Posted on 09/17/2012 7:30:14 AM PDT by Kaslin
Congress may not be popular – just one in seven Americans approve of the job they’re doing – but they are creative. Instead of quietly leaving town ahead of the elections, some lawmakers have decided they should start blaming their constituents for the lack of legislative progress in Washington.
Literally.
At a rally in support of the massive $1 trillion farm and food stamp bill, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee blamed farmers for the lack of legislative action. Congressman Collin Peterson (D-MN) said, “The groundswell is not out there. It is not happening at the grassroots level.”
In many ways, this is a welcome development. Perhaps Senator Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) celebratory comments on the demise of the Tea Party were premature. Nevertheless, the real question is why is the groundswell lacking? Well, despite predictions earlier this year that farmers would see a 6.5% decrease in income because of the drought, farm income is now expected to hit a record $122.2 billion!
Undaunted by reality, Peterson touted the rally as “a good starting point” and urged more action. He said, “we need 100 or 200 calls from people in their districts” to lawmakers. If that doesn’t happen, he warned, “we’re not going to get a farm bill.”
Anecdotal evidence suggests farmers did not occupy the congressional phone lines.
Peterson concluded, “It’s that simple. We went through August and we really didn’t see the groundswell of support out there. We’ve got to make this happen. You’ve got to make this happen. It’s got to come from the grassroots.”
The message from Peterson and others is simple: if the farm bill fails, it’s your fault, not ours.
Another reason (besides record income) farmers were not picking up the phone is because, for many, they are in the midst of an early harvest season. Despite the drought, many farmers are enjoying better than expected yields thanks to advances in farming technology.
Bill Simmons, who farms 1,300 acres of corn in Iowa, told Missouri’s WBIA his new drought-resistant seed is “doing really well for us all things considered.” A grain marketing specialist (yup, you read that right) warned, “things look good so far, but the proof is in the yield at the end of the year.” Late last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported drought-related crop losses will be smaller than initially feared.
Peterson tried Rahm Emanuel’s approach, but people didn’t buy the crisis he was selling…and it’s all your fault!
Oh, and if you’re feeling guilty about failing your lawmakers, you may want to know the special interests lobbyists are not happy, either. According to The Hill, several lobbyists shifted the blame to “Tea Party sentiment [that] runs strong against the bill due to the hefty prices tag for farm programs.”
While the bill’s cost is an issue, it is not the only issue. What special interest lobbyists cannot understand is that government intervention distorts the market, thus harming consumers and taxpayers by increasing the real cost of goods and service.
Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) explains government intervention distorts “information that is absolutely essential to consumers to make rational decisions in the marketplace." His colleague, Tom McClintock (R-CA) had a simple solution: the government "shouldn't be subsidizing any product."
Not only are both men right, they are exhibiting principled leadership in the process.
Can you picture Huelskamp or McClintock, or other conservative leaders like Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Mike Lee (R-UT) or Representatives Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Tom Graves (R-GA) and Jim Jordan (R-OH), blaming their constituents for their own failings?
Of course not.
Ultimately, proponents of a government-centric economy believe they are always smarter than their constituents are. If they cannot achieve something, it is always because their constituents did not understand.
Don’t believe me? President Obama told Time Magazine he “didn’t have the luxury of six months to explain exactly what we were doing with the [stimulus].” And Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) declared, “I understand that parts of [Obamacare] are not popular, but I don’t think most Missourians understand what’s all in it.”
Two very different visions for America through the prism of the farm bill debate. Which one do you prefer? And remember, if you pick wrong, it is your fault.
they are right... it is the voters fault..
it is our fault for allowing politicians to become career politicians..
politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often, and for the same reason..
I’m going to agree somewhat with this analysis...
In 2010, the people not only gave the House to the pubs, they voted in very conservative freshmen.
The Senate stayed dim and lib so the people are getting the stalemate and inaction they voted for...
And that also includes Obozo and his admin..
The People spoke...
Guess he never heard of the downside of “biting the hand that feeds you.” Is it ever smart to insult the people who supply food to the nation? However, that could cure the problem of obesity that so vexes the current FLOTUS.
Incidentally, about 80% of the Dept. of Agriculture budget now goes for food stamps and other programs for feeding The Poor. That vote buying program for the Democrats was intentionally hidden in the Ag budget by one of the biggest vote fraudsters in our history, Lyndon B. Johnson, and it has worked like a charm. His rancid legacy of ‘the War on Poverty” has ballooned into the largest number of poor people in decades in spite of trillions of tax dollars wasted on it.
correct, and we must vote the rats into oblivion
He has a point, we keep sending them there!
Don’t you hear their cries?
“Stop me before I spend again!”
Yup! Sending the wrong people to represent you makes the voter culpable. And there is also enough blame to go around for the MSM, whose manipulation of the truth is in the equation too.
It’s not a farm bill, it is a food stamp giveaway that has a few farm issues tacked on to help it pass Congress. No wonder farmers are not energized as they barely benefit.
Farming is too important for our food needs and nation to let the Democrats treat the farm bill as a political football. Put the food stamp bill up as a separate issue so the farm bill gets proper attention.
“it is our fault for allowing politicians to become career politicians..
politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often, and for the same reason..”
______
Truer words have never been spoken.
FUCOTUS
BUMP!
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