://www.taxpayer.net/library/article/corn-ethanol-subsidies-are-alive-and-well
These are a variety of sources, liberal, conservative and so-called “mainstream” asserting that while a DIRECT tax credit subsidy may be GONE from federal monies, there are other ways ethanol production is supported by the taxpayer.
Nevertheless, I still think this isn’t a huge issue facing the nation.
Cruz has done some things I did not expect when I voted for him. I still like the guy, I just don’t trust him anywhere near as much as I did before he started running for President.
If you receive Medicare or Social Security, give that money back. They are not in the Constitution. Neither is public funding for education.
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