Monday, June 24, 2013

MSGOP porkers vote for well, more pork

Trillion dollar "farm bill".  80% of it goes for food stamps.  Guess who votes for it?  Pallazo, Nunalee, and Harper.  Got to make Thad look good, I guess. Thompson votes against it. Is Thompson the conservative in the whole group? Vote.

Meanwhile Senator Cochran defended the food stamp spending in the National Journal:

"Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., defended federal nutrition programs Tuesday to a group of agricultural journalists, and in the process demonstrated why dealing with food stamps may be harder this year than in 2012 when it comes to writing a farm bill.

Cochran told the North American Agricultural Journalists that food stamps—formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP—should stay in the farm bill rather than be put in a separate bill, as some tea-party House Republicans have proposed.

“[Food stamps] should continue to be included purely from a political perspective. It helps get the farm bill passed,” Cochran said.

He went on to defend federal nutrition programs, including food stamps and subsidized school meals. “I come from a state where we have higher-percentage participation [than the national average]. It is part of my representation of the state that I make sure that those interests get represented,” Cochran said.

“I have never had to apologize in Mississippi for supporting it,” he said, referring to food stamps.

Those are rare words from a Republican these days. But Cochran is an old-school Southern Republican who has long recognized that his and other Southern states with the highest rates of poverty in the country need food assistance as much as they need cotton, rice, and peanut subsidies. Midwestern Republicans supported food stamps because the program led to an increase in food sales.

That changed in the last Congress. Some House Republicans, often from the rural Midwest, began proposing putting food stamps—which make up more than 70 percent of the Agriculture Department budget—into a separate bill. This would be a way to reduce food-stamp spending or get the program turned over to the states. These members seem to have forgotten that Congress created food stamps as part of the farm bill in the 1960s, when the declining rural population translated into fewer rural representatives in the House and fewer votes for the farm bill, and that the number of rural representatives continues to decline.

The number of people on food stamps has risen above 47 million during the Obama administration, and Republicans have noted that the numbers have not gone down much even as the economy has improved. They want to make it harder for people to qualify for the program, and both the farm bills passed by the Senate and the House Agriculture Committee in 2012 included cuts to SNAP.

Cochran has shown no enthusiasm for those cuts, and on Tuesday he said only that there would need to be “consensus” on any proposal to trim the program
...." Rest of article

However, the Wall Street Journal pointed out a few things in an editorial Friday:

"On Thursday the House routed a $940 billion piece of legislation known as a "farm bill," though it was more accurately a food stamps bill since that's where 80% of the money was headed. The defeat is an opportunity for reformers, if they have the wit to use their leverage.

The House leadership tried to duck controversy and run a near-copy of the Senate's bill straight up the middle with Republican and Democratic votes. It made only notional changes to the status quo, which includes the fact that a record 47 million Americans now use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or more than the population of Spain.

As recently as a decade ago the program covered a mere 21 million people, but enrollment gradually started to climb and has spiked more than 70% since 2008. This is in part an artifact of the recession, but enrollment has continued to rise even as the economy recovers. Changes under George W. Bush in 2002, the Pelosi Congress in 2008 and the 2009 Obama stimulus expanded eligibility and loosened income tests and asset requirements to convert food stamps into another entitlement...

The best salvage operation now would be splitting off the farm and food stamps packages and dealing with each separately so there are fewer hostages and power centers. Reformers won't get everything but they can drive a harder bargain, which could include more flexibility for states to administer the program and limits on categorical eligibility. The fact that one of seven Americans are on food stamps isn't a reflection of poverty or compassion but is an indictment of the growth of government
."

Bennie probably voted against the bill because it didn't spend enough money for his liking. Paul Ryan voted against the bill because he thought it spent too much and lacked real reforms. The Mississippi Republicans? They all voted for it. Only thing missing was an MSGOP update thanking them for voting for the pork.  Remember this next year when they all run ads bragging how they voted to cut spending and ask for your vote. 

22 comments:

Benny053 said...

Yep big spenders they are! But then I have to say, I haven't voted for Gregg Harper in the last two cycles. And I'm a Republican. Gregg also voted for the Pigford amendment, which was FULL of fraudulent claims! Get smart District 3, Gregg is one of the reasons this Country is in trouble.

I can hear someone in Pearl saying "Oh but I go to Church with him, he's a good man." Well he may be a good man, but he is a HORRIBLE representative.

Anonymous said...

Back your comment up re: 'full of fraudulent claims'. That's as meaningless as 'I go to church with him'.

Anonymous said...

As a left-of-center Rankin County resident I reluctantly voted for Gregg during his first election. I'd been assured he was a moderate and wouldn't vote the Republican talking points...that he could be non-partisan. I still believe he's a good man with a good family but he's such a disappointment. It's as if he calls 1-800-GOP for the daily sound bites and votes the Tea Party Crazy way. He should moderate a little or remove himself from contention (probably only to be replaced by another even crazier TP candidate).

Benny053 said...

Even the NYT times jumped on the fraudulent band wagon..."Agriculture Department reviewers found reams of suspicious claims, from nursery-school-age children and pockets of urban dwellers, sometimes in the same handwriting with nearly identical accounts of discrimination."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/us/farm-loan-bias-claims-often-unsupported-cost-us-millions.html?_r=0

Anonymous said...

11:03: Your post is as hollow as 10:22's. What do you cite as his most disappointing votes for you personally. Other than him not having a (D) following his name, get specific. Shat or get off the liberal pot, in other words. You may begin......(no googling DNC talking points).

Anonymous said...

So, Benny, as suspected, you have nothing of your own, independent of a vague suggestion by the NYT to support your claim of fraud. 'Suspicious claims' and things appearing to be in the 'same handwriting' do not meet the criminal definition of fraud. Surely you know that. Why else do you have a problem with Harper. Have you called Harper's office to discuss the matter? Speak up man! or don't..........

Anonymous said...

11:39 - Can the ad hominem attacks on "Benny". These frauds were widely reported at the time. If you're too lazy to look it up yourself then just STFU. I'm not doing your work for you.

Benny053 said...

When I talked to Nunnelee (at the Madison County GOP dinner, this year), I thanked him for not voting for Pigford - you know what he said..."it had too many fraudulent claims, that's why I couldn't vote for it..."

Thank goodness, he nor Palazzo were dumb enough to vote for Pigford; just Harper.

Rankin County has too much power. Wake up, Mississippi!

Anonymous said...

2012 Mississippi Republican = 1965 Dixiecrat. The letter by your name simply appeals to the ignorant masses. And we have two ignorant masses in this state, plenty for both the R and the D candidates. True small-government free-market conservatism has been dead for a good while in this state.

Anonymous said...

Pigford is a perfect example of why Greg Harper is a disaster. If he had bothered to read the bill he would have realized that it was so poor/or purposely written to guarantee fraud. Did you know that you do not have to be a farmer to get Pigford Benefits? If you are a minority (Women, disabled men, Native American) and you had a tomato garden in your yard, you would qualify for Pigford Funds. This is not Political or partisan rhetoric but documented fact. This is just one of numerous bills in which your hard earned dollars are wasted to pay back cronies, appease special interests and of course meet the politically correct test marker of the day. Greg Harper is a disaster for America, the economy, and he needs to go. If you are unhappy with the state of the economy, the debt, spending habits well, look at Greg harper and especially Thad Cochran. Thank them.. I expect waste and irresponsible spending from Democrats that is tax spend and spend some more is the only thing they know. I do NOT expect this from the Republican Party which is supposed to be the Party of Fiscally Responsible Policy and Limited Gov. Pigford is expected to top $4.4 BILLION. Get your heads out of your rear ends and start fighting for the future of this country.

Anonymous said...

When I let Harper's office know I didn't want the internet tax to pass, I got a really pretty form letter in the mail telling me all the reasons why the tax would be wonderful for local government. But not a peep as to the points I made with his staff on why the tax is dumb.

Harper is a yes man and it's fairly obvious he has his eyes set on the Senate. He isn't rocking the boat and will continue to make every major contributor and big corporate sponsor and/or industry lobby very happy. On that score, he's a big disappointment.

FWIW, he'll be at Lakeland Pres on the 3rd for a BBQ. Go see him and ask some questions. Maybe you'll get a better response than my form letter.

Anonymous said...

All he is knows is the Mississippi party line....small government between a man and a woman with guns but no foreigners. That pretty much gets you to Washington nowadays from this place. But once he gets past the cue cards, it gets painful to watch. Same for the rest of that crew of hypocrites.

Anonymous said...

12:19; speaking of 'looking it up', you obviously do not know the definition of ad hominem. Benny wasn't attacked. He was only asked to back up his assertions.

What we have in this thread are several democrats calling others on the phone telling them to go to this site and pile on Harper.

And that's a COLE hard fact!

Anonymous said...

Those who have opposed this farm bill are really advocating less reform and more spending.

Without the farm bill, Congress will pass an extension of the old bill, which will contain the same levels of spending we have now, not the $20 billion in savings in the House version of the farm bill. Also, none of the food stamp program and other reforms, such as limiting direct farm subsidies, will be enacted. It will be same, old same old.

The TEA Party lunatics - who demand everything be just like they want it or they pack up their toys and go home - are keeping any spending reform/reductions from happening in this case.

Not to mention - the same bunch of conservatives who preach that we need regulatory certainty for business and industry - are preventing the passage and the certainty they preach about - for the entire agriculture industry in America.

Anonymous said...

"FWIW, he'll be at Lakeland Pres on the 3rd for a BBQ. Go see him and ask some questions."

What and where is Lakeland pres?

Anonymous said...

3:05, please articulate as to why voting for this bill was good. No Googling.

Signed, frustrated Republican sans blinders.

Anonymous said...

Per Bennie Thompson's facebook page, he didn't vote for this bill because it reduced SNAP funding

Anonymous said...

Wicker sells out Mississippi today.

Anonymous said...

what and where is Lakeland pres?

John Stuart Mill said...

What happened to the free market capitalists in the Republican Party? Ag policy in the USA has been a creature of Washington since WW2. We pay Brazil millions each year for violating subsidies provisions of trade agreements in regard to cotton supports. Our cotton supports are too rich and we have to pay the penalties thanks to the cotton council and the Mississippi delegation.

Anonymous said...

Geez
Instead of believing everything your party tells you and assuming your party representative is virtuous and the other party is never virtuous, why don't you actually READ the bills and get the facts?
There's a summary. It's public record.
Then you'd find out that you are being played and that the difference between a Republican and Democrat is who gets your money and the Tea Party elected a group of incompetents who don't understand science or government or economics but played to public fears.
The first question we should ask a candidate is " Do you like to read and study?" as it's necessary not to be fooled in DC and the second question should be, " What are your reading comprehension scores?" . Then we can find out if they have a history of honesty.

Wake up!

If Greg is honest, he is in way over his head and too busy raising money to know what the hell is going on!


Anonymous said...

4:42 p.m., Lakeland Pres is Lakeland Presbyterian Church, 5212 Lakeland Drive in Flowood.



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