Promises, Promises: Obama and Black Farmers

Foxnews - AP ^ | 04/21/09 | unknown

[Abathar]

WASHINGTON -- As a senator, Barack Obama led the charge last year to pass a bill allowing black farmers to seek new discrimination claims against the Agriculture Department. Now he is president, and his administration so far is acting like it wants the potentially budget-busting lawsuits to go away.

The change isn't sitting well with black farmers who thought they'd get a friendlier reception from Obama after years of resistance from President George W. Bush.

"You can't blame it on the Bush administration anymore," said John Boyd, head of the National Black Farmers Association, which has organized the lawsuits. "I can't figure out for the life of me why the president wouldn't want to implement a bill that he fought for as a U.S. senator."

At issue is a class-action lawsuit known as the Pigford case. Thousands of farmers sued USDA claiming they had for years been denied government loans and other assistance that routinely went to whites. The government settled in 1999 and has paid out nearly $1 billion in damages on almost 16,000 claims.

Farmers, lawyers and activists like Boyd have worked for years to reopen the case because thousands of farmers missed the deadlines for participating. Many said the filing period was too short and they were unaware of the settlement until it was too late.

The cause gained momentum in August 2007 when Obama, then an Illinois senator, introduced Pigford legislation about six months into his presidential campaign.

Although the case was hardly a hot-button political issue, it had drawn intense interest among African-Americans in the rural South. It was seen as a way for Obama to reach out in those areas, where he was not well-known and where he would need strong support to win the Democratic primary.

[Abathar]

Free money handouts because the color of their skin. Seems round two isn't going as well as round one did and their ace in the hole isn't keeping his promise.

I would like to see the real proof that there was billions of dollars of discrimination by the AD, somehow I don't think that all these complaints would pass the smell test.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

“Free money handouts because the color of their skin”

Theft more like. Legalized theft. The money doesn’t just come from nowhere. The money comes from ORDINARY TAXPAYERS. They would be suing ORDINARY TAXPAYERS, something which they have NO right to do.

[Tarpon]

Zimbabwe redux, reparations by any other name.

What will the socialist do when other people’s money runs out.

[Abathar]

"John Boyd, head of the National Black Farmers Association"

His counterpart, Christian O'Malley, who heads the National White Farmers Association was unavailable for comment I guess...

[hiredhand]

National Black Farmers Association?

If we had a National WHITE Farmers Association, that would be -

RACIST!

[dennisw]

This black farmer stuff is a proven scam with plenty of blacks getting in on it who never ever saw a farm and never picked up a pitchfork, shovel or a hoe. Well maybe a hoe.

[hiredhand]

What will the socialist do when other people’s money runs out.

Historically, they start out preaching ideology and pretending they've actually achieved utopia while spending other people's money. We're seeing that to a degree now. But when the source of that money dries up or becomes vastly reduced as it's doing now on account of our contracted national economy, they'll divide up into classes, and then turn on each other... rather like a pack of wild dogs, or certain bacteria found in polluted water. Let us not forget that they are a people who murder their own unborn and then declare it a Constitutional victory for the woman.

Although... the dynamics of our own situation could go in a completely different direction. Too many people from both sides of the political isle are simply saying NO.

[pnh102]

Yawn. I’ll be impressed if each one of these people doesn’t vote for Obama the next time around.

[himno hero]

This farming thing? A load of CRAP.

Subsidies were produced for farmers. If you look at todays farmers, the family farm is basically extinct as costs exceed revenue, thus the move to large farms and or corporate farms. To subsidize marginal (”subsistance farmers”AKA Zimbabwian farming) operators does not make sense. I think the industry is in general , in very poor shape with the average farmer being single, 59 years of age, and prepared to either couple with a cousin/partner or sell out to large corporate interests. I think the original “ family farm” is basically gone.

For subsistence farmers to call racism at this point is a whack of hooey... udderly ridiculous... they just want to suckle. Worse yet, some want to jump in the trough

IMO

[depressed in 06]

This is the same guy that defends his Cuba policy with I wasn’t born when the old one was put in place. What will his position be when reparations for slavery comes up?

[Abathar]

It won’t come up...

Yet.

He knows that if the word reparations is even muttered as a possibility he will never be reelected. That’s a subject that will have to wait until second term when he doesn’t have a much to lose and his legacy starts coming into focus.

[Man from Oz]

Thanks for the opinion.

Yes, the number of family farms are declining but they are not extinct. Many family farms have incorporated for a variety of reasons (tax and estate planning, etc) and are not the “factory farms” that many of the environmental and anti-meat whackos would like to portray. I absolutley hate that connotation.

Subsidies in general are misunderstood by the general populace. Grain embargoes, dairy buyouts, etc. Our govt has used food production as a political tool with other nations for years at the expense of the producer. Aside from the weather, the last thing that ranchers and farmers want to deal with are the whims of whatever fancy the current administration has at the time.

You are correct. This biz is in sad shape and the long term outlook does not look very promising. Who the heck would want to do this with the vast amount of capital required and the huge risks involved?

Urbanization (water rights translocation to large cities) and govt regulations (CO2 emissions, “dust” pollution, etc) are placing a dagger in the heart of American Agriculture.

My two cents,

MFO

[Squantos]

Agree.......for me but not thee. Pee on thee !