Mercatus Chart Shows Who Profits From Farm Bill Vote

Agribusiness Political Donations And Farm Bill Votes

 

 

 

 

 

” When governments dispense privileges such as insurance subsidies, price supports, or protection from foreign competition, they create incentives for firms to invest large sums of money in obtaining and maintaining these privileges, as the farm bill demonstrates.

  The fact that members who ultimately voted for the bill received so much more than those who opposed it may indicate that interest groups prefer to donate to members who are likely to support their issue. This is known as the “political man” theory of interest group behavior. On the other hand, the pattern of giving may indicate that political donations actually affect the final votes that members cast. This is known as the “economic man” theory of interest group behavior. Economists and political scientists have studied these questions extensively, and the balance of evidence suggests that there is some truth to both theories: interest groups do tend to give to candidates that already agree with them, but they also give to candidates in order to sway their votes.

  The final farm bill is expected to cost taxpayers $956 billion over ten years, but the economic costs will be much larger. These costs include not just the explicit taxpayer subsidy and the money wasted in seeking these privileges but also the higher prices that consumers will pay for some food and the resulting misallocation of capital.”

More at Mercatus Institute

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80% Of Pork-Laden $Trillion Farm Bill Goes To Food Stamps

Catfish Oversight, Weather Radios And A Christmas Tree Tax: Meet The Pork-Filled $956 BILLION Farm Bill

• ” The massive five-years agriculture spending plan, signed Friday by President Obama, includes a $3 million plan for Christmas tree taxes
• Most of the bill covers food stamps, with the number of benefit recipients doubling since Obama took office
• The U.S. will spend $1 billion per year loaning money to sugar barons so they can keep prices stable and avoid overseas competition
• Another $100 million will go to study how to get Americans to buy more maple syrup
• $1 million will buy weather radios for rural Americans, despite plunging hundreds of weather apps for smartphones and plunging access rates”

 

” The federal government pays for a $15 million ‘wool trust fund,’ runs a $170 million program to protect catfish growers from overseas competition, sets aside $3 million to promote Christmas trees, funds another $2 million to help farmers sell more sheep, and plunks down $100 million researching how to get Americans to buy more maple syrup. 

  And that spending is just three one-hundredths of one per cent of the Farm Bill that President Barack Obama signed Friday in Michigan.

  Liberal and conservative watchdogs alike are hopping mad at what they say are pork-barrel projects included in the five-year agriculture spending law as home-state perks to lawmakers that are  unneeded or redundant.

  There’s a new 15-cent levy on every live-cut Christmas tree, a proposal that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had blocked but will now be beyond his control. Tree growers will put the money into a fund for ‘industry-funded promotion, research, and information program[s],’ but the cost will inevitably be passed on to consumers.”

   While there is plenty of pork to feed Congress’  corporate cronies the lion’s share of the “Farm” bill goes to foster government dependency for the individual …

 

 

 

” One in five American households receive food stamps today. More than 1 million people were added to the rolls in 2013, including residents who live in the country illegally.

  In the year 2000 the entire food stamp program cost $17 billion. Last year that figure was $78 billion.

  The rest of the Farm Bill, all $200 billion of it, includes some subsidy payments to members of Congress and their families who are engaged in agriculture.”

Read the rest if you can stomach it .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Farm Bill … It’s All About The Cronyism

 Mercatus Center At George Mason University

 

 

 

 

For further reading on the complete corruption of Congress see these … 

 

Farm Bill Replaces Conspicuous Subsidies With Inconspicuous Subsidies

The Farm Bill: A Lesson In Government Failure

 

” As a consumer and as a taxpayer, the farm bill is a monstrosity. But as someone who teaches public finance and public choice economics, it is a great teaching tool.

  Want to explain the concept of dead-weight loss? The farm bill’s insurance subsidies are a perfect illustration of the concept. They transfer resources from taxpayers to farm producers; but taxpayers lose more than producers gain.

  Want to illustrate the folly of price controls? Sugar supports which force Americans to pay twice what global consumers pay are a fine illustration.”

 

    Big Government means Big Money … Big Money means Big Corruption … It’s been the same since the beginning of the State and WILL NOT CHANGE !!!

 

 

 

 

 

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Sen Mike Lee Speaks The Truth About The Farm Bill … MUST SEE VIDEO

The Farm Bill vs. America

Published on Feb 4, 2014

” Opening Line: “This Farm Bill is a monument to every dysfunction Washington indulges to bend our politics and twist our economy to benefit itself at the expense of the American people.” “

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Congress Seeks Tax Hike On Heating Oil

Congress Seeks To Jack Up Fees On Home Heating Oil In Midst Of Frigid Winter

 

 

 

 

” Congress‘ mammoth farm bill restores the imposition of an extra fee on home heating oil, hitting consumers in cold-weather states just as utility costs are spiking.

  The fee — two-tenths of a cent on every gallon sold — was tacked on to the end of the 959-page bill, which is winding its way through Capitol Hill. The fee would last for nearly 20 years and would siphon the money to develop equipment that is cheaper, more efficient and safer, and to encourage consumers to update their equipment.

  It’s just one of dozens of provisions tucked into the farm bill, which cleared the House on a bipartisan 251-166 vote last week and faces a key filibuster test in the Senate on Monday. It is expected to survive and face final passage Tuesday before heading to President Obama’s desk.

  Taxpayer groups say the bill could increase spending over the previous version and that it’s crammed with favors for individual lawmakers, such as rules legalizing industrial hemp.”

 

Washington Times has more

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Special Interests Take One On The Chin In Rare Defeat Of “Farm” Bill

K Street Stunned At Farm Bill Defeat

 

 

” The angst among farm lobbyists contrasts to the glee expressed by opponents on the left and the right who opposed the bill.

Citizens Against Government Waste sent out a press release exclaiming “holy manure!”

“In a city known for catering to the whims of well-heeled special interest groups, the farm bill consistently manages to stand out for its parochialism, log-rolling, and corporate welfare,” it said. “That alliance broke down this afternoon, resulting in an extremely rare Farm Bill failure, one that represents a major victory for taxpayers and consumers.”

Heritage Action and Club for Growth, which both urged no votes, said they want food stamp funding severed from farm subsidies, a solution that sends shivers down the spine of farm lobbyists who have seen farm bills pass with the support of urban lawmakers backing the food stamp program.

“Now that the House has defeated the farm bill, we should finally discuss real reform,” said Club for Growth President Chris Chocola. “We need to put farm subsidies on a path to elimination and we need to devolve food stamps to the state level where they belong.” “

 

 

     We have to side with the Dems on this one and while we doubt that their motives match ours , a defeat for the agri-businesses is a defeat nevertheless . The voting lines give some truth to the progressive mantra that the GOP is in the pocket of special interests . Bravo to the sixty republican reps that voted against this special interest pork-fest .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Food Stamps – The One Crop Farmer Obama Can Grow

Morning Bell: A Bumper Crop of Food Stamps

 

” Where do food stamps come from?” 

 

 

 

” They come from taxpayers—certainly not from family farms. Yet the “farm” bill, a recurring subsidy-fest in Congress, is actually 80 percent food stamps and other government nutrition programs.

It has become the norm that Congress lumps billions—even trillions—of dollars in taxpayer-funded programs together into huge bills. This allows them to sneak in plenty of special-interest pork.”

 

 

 

Illustration by Glenn Foden

 

 

 

 

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