Next time someone calls you a Liberal. Thank them.
It seems bombs are worth more then Life. Lets hope the people that read
this are never poor.

NexCongress Seeks to Cut Food Aid for Poor
October 05, 2005 4:13 PM EDT
WASHINGTON - Under orders to cut agriculture spending by $3 billion,
Republicans in Congress have proposed reducing food programs for the
poor by $574 million and conservation programs by $1 billion, The
Associated Press has learned.

The proposal by the chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and
Forestry Committee, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., also would cut
payments to farmers by 2.5 percent across the board.

The plan faces hostility from congressional Democrats and other critics
who say the cuts would hurt food stamps and conservation programs.

Payments to farmers would fall by $1.145 billion over five years. But
that is considerably less severe than what President Bush had proposed.
Bush had sought a 5 percent reduction in payments, plus a far-reaching
plan for capping payments that would cut billions more dollars from
subsidies collected by large farm operations.

The AP obtained a summary of the budget-cutting plan, which was
scheduled for a vote Thursday in Chambliss' committee. Congress ordered
the $3 billion in cuts in a budget outline passed this year.

Chambliss wants the cuts in farmers' payments to be distributed evenly,
spokesman Keith Williams said. "All of the commodities have to be
treated fairly," he said.

Leading Republicans indicated this year they would rather target food
stamps and conservation programs than simply make the deep cuts that
Bush was seeking. The administration backed off its plan to cap
payments in April after strong opposition from farmers. Cotton and rice
growers would bear the brunt of payment limits.

The $1.05 billion in conservation cuts would trim programs that pay
farmers to stop farming certain land or to change their practices to
help the environment.

"Subsidies get $20 billion a year. Conservation gets less than $4
billion - to expect farmers who want to help the environment to
shoulder as heavy a load as fat-cat cotton producers is terrible
policy," said Scott Faber, spokesman for the Washington-based
Environmental Defense.

Chambliss' spokesman said environmental groups are being vocal to boost
their membership.

"They are people whose business it is to cast this in the worst way,"
Williams said of conservation programs. "There's not an impact on the
individual producer or landowner."

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said he and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa,
are still pushing for Bush's payment limits, which would eliminate
loopholes that let bigger growers collect unlimited payments.

Effective payment limits would shave spending enough to spare nutrition
and conservation programs, said Chuck Hassebrook, director of the
Lyons, Neb.-based Center for Rural Affairs.

"All they really meant was, `We're not going to cut the big guys; we're
going to cut family farms and conservation,'" he said.

The cuts in payments are not enough to aid U.S. negotiators in global
trade talks being held by the World Trade Organization, said Ken Cook,
president of Environmental Working Group. Developing countries are
insisting that wealthy nations cut subsidies in exchange for access to
their markets.

"It is a slap in the face to the poorest countries in the world," Cook
said. "The only thing U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman will get
out of this round of negotiations is frequent flier miles."

The $574 million cut in food stamps would come from restricting access
to this benefit for certain families that receive other government
assistance. The restriction would shut an estimated 300,000 people out
of the program.

Yet the need for help is soaring from the recent hurricanes, said Iowa
Sen. Tom Harkin, the senior Democrat on the Senate Agriculture
Committee. Farmers are facing record energy prices, dropping prices for
their crops and the harvest, he added.

"Cutting income support for farmers at the time when they need it most
is a double dose of bad news for rural America," Harkin said.

Some Republican lawmakers were also concerned. "We need to find a way
to achieve savings without hurting farmers," said Sen. John Thune,
R-S.D.

The 2.5 percent payment cuts would affect all payments and marketing
loan gains for producers of corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, cotton and
other subsidized crops as well as dairy.

---

On the Net:

Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee:
http://agriculture.senate.gov/
t

Note from Group Owner:  I have allowed this posting MOSTLY because it
concerns (loosely)the future of farming and agricultural land (and,
ultimately, such lands remaining for that purpose).  Thus, this is at
least a timely subject, considering this week's county council hearings
on our 10-year Comprehensive Plan update.  How the council deals with
rural, forested and AG lands is a significant part of Snohomish
County's future.

Besides, as some users of this forum have been quick to point out, this
forum has become only a shadow of its former self.  (At least part of
the reason is it seems clar that when people must post their identity,
along with the risk of having their nasty-grams monitored, and perhaps
pulled, their desire to stand behind their thoughts and opinions also
seems to wane.)

Having said that, I will once again advise posters that this forum is
primarily for subjects that relate to the Sky Valley in general or the
east county U.S. 2 corridor cities.

L. Storm