tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post7941154859185638252..comments2024-02-03T07:12:06.620-05:00Comments on U.S. Food Policy: House and Senate pass Farm Billusfoodpolicyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098394318544229984noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-90215695265225593142008-06-05T04:32:00.000-04:002008-06-05T04:32:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-50530112619421655692008-05-28T06:51:00.000-04:002008-05-28T06:51:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-79927397024094683672008-05-16T15:19:00.000-04:002008-05-16T15:19:00.000-04:00Yes, it's far from a perfect bill. Yes there are l...Yes, it's far from a perfect bill. Yes there are loopholes that allow larger farmers to gain greater gov't pmts. It is slowly correcting that.<BR/><BR/>One thing missing by most bloggers, critics, etc, are facts...for example, the subsidies to farmers comprise only 14% of this bill. See this AP story...<BR/><BR/><I>Glance: A cost breakdown of farm bill programs<BR/>By The Associated Press<BR/><BR/>Domestic nutrition programs make up the largest portion of the estimated $300 billion farm bill. Crop subsidies make up roughly 14 percent, foreign food aid less than 1 percent.<BR/><BR/>A breakdown of the bill:<BR/><BR/>_ Food stamps and other domestic nutrition programs such as emergency food assistance: just over 66 percent, about $200 billion.<BR/><BR/>_ Subsidies for rice, cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops: 14 percent, around $43 billion.<BR/><BR/>_ Conservation programs to set aside or protect environmentally sensitive farmland: 9 percent, about $27 billion.<BR/><BR/>_ Crop insurance to help farmers protect against losses: 8 percent, about $23 billion.<BR/><BR/>_ Foreign food aid would make up less than 1 percent of the bill, costing less than $200 million. The bulk of international food assistance is in annual appropriations bills.</I><BR/><BR/>Hmmmm...interesting.<BR/><BR/>Couple other points that are often made by the ill-informed that touch a raw nerve...<BR/>1. It's the price of oil that is driving up food prices, not ethanol subsidies.<BR/>2. Many if not most family farms today ARE corporate farms. <BR/><BR/>And for those wanting to continue to complain about the farm bill...how about Iraq, where our government is spending $1.3 TRILLON...and the war has boosted the cost of oil from $25 in 2003 to $125 per barrel today. And the war adds $120 Billion to the national debt every year. And for what??!!<BR/><BR/>And that doesn't account for the Mideast oil we buy that funds the war against us. Hmmmm. Quite an administration we have in office!Kurt Lawtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14852065305911397351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437268.post-38243861545440978212008-05-16T13:40:00.000-04:002008-05-16T13:40:00.000-04:00There are so many other needs right now in America...There are so many other needs right now in American agriculture that cutting subsidies to rich farmers is the right thing to do. Our food assistance programs will be growing by leaps and bounds if the current price of food continues to rise. America's hungry will need support, not the farmers who are driving food prices higher to take advantage of the run to biofuel.Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12170705394936400505noreply@blogger.com