Sowing More Big Government with the Farm Bill
Posted June 3rd, 2008 by Michael Nystrom
output
by Ron Paul | Texas Straight Talk
June 1, 2008
Recently Congress sent the latest Farm Bill to the president. The bill features brand new federal programs, expansion of existing subsidies, more food stamps and more foreign food aid. This bill hits the taxpayer hard, while at the same time ensuring food prices will remain elevated. The president vetoed the bill, citing concerns over its costs and subsidies for the wealthy in a time of high food prices and record farm income. Nevertheless, this over-reaching, government-expanding Farm Bill will soon be law.
The truth is most farmers simply want honest pay for honest work. However, if the government is providing competing farms with advantages, and one wants to remain a farmer, one must seek a proportional advantage from government. It is a difficult position for the farmer. Some are better at qualifying for taxpayers’ largesse than others as evidenced by the fact that more than 60% of the subsidies go to just 10% of recipients, edging out the small family farm. This entire system is unfair and demoralizing. It disproportionately benefits big agribusiness at the expense of struggling family farms.
Third world countries also lose with these continued government manipulations. Agricultural subsidies lead to overproduction, which leads to foreign food aid as a form of dumping. By “dumping” government-created agricultural surpluses, agrarian economies are artificially kept in a constant state of economic depression. The would-be third world farmer cannot compete with “free” grain, thus he and his countrymen remain perpetual beggars rather than competitive producers. Also, by keeping food prices high, we keep more of our own citizens dependent on government food stamps, instead of paying fair market prices for food.
Free trade helps farmers and consumers much more than this convoluted system of subsidies, surpluses and central planning. Newly opened markets would create increased demand for what we produce. There is absolutely no reason we trade with China , yet not with Cuba . With energy and transportation prices as high as they are, opening up trade with a country as close as Cuba just makes sense. The recent power shift from Fidel Castro to his brother Raul, and the somewhat positive steps he has taken, provides an opportunity to lift the embargo.
Removing unreasonable, confiscatory tax policies would also make good farm policy. We need to permanently repeal the estate tax, which would again take a devastating 55% cut of family farms upon death of an owner. This tax will force the sale of many family farms, and further huge corporate agriculture.
Those who believe federal farm programs benefit independent farmers, should take note that after 70 years of this type of government intervention, small farms continue to struggle while large corporate farms control an ever-increasing share of the agricultural market. Subsidies for agribusiness should be stopped and the free market should be allowed to work. With commodity and food prices on the rise, Congress had an opportunity to scale down government controls and taxpayer funding of agriculture. Instead, despite the warning sent by an 18% approval rating, Congress stubbornly opted for more of the same.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Expect more of the same in this area- Unless WE ACT
For those who have not had the opportunity to see the bigger picture on why the US government wants to control food production, in our own country & around the world, I urge you to visit www.healthfreedoomUSA.org to learn about the planned "nutricide" of clean, healthy food. Learn why Monsanto Corp. has bought the rites to almost every seed known to man and works to genetically modify them to the planned detriment of a majority of the world's population. This is not science fiction but scientific fact! If the links don't work, then watch this video- http://video.google.com/v... .
Once the family farm is completely dissolved, and Agribiz has total control of every bite of food you and your children consume, sprayed with God knows what to do yes the unthinkable, well you know the rest. In the US we already have weakening standards for Organic labeled food and a 10% limit vs. .01% as is acceptable in the rest of the world, limit for pesticide and non-organic ingredients in these higher priced foods. Did you know that in the US it is "illegal" to label genetically modified food? Why? Because the government knows if you had a choice to make an educated decision you would most likely pick the non-GMO food!
I have been following and supporting the Natural Solutions Foundation work for about a year and a half. The amount of legislation being introduced to make vitamins illegal, or perscriptionize them as has already been done in Europe, as well remove information that can be shared about the benefits of natural whole foods and supplements, which will keep your brain working better longer so you can actually understand what is happening to this big pot of water we frogs are sitting in , is alarming and ever increasing. If you aren't sick and don't take pills by Big Pharma, which make you sicker, than you are not helping these guys profit. So why should you even continue to exist?
This whole very illogical and detrimental farm subsidy business really makes a lot of sense in their game plan. WHO BENEFITS & WHY???? Please visit the www.healthfreedomusa.org website to learn more about the CODEX agenda. Please consider supporting Natural Solutions not just with money but with your time & talent. Get the word out just like Dr. Paul has done to educate so many millions of people to the truth! This is the site where I actually learned about Ron Paul since he is the only presidential candidate with a Health Freedom platform.
It may seem like a small piece in the puzzle, but just consider that those who control the food, control the masses. It won't matter how much gold or silver you have stock piled away if the food you eat and water you drink slowly poisons you- and yes, that is already happening. Please get educated and ACT NOW.
The government has created a welfare State
out of many industries and population segments. It really boils down to the fact that the government doesn't have to account for anything they spend.....they have a checkbook that never has to be balanced. If we write a check that doesn't clear, boy will we hear about it......but when the government does it, it's just called a deficit, and the balance doesn't seem to matter, because it doesn't! If that incredible power were to be taken away, wouldn't things change.
Farmers, timber, land bank, subsidies go out to almost every conceivable industry you can name. We even subsidize foreigners to come here and receive free education, and then take over our jobs.........Go to any university these days, and watch to top of the class graduate, they're all foreigners. I'm glad they're smart, but do we have to PAY to educate them further? Look around at your local doctors, you're not seeing as many Smiths and Joneses anymore, are you?
Take away the unlimited ability to spend money that you don't have, and we'll return to a much more "credible" government. We're now being governed by a brood of vipers who reward the best scammers, as long as the contributions come back home.
Did anyone else read where the money is going?
If this is the same farm bill that I read about a few weeks ago (which I'm pretty sure it is), part of the money is going to subsidize farming in Alaska. Why is anything being grown in Alaska in the first place, and what the hell do they hope to accomplish by subsidizing it? This BS makes no sense.
Speaking as one of those
struggling family farmers... I say, this farm bill s*cks! Sorry, but I find it maddening that the powers that be just don't seem to get it. My farm needs more land, but the "big farm" close by is able to pay up to 3 times more than the land is worth because of this bill. It seams clear to me that government wants to see the family farm disappear. Well, we will continue to do what we can... we are a bunch of fighters.
Christi
Proud Ron Paul Supporter
Bump - This entire system is unfair and demoralizing.
Subsidies for agribusiness should be stopped and the free market should be allowed to work.
Trying to keep
the small farmer down and out. I believe in what Ron Paul says time and time again, "When you subsidize something, you get more of it."
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Chinese Proverb ...
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Anyone
who knows people in the farming business has realized for many years that there is a concerted effort between gov't and big-agri business to slowly manipulate the small family farms and small business farms out of business, and strengthen the oligopoly of the large corporations in food production.
If you doubt this, talk to a farmer.