Really? 15? That’s all we could scare up? 15 votes.
If you randomly opened up the Cambridge telephone directory and started dialing, you would likely find at least 1 in 5 households who would agree that the farm bill was one of the worst pieces of public policy the U.S. Senate has passed in a while. That number would probably rise to 1 in 3 if you detailed some of the wasteful provisions included in the bill.
HT to Redstate for detailing some of the choicest cuts of pork from the farm bill:
Title I, Sub. A, SEC. 1104. AVAILABILITY OF COUNTER-CYCLICAL PAYMENTS. Provides for payments to farmers of specified crops “if the Secretary [of Agriculture] determines that the effective price for the covered commodity is less than the target price for the covered commodity.” For example, if the price of Oats falls below $1.44 per bushel, the oat farmers get to make up the difference with taxpayer money. Don’t you wish Congress did this for your business? Oh, the fun we lawyers could have!
Title I, Sub. C, SEC. 1303. AVAILABILITY OF DIRECT PAYMENTS FOR PEANUTS. Yes, the bill also provides “direct payments” (i.e., regardless of the market price of the crop) for some specified crops, to make sure that if you grow peanuts, you get taxpayer dollars, win or lose! And you still get to sell the peanuts! Win-win!
Title I, Sub. D (Sugar), SEC. 359k. ADMINISTRATION OF TARIFF RATE QUOTAS. Enforces tariffs on sugar. Wonder why unhealthy high-fructose corn syrup is so popular? (Seriously, look at an ingredients list some time). Well, Congress is a good place to start. One reason is because tariffs on imported sugar keep prices artificially high, leading producers of sodas and snacks to substitute cheaper HFCS. Yay for Congress and Barack Obama for supporting this government interference!Title I, Sub. E, SEC. 1509. FEDERAL MILK MARKETING ORDER REVIEW COMMISSION. I’ve discussed before the wonderful federal milk marketing order process, which involves a Cabinet secretary in a price-fixing scheme. Any Congress worthy of the job would tear what Dick Armey long ago called “Our Socialist Farm Policy” up by the roots. But this is Washington, so here’s the solution: appoint a 14-member “Federal Milk Marketing Order Review Commission” to study the issue for two years and report back to Congress on whether the price-fixing process is working out well enough.
Title I, Sub. F, SEC. 1621. GEOGRAPHICALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS AND RANCHERS. What, you ask, is a “geographically disadvantaged farmer”? Apparently, it’s somebody who started a farm so far off in the middle of nowhere that it’s too expensive to transport the crops to anybody who will buy them. You know, that should usually be a sign to go into another line of business, like maybe drilling for oil or telemarketing or something. But no - Congress will pay your shipping costs with taxpayer money!
Title II, Sub. E, SEC. 1238I. FARMLAND PROTECTION PROGRAM. Commits the Secretary to “establish and carry out a farmland protection program under which the Secretary shall facilitate and provide funding for the purchase of conservation easements or other interests in eligible land….by limiting nonagricultural uses of that land.” So not only are we paying people to grow unprofitable crops in unreachable locations, fixing retail prices and taxing the bejesus out of the competition, we’re going to spend taxpayer dollars to buy even more farmland that nobody has managed to make economically viable in the 400 or so years that people have been farming here.
Title V, Sub. A, SEC. 5005. BEGINNING FARMER OR RANCHER AND SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMER OR RANCHER CONTRACT LAND SALES PROGRAM. As if the rest of this bill doesn’t already convince us that we are supporting farmers who don’t know how to make money producing the very stuff of life itself, the government wants to pay ignorant amateurs to get in the business by “guarantee[ing] a loan made by a private seller of a farm or ranch to a qualified beginning farmer or rancher or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher.”
Title XI SEC. 11013. NATIONAL AQUATIC ANIMAL HEALTH PLAN. “The Secretary of Agriculture may enter into a cooperative agreement with an eligible entity to carry out a project under a national aquatic animal health plan.” Federal money for health care for the creatures of the sea!
What makes this vote so sad is that the bill doesn’t have widespread support. In fact it has widespread opposition. Editorial Boards spanning the political spectrum - from the New York Times (A Disgraceful Farm Bill) to the Wall Street Journal (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire) - highlighted the folly of this legislation. The bill’s support lies with the mega farms and vested special interests who get some of the goodies detailed above.
Unfortunately, instead of listening to the widespread criticism of the bill, politicians thought it was better to hand out favors by the bushel while mortgaging our children’s future. Members will look back with regret on this vote. Well at least a few might. Maybe. Hopefully.
RSS Feed
