Shocking! 186 Republicans Say NO! to Rural America

This afternoon the Farm Bill passed the House on an almost straight party line vote.

186 Republicans said NO to rural Americans ... NO to farmers ... NO to nutrition ... NO to food stamps ... NO to conservation ... and NO to energy independence for our country.

Think about it -- the NO to energy independence was really a NO to national security. If the United States were energy independent now, we wouldn't be in Iraq. Nor would we be reading stories -- almost every day, it seems -- about the terrible care our veterans are getting when they come home in need of medical care. Nor would more than 3600 American soldiers have died in combat.

Of course, the Republicans' NO vote was really an echo. The President calls a tax loophole a tax increase, and just like lemmings ... there go the Republican Minority ... off the cliff and against the country.

Congratulations to House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn) for passing the Farm Bill -- H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007, and congratulations for closing the loophole, too. It's interesting to note that this week President Bush called the loophole a tax increase, but five years ago he supported closing it. What closing the loophole does is make it more difficult for foreign companies with U.S. subsidiaries to use offshore entities to avoid paying taxes on profits made in the U.S. Why Mr. Bush, or anyone for that matter, would want to allow foreign companies to skip paying taxes on the money they made here is beyond me.

Closing the loophole saves $3.2 billion dollars, money that will be spent on nutrition programs for children. Overall, the legislation must be considered landmark, since there are a number of "firsts" in the bill. For example, the New Direction Farm Bill:

• Includes specialty crop growers in the farm safety net
• Promotes fruits and vegetables and organic agriculture
  
• Prohibits payments to millionaires and stops others from evading farm payment limits
• Increases investments in renewable energy by 600%
• Prioritizes nutrition while providing stronger assistance to low income families.

Two-thirds of the cost of $284 Billion (over five years) Farm Bill will go to nutrition, and that makes me wonder ... why we don't rename the Farm Bill? We could call it the "Food" Bill because that's what it really is -- food and fiber for all of our families, not just for those of us who live on the farm, but rather for families all over the world.

Farm Bill ... Today!

Today, we're in a keep it simple mode, so here's what one of our Colorado readers had to say about the President's threat to veto:

• "Only my (Republican) party could spin “closing a tax loophole” as a “tax increase”….and yes, war is really “peace” and mounting deficits are really “fiscal responsibility”. The Colorado (Republican) party reads right out of the national playbook. Governor Ritter and the Dem Legislature just closed a loophole on property taxes and the increase in dollars will help fund the public school system…the Repugs are spending this summer traveling the state calling our Gov “Mr. Tax and Spend”. What a bunch of morons ..."
  

To be clear, the debate is about whether closing a tax loophole should be considered a tax increase. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) has a bill called "Fairness in International Tax Bill" that could stop foreign-based parent companies from moving their U.S. income (earned through U.S. sales from their U.S. based subsidiaries) to countries with either lower taxes or no taxes. President Bush originally supported the proposal but has now changed his mind.

Closing this corporate loophole allows the Farm Bill to meet "pay go" requirements and at the same time fund the extra dollars ($4B) needed for increases in spending for food stamp.

The House version of the Farm Bill has broad support, and My Rural America supports passage. Assuming passage, in September, the Senate will take up the bill so we can expect more debate. One issue will come from Senator Durbin and Senator Brown:

• Call this a preview of upcoming debate when the Senate takes up the Farm Bill in September: National Corn Growers say "Durbin-Brown Takes Farm Policy to a New Level."

More issues can be expected ... including additional support for rural development.

Just What Is He thinking? President Bush Just Threatened to Veto the Farm Bill

And we just don't get it. Traditionally, Farm Bill is non-partisan, more regional than partisan, and this year ... Dems and Repubs have worked closely together to create a solid bill that moves us in the right direction -- protecting the rural economy and forward thinking about our nation's need to be energy independent, as well as supportive of conservation, organic growers and specialty crops.

The best thing to do ... pick up the phone, dial 202-224-3121 and ask for your Member of Congress. Tell him or her to stop playing politics and vote YES on the Farm Bill.

Farm Bill -- Debate Begins at 3PM today: Wednesday, July 25

We urge you to ask your Member of Congress to vote NO! on the Kind Amendment. Our reasoning is very similar to the American Corn Growers -- see excerpt below. In addition, we would add that House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) have worked closely together -- carefully sorting the issues out in a bi-partisan manner, so that the Farm Bill begins reform, taking strong steps toward helping our nation become energy independent, while investing in new opportunities for nutrition, conservation and support for both organic growers and specialty crops.

In a letter to Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI), ACGA commended the initiative and leadership exhibited by the Congressman for his work on the farm policy debate this year but ... asked Kind to consider supporting the Food From Family Farms Act (FFFA) to provide:

• A return to a price floor mechanism for program crops,
• A return to a Farmer Owned Grain Reserve (FOR), and
• Authority to help farmers migrate a portion of the land currently being used to grow those crops usually produced in excess to the production of alternative, dedicated energy crops.

“The price floor contained in FFFA will save tens of billions of dollars in direct subsidies to farmers in exchange for providing them the opportunity to receive a fair price from the market,” explained Larry Mitchell, Director of Government Affairs for ACGA. “The FOR will provide for national food security, national energy security and a safety valve for the nation’s consumers, livestock producers, and biofuels sector. Helping farmers migrate to growing dedicated alternative energy crops will help mitigate over production of some crops and help the nation move toward energy independence.”

ACGA concluded, “The savings achieved with the FFFA will provide additional funding for conservation programs as well as renewable energy initiatives, nutrition needs and rural development. ...”

Congratulations Congress -- 74 Million Rural Americans Benefit from Raise in Minimum Wage

With Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid leading the way, Democrats celebrated their success in raising the minimum wage ... promises given/promises kept!

National minimum wage has been $5.15 per hour since 1997. The raise will occur in three stages:

• $5.85 per hour, beginning 60 days after the bill's enactment. The President signed the bill into law on May 25;
• $6.55 per hour 12 months, or one year, after that sixtieth day; and
• $7.25 per hour 24 months, or two years, after that sixtieth day.

More than 650 economists were joined together in support of the raise, while the Economic Policy Institute reported that "The real value of today’s federal minimum is less than it has been since 1951. Moreover, the ratio of the minimum wage to the average hourly wage of non-supervisory workers is 31%, its lowest level since World War II."

According to William O'Hare at the Carsey Institute, more than 5.5 million people in rural America live in households where someone earns less than $7.25 an hour and 60% of the benefactors of the wage increase live in rural America. Read more at the Carsey Institute's study by O'Hare: "Rural Workers Would Benefi t More Than Urban Workers from an Increase in the Federal Minimum Wage"

A Prison Opens in Rural America Every 15 Days ...

"Every 15 days" happened in the 1990's. Today -- July 24th, PBS is premiering a movie about what happened in one of the small towns where the prisons were built.

Prison Town, USA highlights the tragedies suffered by both town residents and the prisoners. What's saddest about this story is that the U.S. has imprisoned more people than anywhere else around the world. Check your local listing for the exact time, and flip your TV set on to PBS. It's well worth watching.

Let us know what you think about America's failing criminal justice system, too.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road and Rhetoric No Longer Matters

The Senate stayed up all night, resulting in 52 votes for a new direction in Iraq. Senator Joe Biden called for finding a political solution "...So when we leave Iraq, we don't have to send our grandchildren back."

Four Republicans stood with the Democrats -- Senators Gordon Smith of Oregon, Olympia Snowe of Maine, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Susan Collins of Maine.

In his Washington Post column, OpEd writer Harold Meyerson began like this, "Anyone searching for the highest forms of invertebrate life need look no further than the floor of the U.S. Senate this week. These spineless specimans go by various names -- Republican moderates; respected Republicans; Dick Lugar, John Warner, Peter Domenici, George Voinovich."

Read for yourself: The column is called "Spineless Sages."

Welcome to My Rural America's New Blog

Welcome. This new blog is for you. We invite you to comment ... share your opinions, and let us know what subjects you're most interested in.

We had hoped to open this blog with good news, saying that we promise to highlight what's going well for rural America, as well as to emphasize Washington policy making ... and how these action's affect rural America's "bread & butter", i.e., economic well-being.

Instead, today's news highlights how sad it is that, quite simply, the President has failed to hear the voice of the American people, as they spoke so strongly only eight months ago in the 2006 elections.

Americans understood then ... the endless Iraq war has made things worse instead of better, and we are now in a position that our soldiers are dying to honor those who died before them. A new National Intelligence Estimate re-emphasizes that Al Qaeda is growing stronger while we remain focused on Iraq. The Report says we are in a "heightened threat environment." Overall, the assessment underlines the need to force the President to change the mission, so that our nation's resources can be redirected toward Al Qaeda, rather than be caught in Iraq's civil war.

Congressman Ike Skelton of Missouri, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, puts it this way, "We must responsibly redeploy our troops out of Iraq, handing responsibility for security over to the Iraqis and leaving only those forces required for limited missions. This will allow us to concentrate our efforts on Afghanistan and the al-Qaida terrorists who attacked us on 9/11."

TIME TO SAY STOP!! Too Many Rural Americans Are Paying the Ultimate Sacrifice

Today -- Tuesday, July 17th, we ask you to join in saying "enough is enough." It is time for a new strategy ... time to say to the President STOP OBSTRUCTING an end to the Iraq war.

If you live in the Washington, DC region, we urge you to join us in a candlelight vigil.

Tuesday, July 17th
8:30 PM

Upper Senate Park, Constitution and Delaware, NW

(Across from the U.S. Capitol and next to the Russell Senate Office Building)

Or if you live outside the Washington area, we urge you to dial the phone -- call your Republican Senator and tell him or her "enough is enough" ... it is time to change directions in Iraq. It is time to tell the President to stop now.

General Senate #: 202-224-2131

Tell them rural Americans have already paid too high a price, with rural soldiers dying in Iraq and Afghanistan at a 60% higher rate than urban soldiers.

Why? According to the Carsey Institute's analysis of U.S. Department of Defense data, this higher rural death rate reflects the fact that rural areas have higher rates of military recruitment, and a lack of good rural employment and educational opportunities.

Vermont has the highest death rate in the country.

Tragic ... to say the least. You can find out about your state's soldiers, and more about how we are losing our rural soldiers at the following website: http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/documents/RuralDead_fact_revised.pdf

My Rural America Applauds Gov. Sebelius

Before My Rural America opened its doors, we researched Rural America's needs, and here's what we found:

• Home Broadband Adoption Lags Behind -- PEW Internet and American Life, 2-26-06
  
• Study Finds More News Media Outlets , but Less News Covered -- Kellogg Foundation ... The State of the New Media 2006, 3-14-2006
• Rural Citizens Have Less Than 4 Percent Chance to Read How Their Elected Member of Congress Votes -- My Rural America Action Fund Study, 9-1-05
  

Now Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius has testified to the U.S. House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, saying that the challenges in rural America do not singularly center on economics.

Governor Sebelius frames it this way, "First and foremost, rural communities have lost their ability to constructively call their citizens to a common table to discuss their future."

Using the coffee shops as an example, she emphasizes how rural Americans have lost the skills necessary for productive and progressive communications, since many times the only information available is misinformed, discouraging or very negative.

Sebelius also points to rural America's media, saying, "The small community newspapers -- which 40 or 50 years ago served as a 'conscience of the community' -- are no longer serving that purpose and in many cases have disappeared altogether. So called 'local' TV broadcasts originate from hundreds of miles away, and supposedly 'local' radio stations are increasingly owned by nationwide conglomerates that pipe in programming from the other side of the country."

My Rural America applauds Governor Sebelius. She's gotten it right, emphasizing how for rural development to be effective, it must begin with leadership development, strategic planning and communications.

Communications!! That's this new blog's goal -- to increase communications, to offer facts about what happens in Congress and in local communities while we give rural Americans the opportunity to speak out.

We invite you to participate.

• For more detail on Governor Sebelius' testimony, please see the following: http://www.kansas.com/205/story/116887.html