America's Farmers

As suburban sprawl expands into rural America and fewer of us earn our living from agriculture, it is easy to forget about our nation's farmers. There is far too little recognition of the importance of American agriculture. The ability of the American farmer to stay in business is critical to the cost and quality of our food as well to national security. The National Farmers Union has been a voice for agriculture and all Americans who care about our food supply. Here are a couple of recent news releases from NFU that raise some valid concerns about the cuts to agriculture programs and trade policies.

NFU: Statement by Dave Frederickson on WTO Agreements
WASHINGTON (Dec. 19, 2005) — National Farmers Union President Dave Frederickson made the following statement about the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) failure to reach a meaningful agreement about agriculture trade:
“The failure of the WTO to agree to anything more than the elimination of export subsidies by 2013 is an indication that any agreement on agriculture will be difficult to achieve until they are willing to negotiate all factors of trade, not just export subsidies, domestic subsidies and market access.
“To have a truly level playing field in the global marketplace, trade distorting issues such as labor standards, environmental standards and currency manipulation must be addressed. Otherwise, the agreement will benefit the lowest cost producers who pay the lowest wages, abuse the environment, and/or manipulate currency in order to increase world market share.
“The current trade agenda pits farmer against farmer, and country against country, in a never ending 'race to the bottom' of commodity prices. What farmers and ranchers in this country and around the world need more than anything is a profitable price from the marketplace, not lower commodity prices.

Senate Cuts Ag Spending
WASHINGTON (December 21, 2005) – National Farmers Union President Dave Frederickson made the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed a budget reconciliation package containing $2.7 billion in cuts to agriculture programs over five years.
“I am extremely disappointed that the Senate has dealt yet another blow to our nation's producers of food and fiber. This vote was very close and controversial. It was such a contentious piece of legislation in part because it contains slashes to vital programs that help our nation’s farmers and ranchers produce a safe, abundant supply of agricultural goods.
“Producers across the countryside are facing increased input costs due to sky-rocketing energy prices, and the price they receive at the marketplace is declining. These cuts are the wrong move, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons.
“The reconciliation package calls for $934 million in cuts from farm bill conservation programs, $400 million in cuts from rural development programs and a $620 million slash from research programs. The spending package avoids cuts to commodity programs, except for a reduction in direct payments.” For more information on the National Farmers Union, check out their website at http://www.nfu.org

Republican budget cuts at Christmas
Where is the moral outrage at the Republican budget cuts - soon to be followed by more tax cuts for the rich ? The GOP does not really care about deficit reducation as the planned tax cuts for the upper end of the income scale will soon cancel out the cuts in programs such as Medicaid and student loans. How can the leaders of the Republican Party reconcile all the talk of moral values while reducing the availability of medical care for the poor ? As Americans lag behind other major countries in math and science and our young people are in dire need of advanced studies to compete in the world, Republicans are making it more difficult to finance a college education. Something is terribly wrong with the values of many Republicans and more than a few members of the Democratic left who seem to care only about about a few social issues and Iraq. Our Democratic Senators took a stand against these cruel budget cuts - now it is time for party activists to make the case that we Democrats are the right choice for working families.

Right Democrat wishes you a Merry Christmas, a Joyous Chanukah and a Happy New Year.