Posted on 04/01/2011 8:01:47 PM PDT by neverdem
In presidential campaigns, the long shots tend to say what the contenders dare not. So there was onetime Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, in early March, telling a group of Iowans, "I will eliminate the ethanol subsidy." Silence.
"And I'll eliminate the oil subsidy." Tepid applause. "Ethanol takes four rows out of ten of every corn field. Four rows out...
--snip--
Most 2012 GOP contenders have said, in the past, they won't mess with that deal. But wait. Hasn't Tim Pawlenty attempted to position himself as the tea party candidate? There Pawlenty was on Fox News in December noting that the tax cut deal "is all porked up, it is all earmarked up." But Pawlenty defends his pork. As governor, Pawlenty upped Minnesota's ethanol mandate.
Yes, Gingrich has said that the 2010 "election was in part over pork-barrel spending by earmarks and the Democrats are trying to behave as though the election didn't occur." Telling words from a champion of ethanol pork.
Romney, Palin and Huckabee have all stood on the austerity soapbox in recent years. But all three supported ethanol subsidies during the 2008 campaign. Barbour has spoken approvingly of ethanol in the past. Michele Bachmann, from corn-centric Minnesota, reportedly said she would consider reexamining ethanol subsidies. But Bachmann, head of the House tea party caucus, would still not directly answer whether she backed ethanol subsidies. It's a low bar. But Daniels appears positively brave by comparison. His state, Indiana, has the fourth most corn-ethanol plants.
Today's most popular potential GOP contender, Huckabee, personifies the hypocrisy. "Our country must take painful steps to rein in spending and reduce the deficit," Huckabee has said. But this 2012 Republican field, with noted exceptions, apparently still believes political pain is for other people. That stance might win Iowa. But it won't win respect.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
The current congress can kill the subsidy, by not providing funds in the next budget to make the payments, do you think they will do that, hell no!!!
We are not going to solve the nation’s budget problem if everyone is for cutting everyone’s pork and entitlements, except those that they benefit from.
Forget Ethanol, I want a $5/gal BioDiesel subsidy.
Simple solution: kill the Iowa caucuses.
Make corn into fuel=higher food prices. Higher food prices=unrest in middle east. Unrest in middle east=higher fuel prices. Higher fuel prices=make more fuel from food.
The Death circle folks.
I guess we’re testing for how many times America can bang it’s head into a wall before it realizes the source of it’s pain.
People will never learn as long as they believe they have a right to other people’s resources.
“Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.” ~ Bastiat
I’d love to hear what this genius calls an “oil subsidy”.
“Cows” is the word the author is looking for. It’s a transitive verb. “To cower” is the action of the sniveling weakling who is “cowed.”
FDR bought America’s farmers and most of them have harvested their biggest cash crop in the form of USDA payments ever since.Republican farmers are a rarity.I grew up in what was once farm country.
You've got that right. I think I would vote for anyone who pledged to end ethanol subsidies and the government requirement it be added to gasoline.
Amen. I lived in MN for fifteen years. No matter how conservatively Minnesota farmers live their lives(especially the older ones), they will staunchly vote DFL (Democrat-Farm-Labor) because of their idolatry of FDR. If there is no democrat on the ballot, they will write one in.
Wow, you two are scaring me.
If US farmers are the big socialists wed to subsidies, as you suggest, then we are truly doomed.
I guess I’m just thankful the caucuses don’t start out here in California - where I live.
Imagine how much graft would have to be paid to the teacher union and prison guards unions out here, in order to get traction on the Primary ballot.
If THAT were the case...we’d be worse than North Korea, now...
:-(
Palin was with McCain in 2008. She does not support ethanol subsidies now.
Don't worry. I don't think Palin is running, but if she does, she's my favorite.
To 11 - ???
My post #11 was addressing the error in the headline.
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