I wrote this in 2006, but the problem still exists:
Under a farm subsidy program approved by Congress, over a five year period $1.3 billion dollars of our tax money has been given to individuals who do no farming at all. This is from an analysis performed by the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/01/AR2006070100962.html
Overall, $172 billion dollars of our tax money have been given out as farm subsidies in the last decade. In 2005 alone, the federal government handed out more than $25 billion in aid (very little of this aid goes to small farmers), despite the fact that pre-tax farm profits were a near record $72 billion. This is almost 50% more tax dollars than the total amount paid to families receiving welfare!
If you read the above article all the way through, you'll see that this is actually a result of an attempt to negotiate an end to bad farm subsidies in a way that would help farmers in the long run, but due to lobbyists, the new law actually increased subsidies!
It is time to end this program. I will stand up and force the rest of Congress to admit that this is a problem that needs to be addressed.
We are facing huge long-term problems: a real unemployment rate of 18%, dysfunctional banks that are "too big to fail", a regressive tax structure that's stifling economic growth, prisons that are bursting at the seams, urban schools that are struggling, a health care system that still needs major reform, the lack of a coherent national energy policy that will protect our economy and the environment, and a government that has been encroaching on our civil liberties. For decades we have lived with irresponsible public policies from career politicians in Congress who care more about increasing their party’s power and getting re-elected than they care about solving long-term problems. They haven’t been honest with us, and they have been lousy public servants.
I’m different. I do not want to be a career politician. I am not a Democrat or a Republican. I’m a Problem Solver. I want to force members of Congress to be responsible, and implement sustainable solutions to real problems. Please read the positions I present on this website, and spread the word to friends and family.
Please email me at John@Mertens2010.com, and become a supporter on Twitter at @mertens4senate or Facebook: John's FB
