From the HuffPO (anticonservative rag):
At the time, the pork industry was facing a two-pronged calamity: fallout from the H1N1 influenza crisis and the ripple effects of the recession. Pork producers had lost nearly $4.6 billion in equity since 2007 and Vilsack, sensing greater market doom, had injected funds into the industry at least four times since that spring. In March 2009, the USDA purchased $25 million in pork, in April it made a $50 million purchase and in July it bought 775,000 pounds of ham, according to reports. In September, just one month before receiving Bachmann's letter, Vilsack had signed off on $30 million in additional federal purchases of pork.
"This isn't a subsidy," said Dave Warner, Director of Communications at the National Pork Producers Council. "This is the federal government getting the food they need for food assistance programs and getting it at a good price."
As Warner notes, the government helps feed significant swaths of the U.S. population, from low-income students to the elderly, military personnel and prisoners. When Vilsack purchased more pork, it came from within pre-existing Department of Agriculture budget allocations. It also saved jobs.
But it wasn't the conservative way of doing things. Indeed, even before Bachmann wrote her letter, Fox News' Sean Hannity had penned a blog post blasting the government for "literally" buying pork. Among the list of items he found objectionable: "$16.7 million to Minnesota for 'canned pork'" -- money that came from Vilsack's purchase of 775,000 pounds of ham.
So, apparently, Minnesota, got a whopping 16.7 million for their pork producers when the pork industry was at a crisis. That doesnt seem to me to rise to the level of scandalous pork barrel spending. The federal government got FOOD out the deal....not a piece of artwork...or the study of some endangered animal.
So, even though Palin cut earmark pork 86%, she still got 450+ million in pork from the Feds. So, Bachmanns 16 million in food sales to the feds PALES in comparison. As far as her farm goes...she may post earnings from the farm because she inherited it. She doesnt run the farm. Also, the 250k the farm received was over 11 years. Clearly covering a time when her family didnt own the farm.
Instead of allowing the pork prices to decrease so consumers would have lower prices the government propped up the industry with artificial prices transferring wealth from the consumers to the pork producers. Maybe you should thank Bachmann and the government the next time you go to the supermarket and pay more for that ham than you would have. Call it a ham tax.
bachmann is nothing but a hypocrite. You want to compare Palin’s cutting earmarks by 86% under her watch to someone THANKING the government for interfering with the free market? that isn't even comparing the same things.
But let's go with your comparison. Palin wanted LESS government by cutting 86% of earmark requests. Bachmann wanted More BIGGER government to protect her voters so she could win reelection. One is a small government conservative that wants less smaller smarter government. the othe is nothing but a hypocrite signing you a song that you want to hear. Bachmann is Bush in a skirt.