'Party of Parasites' author took $1M in farm subsidies

[Tesha]

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/21/2033746/party-of-parasites-author-took.html



By DONALD BRADLEY
The Kansas City Star

The Raytown farmer who posted a sign on a semi-truck trailer accusing
Democrats of being the “Party of Parasites” received more than $1 million
in federal crop subsidies since 1995.

But David Jungerman says the payouts don’t contradict the sign he put
up in a corn field in Bates County along U.S. 71 Highway.

“That’s just my money coming back to me,” Jungerman, 72, said Monday.
“I pay a lot in taxes. I’m not a parasite.”

After a story about Jungerman’s trailer ran in Sunday’s Star, however,
some readers called him a hypocrite for criticizing others for getting
government help while taking government subsidies paid for by
taxpayers.

Jungerman said he put up the sign to protest people who pay no taxes,
but, “Always have their hand out for whatever the government will give
them” in social programs.

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[HereSince1628]

1. Ah, rationalization, the solution to cognitive dissonance! n/t

[NutmegYankee]

2. They always excuse their hypocrisy by saying "I pay taxes".

:puke: So do the rest of us, and I see Fraud, Waste and abuse right there.

[Tesha]

3. A kick for the morning crowd... (NT)

[newportdadde]

4. I grew up near that area, I'd like to know what his financials were like around 1980.

Many, maybe most of the farmers in that area around 1980 went broke during a terrible string of droughts and very high interest on loans. My father at the time went and got a second job working nights to pay off 18% loans on farm equipment rather then declare bankrupty, he paid back every dime he owned. He is also a lifelong Democratic voter.

Other farmers, usually very large farmers like Jungerman and for Bates county 6800 acres is a large operation, declared bankrupty and then promptly planted their land down in CRP grassland.. basically they got paid not to plant. These paments were quite healthy, much more then they could have made it left to the 'free market'. So it is possible Mr Jungerman like many other proud Republican farmers in the area were saved by the government, parasites indeed.

[Marr]

5. Wait-- he claims that he's paid over a million dollars in taxes since 1995?

I find that very hard to believe.