Who's your friend ?

[elcheapo]

As reported on this website, significant cuts
Projected in the farm programs/USDA....

But still funding for a $4500 per foot fence ??

Oh..we're back to the box program....so rather
Than feed to poor, were going to spend it hauling
Then storage...

I'm sorry....I work folks that are down (other than
Farmers!).....the key and purpose is to feed those
In need... This is nothing but taking food out
Of the mouths of the hungry, and rather smiling
At the camera.
Spending what little money available for food
To the hungry for shipping, storage, packaging,
Rather than direct purchase at the store,
In my humble opinion, is a sin

[Kurt#1]

You are equivocating. 

The wall has the ability to stop the influx of people that reduce the amount of money available to feed the poor and hungry.  Feeding the poor and hungry does nothing but produce more poor and hungry.

As a country we are deeply in debt.  I believe it's something close to $70,000  (seventy thousand) per person and if you are realistic it's $144,000 (one hundred forty four thousand) per working person because children and others aren't making any money.

Considering that overwhelming debt you and I have (assuming you're working) do you believe we need more expense in the form of illegal entries who partake of our welfare? 

If interest rates continue to rise so will our debt.  The current interest alone is $364,000,000,000.00  Worrying about the poor is misplace concern and when speaking of morality remember, morals are personal.  Your morals are not universal, so saying that something is immoral is saying you believe it's wrong and doesn't mean anything more.  My morals say it's wrong to indebted my children and grand children to take care of people that are worthless to society.

[farmerbob44]

I'm not even going to attempt to unpack that little bundle of goodies.

But anyway, I'm hard pressed to think how agriculture could have played its political hand any worse.

But cow farts, I guess.

[Katzenjammer12]

Agriculture is changing faster than people think.  With robots and GPS, we're getting more and more to where all it will take to farm is money and a computer.  Not people so much.  And that will mean more and more conglomeration to where more and more "farmers" will have contracts.  We'll all be hog farmers.

The best thing Congress could do for us us to cut out the Farm Bill.  Make everyone make it on their own.  It would lead to some consolidation now, but it would make agriculture go to the market instead of expecting somebody to come up with unlimited demand for corn and soybeans.  That last scenario is one that China will win, but not the U.S.

[farmerbob44]

If there had been a serious effort to prioritize trade issues with China then I would favor temporary support for farmers who are in the crossfire. 

Although it should have been done through the normal budgetary process- it was done through a lesser executive overreach although nobody has challenged the legality.

But yes, as far as subsidizing bigness, I wouldn't. It is like the folly of offering 100% write off for technology and machines that replace jobs. It may happen anyway but no reason to willfully subsidize it.

One matter on subsidies is something that I warned about was that the gubmint created the crop insurance "industry" which will now lobby ad infinitum for a piece of the pie. It's actually easier to get rid of public programs and employees than it is with something you've "privatized." (think charter schools, for profit colleges etc.).

Anyway, when I was casting about here for "family farm" friendly Farm Bill ideas in 2014* there were no takers. It was either gubmint bad, end programs (but I'll take mine, thank you) of just I'll take mine, period.

Rots o Ruck, fellahs. First time I've ever heard multiple unsolicited comments from non-farm people about the idiocy of this whole agriculture thing.

[k-289]

Kurt -  go  to  any  construction  outfit  or  packing  plant,  they  will  give  you  your  VALUE$  on  WORTHLE$$ ,  and  feedlots  &  dairies,  and ,  and,   and,  - ?   

[basset&co]

oh well 44, you do sound like an OLD farmers union member, produce it and dump it rather than take what is offered, OR MAYBE get a business person

to make some of the "deals" rather than politicians needing feathers in their hats(yes, that hat thing again with 289) and some skin in the game!

Yes, the politicians I'm referring to are on BOTH sides of the isle.