Farmers Shaken by **'s Subsidy Plan

[McKenzie]

seems voting for the semi-literate oil spiv wasn't such a good thing after all.

<snip>

In many farm states that helped re-elect Bush in November after never hearing any campaign talk about cutting their payments, there is a sense of betrayal.

"I'm not happy. I voted for George Bush," said cotton grower John Rife of Ferriday, La.

<snip>

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=989398&tw=wn_wire_story

[xultar]

1. Suckah!!!!! BUHWAAAAAAAAAAAA! n/t

[jrthin]

15. Can't top it, you've said it best. n/t

[xultar]

42. Thankyouverymuch! n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

32. He sure is !

Everything ** has done doesn't seem to bother the bush**bots except when they are directly affected by his insane policies. Well, :nopity:

[Southpaw Bookworm]

2. yeah, but

Gay people still can't get married, and we know that should be their first priority!

:eyes:

Bring. It. On.

[KansDem]

8. That's right "Gays still can't get married!"

Keep that in mind, Farmer Rife, as you and your family bed down under the interstate bridge...

[theHandpuppet]

33. And some gay person...

... stops to give Farmer Rife food and shelter.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

3. Too late you greedy hayseeds

suck on it

[Horse with no Name]

4. It seems a good time to bring them over

to the "wild" side.
Make sure they know they have been bamboozled and lied to.
By the time all is said and done, our side should be rising up screaming for impeachment of this wicked bunch.

[DrWeird]

5. I'm against free handouts to these subsidy queens.

I don't want my tax dollars to go towards paying for their big pickup trucks and their big stereos so they can blast their degenerate country "music", and to feed their meth habits, and so they can do nothing but squirt out little boondock rats all day.

Get a job!

[MadHound]

18. Gee, now that's a hell of a way to win friends and influence people

Ever think some of your fellow liberals live out in the boondocks? Ever think that some of those subsidies help keep your food bill low? Ever think that some of those subsidies are all that's keeping family farms and organic farmers above water? Or would you rather just wallow in your schadenfreude, not realizing that this shit WILL effect you? You see, being out in the country, I can grow my own food. You folks in the city are at the mercy of the marketplace, and when this loss of subsidy hits, we'll be passing that price hike right on to you. Think about it.

Oh, one other thing. Many of those farm subsidies are going into converting ruined cropland back into forest and other green areas. But I suppose you don't think such things are needed, since you get such great glee out of the farmers' plight:eyes:

[DrWeird]

20. Hey, some of my best friends are farmers.

I just don't want my tax dollars to help those kind of people.

[Southpaw Bookworm]

26. I think he was being sarcastic

After all, the stereotype of the welfare queen living high on the hog using the government teat has been a Republican Talking Point since Ronald Reagan's first threw it out to his sheet-wearing supporters. (Remember this is the same man who announced his candidacy at the site of one of the most heinous civil rights murders.)

Turnabout is fair play in my book.

[classof56]

21. Whew! Strong words indeed.

Find myself wishing I didn't agree with you. Unfortunately, that's what Bush has brought me to! I figured after the election it wouldn't take long for the reality to start seeping in for these types. Let 'em suffer!

Tired Old Cynic

[LynnTheDem]

24. LOL!!!!

Damn but you imitate rightwingnuts well!!! Had me thinking you were a freeper-troll there for a minute. :D

You were just being sarcastic, weren't you?

[sendero]

51. LOL...

... yes, I dream of a wave of economic Karma where everyone busy worrying about welfare mothers and all the "fraud and abuse" in programs they don't need get a taste of their own medicine.

Well said.

[librechik]

6. Nelson (pointing) Ha Ha!

rubes (tip o the hat to Bob Somerby at Daily Howler)

[lukasahero]

7. "I'm not happy. I voted for George Bush," Sorry if this is rude but...

Boo-fucking-whoo you idiot.

I feel for the small farmers who are facing these cuts but if you want to come right out and say you voted for the f*ckwad, then get out of my face with your frickin' sob story now. WTF did you think was going to happen?

[KansDem]

12. I'm not happy you voted for George Bush, either!

We agree on something...

[charlyvi]

53. Heh he...

That's a start, KansDem!;-)

[tanyev]

9. You got what you voted for, Mr. Rife.

Doesn't feel so good, does it?

[democrat in Tallahassee]

10. suck on it red states. you wanted him. here he is. enjoy!

[lovedems]

11. The first (of many) incidents where the Bush voters are going

to get what they asked for. It is unlike me not to give a crap but *I DONT GIVE A CRAP!" It is hard to feel sorry for the morans.

[Mend]

13. These good republicans are probably celebrating

the end of welfare, or not. This is not an issue that our Democrats should worry about...these guys will never vote for us (we are the gay abortion party) so the Democrats must leave this in the budget and fight for their own constituency. Reality is a bitch.

[maxsolomon]

14. don't the cuts only affect those getting over 250K subsidy?

i mean, is that a lot of farmers or not?

being an urban latte-sipping chardonnay-swiller i have no idea.

[KansDem]

16. "Will grow crops for food..."

What Farmer Rife's sign will say when he stands on street corners looking for work...

[Greybnk48]

17. F**k the farmers

In WI, most of them had those gigantic */Dickey Pig Valves posters at the edge of thier fields--next to their "Abortion stops a beating Heart" billboards.

[DinahMoeHum]

19. Choke on your own crop, fellas. This is what you get . . .

when you vote Republikkkan.

:nopity:

[KissMeKate]

22. I hope this cuts sibsidies to Archer Daniels Midland corporate farms

Hopefully this will help family farmers compete with the big boys. If so, this is one budget cut we needed.

[SammyWinstonJack]

34. I hope so too.

However, I can't imagine bushco** doing anything that would hurt the corporate farms and help the family farmers. That's how cynical and jaded I have become with regard to this corporate controlled administration.

[7 Lazy P]

36. There is a lot of confusion...

about family farms vs. corporate farms. Most family farms are incorporated. (you would be a fool if you did not from a liability standpoint) Most farm subsidy payments go to incorporated family farms. For example, one of my neighbors, along with his father, farms roughly 3500 acres, which is big here in the east. He employs 8 local men and has his operation set up in three different corporations. Over the past 5 years he has received roughly $1.2 million in subsidy payments. Is he a family farmer or one of those "corporate" farms? Farming is an odd business, being extremely capital intensive and low margin. How many other businesses could afford to purchase a $300,000 piece of equipment (cost of a new Deere combine) and let it sit idle for 11 months of the year? I currently receive subsidy payments for not growing anything. We took land out of production and enrolled it in the CRP, which pays you to grow grass, basically!

[mantis49]

45. And Tyson,

and Farmland, and Smithfield.

[LynnTheDem]

23. WE TOLD YOU! bush supporters don't know where bush stands on issues

http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Pres_Election_04/html/new_10_21_04.html

[pilgrimsoul]

31. While it is satisfying

to witness * voters start to recognize that they've been had, I'd rather not gloat about it. It is enough to smile to myself, haha!!! But seriously, now that rural people are really starting to wake up and smell the reality (hey - I just wrote a bumper sticker!), I hope the dems will take advantage of this opportunity to welcome some pissed off * voters to the fold and show them which party really gives a crap about the people. These folks aren't afraid to call their elected officials and give them what for. Imagine if we could harness that outrage and channel it against the neocons. Hundreds of former * supporters calling into conservative shows and expressing their outrage at having been betrayed by *. You think the koolaid drinkers will listen to what they have to say? Hell, yeah they will. And they will be a LOT more persuasive than we could ever be trying to win them from the outside because they have a common thread. We should be reaching out to these people and giving them an outlet to vent their anger at *.

This is how persuasion works in the rural areas of America. The farmers are some of the most respected and admired members of the community, and people listen to what they have to say. If Joe Farmer is sitting at the VFW on Friday night having a beer with his buddies and starts saying that * is a liar and that he has betrayed the working man, those guys aren't going to argue with him - a light is going to go on in their minds and their heads are going to start nodding in agreement. This is the kind of grass roots that the Repubs have exploited so successfully, only they did it by distracting these folks with lies and talk of "values." We can win hearts and minds here as well, and all we need to do is embrace these folks and let them know it's okay to tell the truth. Then set 'em loose and see what happens. Win over those with local influence, like the farmers, and watch the persuasion trickle down to the general populace.

This is an opportunity and we should absolutely seize it NOW.

[BOSSHOG]

25. I'm sure Mr Rife voted for david vitter for U. S. Senate

A Bible hugging, family values kinda hypocrite fascist. Keep those Gays from gettin married By God!

[liberalitch]

27. What happened in 2004 gives....

ROPE-A-DOPE a new meaning....

[achtung_circus]

28. Free Trade is an American myth

American farm subsidies hurt the Mexican farmer.
<http://www.oxfam.org/eng/pr030827_corn_dumping.htm>

The US has a losing record in an ongoing series of challenges against the Canadian Wheat Board, which US farmers call a subsidy, NAFTA panels and the WTO disagree, but the challenges continue.

There's lots more, but I'm at work and unable to post more than this, now.

[idlisambar]

46. Deprived of a livelihood...

...many Mexican small famers then come across the border. A huge surge of migration occured when NAFTA went into effect in the mid-90's. These trade arrangements produce a lot of pain on all sides.

[Ian David]

29. We need to write personal direct mail pieces to registered republicans

Let them know what bush has done to hurt them.

[SuffragetteSal]

30. as well they should be...

my husband I went to look at some land for sale, all that was left was the wife who had been there 60 years. There was a farm deferral tax break, making the property taxes nearly non-existant. She was also renting out part of the property for someone else to farm. It was a great deal and I thought as I eyed er Bush sign, did she know what a welfare queen she was herself? She must have seen our Kerry bumpersticker,it was obvious she didn't like us and refused to show us the rest of her farm.
_______

Farmers of America...wake up and smell the shit your leader has on the bottom of boots!

[Village Idiot]

35. "I'm not happy. I voted for George Bush,"

"I'm not happy. I voted for George Bush," said cotton grower John Rife of Ferriday, La.

"I am also high on CRACK 24 hours a day, beat my wife and screw chickens."

[fujiyama]

37. I can't say I feel all that bad

It's like with Bush's approval numbers falling with seniors - a majority of them voted for Bush this time (especially in FL).

As for farmers, I'm against these subsidies anyways and I agree with Dr Weird's anology with welfare queens.

[Turbineguy]

38. Bush's ag "reform" will lead

to more corporate farming. He will put the family farm out of business.

That should be obvious to anyone. It's the Bush religion.

Unless you are in some niche farming business like herbs (no, not that kind!), contract restaurant supply or organics, but the conventional family farmer is in trouble.

[Stirk]

39. But I don't understand! I thought the war in Iraq was so noble,

surely a little sacrifice isn't too much to ask for all that godly freedom-spreading? Right?

That's how most Republicans I know are. They vote for whoever will give them the most money, period. Nothing else matters.

If candidate A said he'd cut their taxes by $10 and maintain peace, and candidate B said he'd cut their taxes by $100 but kill a million foreigners in unprovoked wars, they'd still vote for candidate B. They just don't give a shit about anyone but themselves.

I hope people like this farmer get hit hard by Bush's policies. They're the only ones that really deserve it.

[Oddly Stevenson]

40. Barney Frank

I think a large part of the public likes the conservatives' theme music. Now they will be tested on whether they like the lyrics."
--Barney Frank

I think Mr. Rife just heard the first verse, and he obviously doesn't care for it.

[leesa]

41. Good. You stupid SUCKERS.

[thinkingwoman]

43. where did they think

the money for "permanent" tax cuts and endless war would come from? God?

Sucks to be them. Live by the stupidity, go broke by the stupidity.

They got what they voted for.

[catmandu57]

44. I'm going to cry myself to sleep tonight

fuck a bunch of starving ass farmers. I've lived around these assholes most of my life, let me tell you about farmers, it's a big secret, but most of these people are lazy ignorant sobs. Not all, but most of these guys are lemmings bob smith has ten thousand acres, good ole boy bob tells all the boys he's fer bush then all the others who maybe farm 500 acres will vote for bush as well because bob smith who has ten thousand acres is going to.
Good ole bob also gets the biggest welfare check in the county, so he must know something.
These "people" when they get their subsidy check, build houses, barns, buy four wheel duallies, get momma a new cadilac, then bitch moan and groan because they can't make it.
I know I've seen it first hand, I've helped plumb and put in electric in these houses and out buildings.
One more thing these bright boys are an evironmental disaster, they spray large ammounts of poison, then throw the containers wherever the fuck they want to.
I've watched these asswipes for years, they bitch and bitch, and then vote reptilian every fucking time, they deserve a great big one up their ass with no lube.

[Padraig18]

47. We TRIED to tell you, you dumb shits!

But oh fucking NO, you had to get your panties in a wad about gay marriage.

Assholes.

:grr::argh:

[AlCzervik]

48. the farmers that voted bushwa now feel his loyalty to them

[MissMarple]

49. So, rub your thumb over your index finger...smallest violin in the world.

Next time, PAY ATTENTION, GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND!!!! If there is a next time, that is. :evilgrin:

[deadparrot]

50. Sorry, buddy. Can't feel sorry for you.

People should do their homework. You reap what you sow. The real shame is that the 49% of voters who voted AGAINST ** have to live with him.

[beyurslf]

52. Hahahahahahaha! I have said all along there will come day when

each Bush voter has his or her comeupance. The day when they realize that voting for Bush out of hatred of gays or fear of choice or irrational national support was a stupid and deadly mistake. The day they lose their farm funding, the day they have a choice to make, the day they have a son or daughter drafted, the day an unisured friend dies from a disease easily treated with insurance coverage...

Their day will come. We just have to hold on until it does...

[Piperay]

54. Ya stupid asses

it serves you right, you'll get no sympathy from...hahaha :hurts: I bet that you are so stupid you will continue to vote repuke...you can choke on it! :nopity: