Fincher And Farm Subsidy

I seem to have struck a nerve with the press release that Mid South TEA Party sent out a couple days ago.

If Republicans are going to kick the Dems for redistribution of wealth, maybe they should get a taste of their own medicine. I’ve gotten many positive responses to the release and a couple negative ones. None have been rude. That’s what I miss!

This is my response to a polite but negative one.

Hello Martha,

Thank you for responding to the press release. It is of great concern to me and some others with whom I associate.

Honestly, I cannot place the time where I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you at a conference in Union. To the best of my memory, I have not stopped in Union in many years. Are you sure it was me? Your email address does seem familiar.

Anyway,

Having issues with me because I am having an issue with Fincher’s campaign will at least bring this all out into the open for debate. Sometimes written messages may not “sound” as congenial as the writer intends. Please know that I harbor no malice towards you, Mr. Fincher, farmers in general or any other individuals connected to this debate. We merely have opposing viewpoints.

Maybe you have a point in your concerns. Let’s look and see.

You said about farmers:

“These are the people that take risk every day. will the weather be right. how will the market hold, the dangers for working on a farm. who will help get out the crops,…”

My response to that is as follows:

Yes, farming is a business. In business, one takes risks. Are “the dangers for working on a farm” any more grave than any other hands on trade? Are you talking about physical dangers? If so, maybe we should compare workers comp payments required by different trades before we assume that farmers are the ones taking risks every day.

You said:

“Many of farmers lost a lot of money with the rain this year.”

My response to that is as follows:

You have probably seen bumper stickers that say something like “Farmers feed America”. I like that bumper sticker.

Here’s another one that I like: “Union Iron Workers! Building America Since 19??!” Even though I am not in the union and I’m not sure of the exact year it started, I like the sentiment of a craftsmen who is proud of his trade, just like the sentiment of the farmer shown in his bumper sticker.

Over the past year or so, China has been booming in construction and has been buying up a lot of steel on the world market. Subsequently, the price of steel went through the roof and that has caused huge problems for iron workers. The crashing economy has devastated the construction business. As usual in times like these, investors slowed or stopped investing in new buildings. Contractors stopped buying steel for buildings because they are not building them. The steel fabricating shop for which I work was forced to put almost half of it’s employees in the unemployment line. The rest of us fear that we might be headed there ourselves.

So after following your line of thinking thus far, I have to ask the following question.

Can we get the farmers to share some of that tax money with the iron workers? If not, who will bail the hard working, America loving, struggling iron workers out? Come to think about it, I bet there are more iron workers in dire situations right now than there are farmers.

You then stated:

“If the government can give out tons of money to countries that hate the US. what is given to the farms is pocket change.”

Your argument is absolutely lost on me.

I do not approve of my tax dollars going to countries that hate us either. The government should stop that as well, right? Furthermore, I hope that you do not want us to give tax dollars to those countries so that we can maintain a great excuse to give even more money to wealthy farmers. Also, that money given to farmers is NOT pocket change at all. It is a huge fortune in OUR tax dollars. If I remember correctly, the last Farm Bill passed through Congress at a mind boggling 309 billion dollars! A THIRD of a Trillion dollars! That brings me to the next thing you said.

You offered an idea for my next research project:

“Look at the welfare handouts. at least the farmers work. no work no crop.”

My Response to that is as follows:

I just mentioned the 309 billion dollar Farm Bill that recently passed through Congress. Do you know how much of that goes to farmers? According to a Fayette County farmer who was defending the huge number to me last year, only about 7.5% actually goes to farmers. He told me that the rest of those tax dollars go to things that have nothing at all to do with farming. It goes to those welfare handouts that you’ve asked me to look at! I’m sure this farmer is a good man and I took what he told me for the truth. (If I am in error with any of these assertions, please forgive me while you adjust my thinking.)

Just so people will begin to pay attention, maybe we should rename the “Farm Bill” the “Welfare Bill”. Or better yet, how about we rename it the “Great Redistribution of Wealth Bill” because that is what it really is!

What is the best way for me to fight those welfare handouts?

For me to fight against the welfare handouts, I have no choice but to fight against the newly dubbed tax payer funded 309 billion dollar Great Redistribution of Wealth Bill.

The bill is protected by voter’s lack of knowledge of the following facts.

Less than one in ten dollars of the “Great Redistribution of Wealth Bill” is handed to a special interest group that holds sway over the romantic “American as Apple Pie” notions of small town farmers being given a helping hand. That insures that the other 9 dollars goes straight to those welfare handouts! Isn’t liberalism great? One dollar works while the other nine do not.

Now, I question myself: “How does this keep happenings over and over?” Simple! Get the people who received the tenth dollars to contribute about 4 cents on each those particular dollars to a candidate that will go to the US Congress and vote for an even bigger “Great Redistribution of Wealth Bill” next time!

Its pretty cheap investment once you think about it. That is less than one half of one percent of the total 309 billion that is required to get the next 309 billion coming down the Federal Government money pipe.

Then you said:

“I know that you are a supporter of Mr Janes. and I like him also. but bashing the farmers, you have gone too far.”

You’re possibly correct. At this time, it is fair to say that I am seriously looking at Janes. That is because I see him as the best person claiming to be a candidate in the race thus far. The fact in the matter is that we do not know who all will be running so I reserve the right to support whomever I please once those people step forward. Did you notice that I did not even mention Janes as an alternative to Fincher in the press release?

If I were to find Janes or any other candidate in a similar situation, I would let the light shine on him as well.

As far as bashing farmers? My family was in farming for generations. Have I gone to far? I don’t think so. I will continue to expose problems like this Farm Subsidies issue no matter if it is against my own flesh-and-blood running for office.

No, actually, I think it is the Federal Government that has gone to far.

With kindest regards,

Jim Tomasik