Bush seeks to cut farm program funds

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070131/ap_on_go_pr_wh/budget_farm_bill;_ylt=Ahkc7VDjQmCxVOj3zKtvvwCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OTB1amhuBHNlYwNtdHM-

Bush seeks to cut farm program funds

By LIBBY QUAID, AP Food and Farm Writer 1 hour, 10 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Trying to tighten the federal budget, the Bush administration on Wednesday proposed to reduce farm payments $18 billion over the next five years.


Agriculture Secretary
Mike Johanns is not seeking major changes in the nation's farm subsidy program, which major farm groups and lawmakers in Congress want to retain.

However, the administration is seeking to eliminate farm payments for wealthy producers and to limit subsidies to those who make less than $200,000 in adjusted gross income annually. The current income cap is $2.5 million.

Lawmakers are anticipating having fewer dollars for farm programs when Congress writes a new farm bill this year.
President Bush has promised to balance the budget within five years, and the Democratic-run Congress is insisting on budget cuts to pay for new spending.
.......

[DainBramaged]

1. Distraction, lies, blah blah blah, line item veto, Sarbane Oxley, lies

He speaks on Wall Street as I type this. I think he has been drinking the tea again, he is being very king-like and demanding congress bend over. As if the Democrats are responsible for his party's uncontrolled spending.

Lie lie lie, bullshit, blah, blah, activist judges, lie lie kiss ass, lie.


The gist of a Buh speech.


On edit,

Bet your ass he is going to try to eiminate food stamps because he equates higher minimum wage with being able to pay for food too. Watch the Thugs try to pass this off. Bet the farm.

[sakabatou]

2. Great...

:eyes:

[havocmom]

3. Guns or butter? No, coming to guns or bread. Try eating guns.

Is this nation safer for having to rely on imported foods? One of the first things the GOP Congress did after 2000 was to scrap requirements for foods to be labeled with Country of Origin. Now, who knows how dependent we are on foreign imports (via huge multi-national corporations mostly) for our food? It WAS about 40% when we had the labels. Now? You better think about it!

If depending on Big Oil and the Sauds is a crippling policy, what does depending on the same sorts of corporate giants for food do for us?

We might wanna keep agriculture viable in America. And we might wanna keep the family (yes, many are incorporated, but they aren't the same as Big Ag) farmers running their own operations.

How we all gonna do when Big Ag controls our bellies like Big Oil rules our gas tanks?

[kestrel91316]

4. Corporate factory farms don't need any subsidies. Period. If they can't

turn a profit in agriculture, that's TOUGH. Let the families take the sector back!

Buy local! Support your local family farms! Boycott industrial agriculture!

[liberal N proud]

5. I wonder what those predominately Republican farmers will think of that?

They always talk republican talk and then they get screwed.

[CoffeeCat]

7. You can bet they are all down at the local coffee shops...

...spitting nails on the formica counters.

I live in Iowa, and Bush kow towed to these Iowa Farmers--and promised them the moon. He
convinced them that he was one of them, and that he was on their side.

You can bet that they are mad as hell.

I don't know how our uber-Republican-senator Grassley is going to explain this one to the peeps.

I am not necessarily a cheerleader for subsidizing rich, corporate farmers. However, I saw
Junior reel them in. I heard those speeches. He lied to them--as he stood in the middle
of cornfields in his "casual clothing"--posing as "a regular guy that you'd like to have a
beer with". He bamboozled them and totally screwed them over.

The end of farm subsidies may not be the end of the world. However--when our leaders screw over
their base--and treat their most loyal demographics like throw-away chattel--that says something.

Junior used to pretend that he had a base. He doesn't even give a rip about that anymore. He
listens to 12 neocons who are steamrolling our world toward Dante's Inferno--and the rest of us can eat
hot death.

They aren't even faking it any more. And he doesn't care if we know it.

[liberal N proud]

8. I grew up in Iowa and know those farmers and the coffee shops they are all sitting in.

[CoffeeCat]

6. I'd just like to highlight Junior's glaring lies!

In August of 04, when Junior was running for President, he couldn't' say enough nice things to the
Farmers at the Farm Progress Show, in Alleman, Iowa.

Here's a few excerpts:
"A strong farm economy is good for our nation's economy, and we have a strong farm economy today. We're seeing record exports for farm products. Farm income is up. And that means people are making a living here in rural -- rural Iowa. And that is good for the United States of America, and I intend to keep it that way. (Applause.)

"It's good for Iowa farmers that we're opening up markets. See, I think you can compete with any farmer, anyplace, anytime, and all you need is a chance, a level playing field. This administration is committed to making sure Iowa farm products are sold all over the world."

And on and on and on and on he went---with his flannel shirt and his fake-folksy demeanor.

Say what you want about farm-subsidy program. The point is---this man BLATANTLY DECEIVED a lot of people, who believed
that he was on their side.

To cap off this ridiculousness---what kind of a country cuts programs for the farmers who GROW OUR FOOD---while billions
daily are wasted down a rat hole fighting a hoarked up civil-war mess that we helped to create?

This country has gone ape shit.

Guns and butter....no wait! Screw the butter. Just guns!

[denverbill]

9. Wow. I was about to slam Bush, but instead, I agree with him for once.

It sucks that huge corporate farms suck down enormous subsidies while family farms go under. It's ridiculous to keep subsidizing corporate farms. Unless I'm missing some fine print, I agree 100% with this move.

[Kolesar]

11. I never thought I would see this pure-conservative policy change...eom

[Kolesar]

10. Remember folks, agribusiness is the major advocate of globalization

They want their (subsidized) products to be sold in poor countries. They can and will undersell the local farmers and create massive displacement of people who lose their livlihoods.

[aggiesal]

12. All those farmers in Red States, ...

like Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, North & South Dakota, the list goes on, ...
voted against their own best interest. Serves them right.

I predict that more government programs will need to be cut, to make sure the richest 1%
can keep their tax breaks.