Is it Time for the Government to Get Out of the “Non-Farming” Business?

[peregrinus_WA]

From my Blog:

Although I do not put much credence in the “shock articles” indicative of the Main Stream Media, I believe they may be doing a service for once. There is a need to produce more agricultural goods.

With the push for bio-fuels (which I contend does not have to be made out of and currently produced food stock), and rising food prices, farmers need to bring their fields back into production. What stops them? The government subsidising farmers not to plant crops. Billions of taxpayer dollars are wasted on this program. In addition, these subsidies cause prices to remain artificially high, thus creating an extra burden on the country and the world.

With over 30 million acres inactive (and that is just registered farm land) , just think how much more crops could be produced and what the reduction in prices would mean.

 

[vern_humphrey]

My Congressman, Marion Berry (1st District, Arkansas) is a non-farmer. He was instrumental in passing an “emergency” farm bill that netted him, personally $80,000.

What kind of an emergency makes it more expensive to not farm?

 

[didymus]

The government needs to get out of the farming business, the “non-farming” business, out of business generally. Burning crops for fuel is just about the stupidest idea ever conceived by the mind of man, so of course it receives a Federal subsidy.

But of course, politics trumps all. You can forget ideology. Conservatives devoted to the “free market” (as if it ever existed) are glad to vote for farm subsidies.
And I heard on NPR awhile ago that a well-known liberal (oh, so concerned about developing countries) on a trip to Africa, when informed by one of the presidents there that what would help his country most was a lowering of US import restrictions, the response was basically, “Sorry, pal, I’m from a farm state.”

 

[peregrinus_WA]

Burning crops for fuel is just about the stupidest idea ever conceived by the mind of man, so of course it receives a Federal subsidy.

The technology is available to make biofuels out of non-foodstock materials.

Algae, weed trees, sawdust, sewage… The list goes on forever on what can be made into biofuels. I am following one company that is about to come on-line with algae based biofuels.

In addition, with rising prices, we can get rid of non desirable crops like tobacco and replace it with something useful.

I have written about it both on other threads here and on my blog.

 

[peregrinus_WA]

Negotiators reach tentative farm bill deal
JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press WriterSat Apr 26, 3:09 AM ET

Congressional negotiators reached a tentative agreement Friday on a multibillion-dollar farm bill that includes a hefty increase for nutrition programs at a time of rising food prices.

An intense series of closed-door bargaining sessions over how to pay for the five-year, roughly $280 billion bill ended Friday afternoon with senior Democrats expressing optimism that they would soon be sending the measure to President Bush.

Full Story

That is an average of 56 Billion per year. That is obscene. The Nanny state must be stopped.

 

[vern_humphrey]

That is an average of 56 Billion per year. That is obscene. The Nanny state must be stopped.

I raised that issue when I ran for Congress in '04. My opponent, Marion Berry (Dem, 1st District, Arkansas) has made far more as a non-farmer than he makes as a Congressman (and Congressmen make between 3 and 4 times what the average American makes.)

But he’s learned to hide it. You have to go to the Federal Election Commission for his financial statement, make a list of all the companies, partnerships, etc., that he declares, then go to the Department of Agriculture with a Freedom of Information request for the money given to those entities.

And some of them aren’t listed – he was in the news a year of so ago, trying to force someone to give back a farm that he had transferred ownership on to avoid the publicity.