Posted on 04/07/2015 3:50:42 AM PDT by Vaquero
Carly Fiorina is blaming liberal environmentalists for what she calls a “man-made” drought in California
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
How is getting to keep money you earned not conservative?
That’s not what you said. You said the government should spend immense amounts of money building huge water projects at taxpayer expense, then sell that water to farmers at far below cost because “every industry gets a subsidy” and this should be the farmers’ subsidy.
Your method involves the government deciding which industry gets a subsidy and which don’t, and FTM which groups within the industry.
For instance, a guy in East Texas gets no subsidy from the government for growing alfalfa. At least not in the form of water subsidies. In fact, he gets to help pay for providing the subsidy to the CA grower he competes with.
The relationship of farmers to the government in most of CA is classic crony capitalism. That’s conservative, in a sense, because it’s been around forever. But it’s certainly not the free market.
I agree it is not the free market, but every business that moves into an area and employs more than 50 people receives a taxpayer funded subsidy. Count me in if all subsidies are removed, but to single out agriculture as a target is unfair at the least and biased at best. Why do we subsidize federal workers? Is that ok?
Fair enough, mostly.
Though it should be noted that “agriculture” has never been subsidized. Certain specific types of ag in certain locations have been.
I find that difficult to justify.
So when the government pays a farmer to grow something, pays them not to grow something, pays them if they produced too much and pays them for a bad crop...
not subsidies?
If you look it up, these programs don’t apply to most crops. The vast majority go to less than a dozen crops. Fruit and vegetable growers, for example get few if any.
I will make no effort to defend our ag policy, because it is quite simply indefensible.
Ag subsidies are insidious, hidden and intertwined with food in general, mostly because of trade agreements that prohibit direct subsidies.
Fuel ethanol from corn, for example, actually subsidizes livestock.
Despite our experience at the grocery store, America spends relatively less on food than almost anyone else in the world. But we do pay a high price for it.
Look at it this way: it is simply a method for hardworking people to retain more of what they earned. Plenty of farmers that receive subsidies still pay a substantial share of income taxes. Is it better they spend it or give it to a corrupt federal monster?
Again, I support the removal of all subsidies, especially those going to the federal monster. The feds should suffer the first and deepest cuts, not those footing the bill.
When people come here to see our grocery stores, they are simply amazed at the quantity and variety of food. Many Americans seem to be on the attack of modern agriculture. Why is Ag to be a target? What have they done that is so bad? The U.S. is 5% of the world’s population and responsible for 10-15% of the global food supply. Why attack success—it is a success story and a major export. Should we relegate food production to other countries and import everything from China?
I think you may have that backwards.
The ethanol subsidy increases the demand for and therefore the price of corn, which increases the cost to the livestock feeder.
The corn grower comes out ahead, not the guy with cows.
Cattle are hurt somewhat by acres diverted from pasturage, but cheap high protein feed (distiller’s grains) is great for pork, chicken and eggs, and to a lesser extent for cattle.
Corn prices are flirting with cost of production. Corn acres had been declining for decades until the ethanol boom, and are trending down again with low corn prices.
Farmers do not get paid for producing too much and insurance pays for failed crops. They pay a premium.
Cattle are hurt somewhat by acres diverted from pasturage, but cheap high protein feed (distiller’s grains) is great for pork, chicken and eggs, and to a lesser extent for cattle.
Corn prices are flirting with cost of production. Corn acres had been declining for decades until the ethanol boom, and are trending down again with low corn prices.””
Good to see a comment from someone that knows about U.S. food production.
government should not be in the insurance “business”, period
Rainin and Hale is a private crop insurance company last time I checked in the Midwest.
Most subsidies go to federal workers. Why not attack the biggest monster in the closet instead of private enterprise? Just a thought.
As long as she doesn’t screw up Carly Fiorina is going to be the GOP VP nominee.
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