Posted on 11/18/2002 9:48:49 PM PST by farmfriend
National Grange President Highlights Legislative Successes
in Annual Convention Remarks Carried Live on Radio
Portland, Ore. – National Grange President Kermit W. Richardson said in his annual keynote address given at the 136th Annual National Grange Convention in Portland, that the Grange remains a highly influential advocacy leader for rural America today, as it did when it was founded in 1867.
The Grange’s legislative effectiveness on issues such as the 2002 Farm Bill, tax reform, Medicare prescription drug benefits for senior and issues on telecommunications shows the Grange—the oldest grassroots advocacy organization in the nation—is still the grassroots organization rural Americans are joining.
Richardson cited the Grange’s recent victory in October when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to reject the proposed merger between Hughes Electronic Corp. and EchoStar Communications, Inc. The merger would have created a single, monopoly satellite television provider and had a detrimental impact on rural customers.
While Richardson and the National Grange supported the passage of the 2002 Farm Bill, the Grange leader also noted it fails to address problems facing family farmers and ranchers. “The farm bill will provide financial assistance for many farmers in dire need, but it will also continue to facilitate the consolidation of farm production assets into the hands of fewer and fewer individuals and families,” said Richardson.
“The National Grange is much more than an advocacy group,” Richardson reminded the delegates in the address carried live on radio station KBNP, “it is also a community organization where individuals and families can participate in community service activities and development personal and professional leadership skills.”
“The Grange is still the best place for individuals in American communities to grow in leadership and character,” added Richardson
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