My Rural America

Excitement in the Air: Healthcare!

2010-03-24T10:39:00.006-04:00

There has been so much excitement about healthcare that our entries have slowed down. But I wanted to pass along a key resource and indicate that we have heard from supporters of My Rural America about their enthusiasm for the actions of the Congress to extend healthcare to 32 million Americans over the next several years. Supporters with children with disabilities are especially pleased that within the next several months they may be able to obtain health insurance for them. Individuals who have lived with fear that their insurance company would throw them off their insurance or they would pass a "lifetime cap" are breathing easier.

For those interested in seeing the full information packets available from the authors of the healthcare reform we are posting a link: www.speaker.gov/healthreform/ We are not posting all the links that become available under that address - look for your particular interests.

Of course, this is not the end of this debate. The Senate is considering the Reconciliation bill that will clarify and remedy some of the issues in the just signed bill. And as supporters of My Rural America know opponents of healthcare reform have launched efforts to repeal the just signed law and to file lawsuits they hope will carry them to the U.S. Supreme Court in opposition to healthcare reform.

Transition at My Rural America

2009-12-16T13:51:00.005-05:00

This is an exiting time at My Rural America

Change at the Top: First, we want to congratulate our Founder, Barbara Leach, on her recent appointment as Associate Administrator of the Risk Management Administration within the Farm and Foreign Services mission area of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In this critical management position, we are sure that Barb will continue her hard work for rural America by carrying out the Obama administration’s objectives to bring effective crop insurance and other risk products to farmers in our country.

We will miss her leadership, but are very pleased that she will move to a position where she can help all of rural America. We deeply appreciate Barb’s record of accomplishment in identifying the need for MRA, and in achieving the start-up of our outreach and educational efforts as well as performing the research that made our efforts so effective across rural America, particularly in New Hampshire, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Ohio, Wyoming and North Carolina.

New Leadership at MRA: My Rural America’s preparation for this change began on October 28th with the election of Caren Wilcox as President of My Rural America. Wilcox previously served as Vice President of MRA’s Board of Directors. Caren’s experience includes service as Deputy Under Secretary at USDA from 1997 to 2001. She has worked almost all her life in food production, while members of her family live, farm and ranch in rural communities of the West and the Northeast.

Larry Mitchell who has been serving on the Advisory Committee of MRA has been elected Vice President of the Board, and Lloyd Wright has agreed to remain the Secretary/Treasurer of the organization. You can remind yourself of their wonderful backgrounds in agriculture and rural development by going to our website at www.MyRuralAmerica.org and clicking on the About Us page.

It is the intention of your new Executive Committee to identify others who have been supportive of the strong mission of My Rural America and to ask them to join the Board of My Rural America in the very near future.

We hope that those of you involved in My Rural America via our website, this blog and in our outreach efforts in various states, will send us your advice and counsel as we move to this new stage of our organization. We want to hear from you and you can send messages to: info@myruralamerica.org

Healthcare Reform Hits the U.S. Senate Floor

2009-11-25T11:20:00.006-05:00

On Wednesday, Nov. 18, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid revealed an $848 billion plan for health care reform. As proposed, the package would extend health care coverage to 31 million people. The Congressional Budget Office determined that the Senate bill would cut federal deficits by $130 billion over the next decade. The plan is the most cost effective legislation presented by the House or Senate this year. Sixty Senators voted to bring a bill to the floor of the Senate for debate, and this debate is expected to occur between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The current proposed bill before the Senate promises to address key issues with health care in rural America.

As individuals living all over rural America know all too well, access to health care benefits and treatment is a huge challenge.
Individuals living in rural America are less likely to get preventive care, such as testing for cancer or routine reviews to reduce damage from diabetes.
One in five farmers is in medical debt. Half of those living in rural America pay for their health insurance costs out of their own pockets without insurance back-up.
Others who can buy insurance must do it directly from an insurance company because they cannot be a part of an employee group to keep insurance costs lower.
If a rural American or a member of his family suffers from heart disease and or diabetes, they are likely to be denied coverage under the current system because they are considered to have a “pre-existing condition.”
In small rural towns, where more than a third of rural Americans work, the small businesses struggle to cover employees in an under served environment or simply do not offer health benefits to employees.

The health care bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate moves to solve or improve many of these problems for rural Americans.

One of the most important issues in rural America is accessibility, which the proposal will improve. Approximately 65 million Americans lack access to a primary care provider because of shortages, and this is a particular challenge in rural America where people have to drive long distances to receive care. Health reform will invest in expanding the health care workforce to ensure that people in rural areas have access to doctors, nurses and high quality health care.

Health insurance reform legislation will expand tele-health services so rural Americans can access consultations for specialty care, as well as support ground and air ambulance services to quickly transport people to health care facilities during these critical times. Health insurance reform will also improve trauma care systems, which are essential in rural areas and across the nation.

Another important piece of the plan will give people the power to choose what is best for them and their families with the public option. In many rural states, one insurance company dominates more than 80 percent of the market. This means that there are often only one or two insurance companies offering health plans to families. With a competitive public option, Americans will have increased choices and increased competition that holds private insurers accountable. This public option is not intended for individuals already covered by employer health benefits, and can be particularly important to expand options for individuals not covered by such plans in rural America.

One-third of farmers can only purchase health insurance directly from an insurance company, more than three times the national average, which leads to higher costs and less security. The ability to choose will greatly reduce costs, increase security and ensure people are paying for what they need. Health reform will also prevent insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing health conditions, which is currently a common practice of insurance companies.

As important as treatment of illness is, prevention may be even more critical. Identifying diseases early on is vital to treatment and recovery. Health reform will ensure coverage of preventative treatments to avoid disease, keeping Americans healthier and reducing the need for expensive treatments and medications.

There are clearly still issues that need to be worked out. The coming debate in the U.S. Senate is a step in the right direction; to ensure all Americans, especially those in rural America, receive the health care they need and deserve.

Health Care Reform Puts Big Focus on Small Business

2009-11-03T12:42:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday, October 27, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina held a conference call to discuss a new report, More Choices, Better Coverage: Health Insurance Reform and Rural America. The report examines heath care in rural areas and the need for health insurance reform.

In Virginia, small businesses make up 71 percent of Virginia businesses but, only 48 percent of them offered health coverage benefits in 2006. 600,000 Virginia workers were without health insurance in 2008 and the number continues to rise.

One of the key elements of the reform plan is offering a tax credit to the self employed and small businesses with 50 employees or less, so they can afford to provide coverage for employees. Reform will also provide scholarships, grants, and loan repayments to doctors and nurses who practice in under served areas so that all Americans can have access to health care.

“Americans who live in rural communities have a harder time finding the doctor they need and getting the care they deserve and their health suffers” said Sebelius. “…Reform will improve access to high quality care in rural communities and help give all Americans the stable, secure care they need.”

The report notes many of the discrepancies in health insurance in rural areas. Rural Americans pay for nearly half of their health care costs out of their own pocket, and one out of every five farmers is in medical debt.

With the new health insurance exchange proposal, people can easily compare insurance prices and health plans and decide which quality affordable option is right for them and their family. These proposals will help the 1,070,600 residents of Virginia who currently do not have health insurance to obtain needed coverage, and it will also help the 300,000 Virginia residents who currently purchase insurance in the individual insurance market to find affordable prices without sacrificing quality.

Rural Americans simply cannot afford health insurance and deserve better. President Obama is committed to working with Congress to pass health reform this year that will reduce cost, provide choices and insure all Americans quality and affordable health care.

Broadband Availability Lacks Where It's Needed Most

2009-10-26T09:01:00.009-04:00

As broadband communication becomes more and more important, so does the lack of availability of it in rural areas. A report on dailyyonder.com highlights Michael J. Copps, the acting chair of the FCC, and his support of the government stepping up to aid the development of broadband in rural America. "Relying on market forces alone will not bring robust and affordable broadband services to all parts of rural America," he writes. "Therefore, all levels of government should explore ways to help overcome the high costs of rural broadband deployment."

Broadband access is particularly important in rural areas especially when it comes to health care. Telemedicine is a rapidly developing application of clinical medicine where medical information is transferred through the phone or the Internet and sometimes other networks for the purpose of consulting, and sometimes remote medical procedures or examinations. Telemedicine is most beneficial for populations living in isolated communities and remote regions who do not have access to certain specialists and equipment.Telemedicine allows a doctor in a rural area to send vital information such as x-rays, to a specialist hundreds of miles away to insure a patient receives the best possible treatment.The use of telemedicine is impossible without broadband.

More information on broadband accessibility in Virginia

Home Sales Bounce to 2-year High

2009-10-26T08:14:00.004-04:00

A report by Renae Merle of The Washington Post states that existing homes sales climbed 9.4 percent in September the highest level in more than 2 years. In the South region which includes Virginia, sales rose 9 percent. Analysts say that at the current rate it would take 7.8 months to sell all of the homes on the market.

One of the biggest reasons for the increase is the growing demand for cheap property and an $8,000 tax credit for first time buyers. Analysts worry that the major increase is due mainly to the tax credit and people rushing to cash in before it expires. Proposals have been made to extend the Nov. 30 expiration date for the credit because of the fear that sales will stumble once it expires. More on this here.

In the Face of Economic Woes Stimulus Saves Education Jobs

2009-10-26T07:42:00.004-04:00

A report issued by the White House and the Education Department states that the stimulus package has created or saved 250,000 education jobs. The Washington Post reports that without the $67 billion in federal aid provided through Sept. 30 under the economic stimulus law, state and local budgets for public schools and higher education would be hurting badly. In Virginia, stimulus aid accounted for 2 percent of regular K-12 funding and saved 72 education jobs in Richmond alone.

Even with these jobs being saved and created, many states are still facing major budget shortfalls. All over the country states are predicting major budget shortfalls for 2011. For more on this story click here.

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Need Emergency Care? Not So Fast

2009-10-19T15:58:00.007-04:00

Would you ever think that surviving a major trauma would depend more on where it happened than what actually happened to you? Well that seems to be exactly the case according to the American College of Surgeons 2009 Clinical Congress. A report from the congress as reported by news-medical.net, shows the lack of surgeons working emergency trauma and lack of availability of trauma centers especially in rural areas, is a main reason why trauma is the leading cause of death for people under the age of 45 in the United States. A survey taken this year of trauma surgeons in each state, found that nearly 40% of the population may not be covered by a statewide trauma system.

A. Brent Eastman, M.D, FACS, vice-chair of the ACS Board of Regents and Chief Medical Officer, stressed the importance of trauma center availability to survival. "Coordinated, regionalized and accountable trauma systems are proven to get the right patients to the right hospital at the right time," said Dr. Eastman. "For victims of major trauma, access to timely, optimal care during the first 'golden' hour has been proven to save lives, restore function and prevent disability." More on this story here.

Small Businesses and Small Towns in Line for Big Gains

2009-10-15T11:15:00.011-04:00

The Washington Post reports today that billions of dollars of bailout funds may soon be available to help small businesses. One plan from Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va) suggests pooling money from several areas, including the Federal Reserve, to allocate $50 billion to be used to lend to small businesses. Another plan set forth by the Treasury Department is much smaller calling for $10 billion of bailout funds and not involving the Federal Reserve.

"Both proposals attempt to speed aid to small businesses, which government officials say are essential to economic recovery because they employ so many workers," states the report. The idea is to give money to small community banks who would then loan the money to there community businesses. If successful it would be a big step toward saving jobs in small communities. More on this story can be found here.

Wondering about What Health Care Rationing Really Is?

2009-08-06T23:38:00.004-04:00

We dare you to read Dana Milbank's 8/6/2009 column for the Washington Post:

"In a Plea for Health Reform, a Widow Picks Up Her Paintbrushes."

The story begins, "Regina Holiday will always remember the day the Senate took up health-care reform seven weeks ago. It was the day her husband died." Read more here.

This is the U.S. health care system as it works today.

H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

2009-08-04T00:08:00.006-04:00

We draw your attention to this blog's newest addition. See immediately to your right for "Check the Facts on Health Care Reform." The House Energy and Commerce Committee has done district by district analysis on the impact of the bill -- H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 -- passed this week by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Just scroll down to your state and then click the name of your Member of Congress or your district number, and read the facts -- all about what changes in our health care system will mean to you.

There is help for small business, help for seniors who struggle to pay for drugs in Medicare's Part D "doughnut hole", assistance for hospitals and coverage for the uninsured. Best of all, you can see how many taxpayers in your Congressional District would be taxed. For example, in western Iowa -- Congressional District 5 now represented by Steve King -- 99.5% of taxpayers would pay no additional tax for this bill.

Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP = Health Care "Public Options" Already in Place

2009-07-30T10:04:00.003-04:00

Wondering why some top health care executives are pushing against a public option for health care? The answer to this very important question centers on how existing business -- no matter the industry -- hates competition. What real competition does is force business to watch their costs of doing business, get creative about how they do business and be responsible and respectful to their customers. What the public option being considered in Congress will do is put in place the now missing competitive factor into the health care industry.

For example, once a public option is in place, companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield (care LESS) will need to think twice before they make arbitrary decisions that can raise rates dramatically using little more than the "excuse" that one claim in 20 or 25 years is enough to justify their making dramatic increases in annual rates.

The reality is that without this public option, health care costs can be expected to skyrocket even more than they have in the past. A 2005 study published by the Federal Reserve Bank concluded that nearly 60% of American families cannot afford their health insurance. This was true for everyone -- older, younger, rural and urban. Since then costs have only gone up.

For more info, see the data at "The Sustainability of Health Spending Growth".

For rural families who are less likely to have employer paid health insurance and more likely to be forced to travel extreme distances to get medical care that is affordable and comes with easy access, the need for relief from the growing cost of health care is essential.

What's most amazing to us is how some rural seniors and others seem to have fallen for the "don't want the government involved" refrain when the reality is that the government is involved already and these same seniors and heads of households are happy about it -- happy with Medicare, happy with Medicaid and happy with State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP are "public options" for health care.

Healthcare and the Conservatives' Anti-Tax Fantasy

2009-07-29T10:01:00.008-04:00

Steven Pearlstein writes today in the Washington Post:

"Nothing has been more damaging to rational discourse about economic policy than the notion, peddled relentlessly by Republican conservatives and accepted by too many centrist Democrats, that raising taxes is always and everywhere bad for the economy." (7/29/2009).

We very much agree. Unfortunately, once again, right-wing conservatives have muddled (we hate to use the word "lied") about both taxes and our nation's need to make health care affordable for all, using bad information to scare people about health care reform.

We urge you to read Pearlstein's column -- detail by detail, at "Health Reform Threatened by Conservatives' Anti-Tax Fantasy" to get the truth about the benefits of President Obama's campaign to improve affordable access to health care for the hardworking people who make up our nation's middle class.

To get you started, see below for facts particularly important to rural families:

Small business benefits from health care reform. Right now -- for those small businesses (50% of all small businesses) who offer insurance to their employees, they pay on the average about 20% more than does big business.
Proposed tax surcharge applies only to families earning more than $350,000 a year (House proposal).
Tax credits offered to small businesses with low-wage workers (House proposal).

Doing Something Beats Doing Nothing When It Comes to Health Care

2009-07-22T23:29:00.009-04:00

Steven Pearlstein's column "Imperfect Health Reform Still Beats the Status Quo" in the 7/22/09 issue of the Washington Post.

Our favorite line is:

"So the next time you hear someone throwing a hissy fit because health reform might raise taxes on some people, or steer people into managed care, or require small businesses to contribute $2 a day for each employee's coverage, just remember to ask yourself: And that's compared with what?"

Compared to what? e.g., compared to Canada -- every now and then you may hear someone using their most frightening voice to say, "In Canada, you have to wait to see a doctor!"

Well, we have to wait to see a doctor here. The difference isn't in the waiting time, but rather, when we wait, we pay more money than the Canadians do when they wait. There are lots more "compared to what" questions, but it will be important to make sure that while some are out there looking for utopia -- the land of perfect health care, the rest of us need to make sure that health reform actually gets started.

Children & Families Must Be First Priority for Health Care

2009-07-22T15:39:00.010-04:00

Today's Congressional Quarterly (CQ) reports that the top worries of some rural Members of Congress are as follows:

Greater cost containment
More generous exemptions for small business to evade paying even a portion of the cost of insurance for their employees, and
Changes to the government-run plan that Democrats want to create to compete with private sector insurers.

Our question. When will rural members of Congress start prioritizing children and families' need for more affordable coverage over the wants of health insurance companies? It would be better if these members -- conservatives and moderates -- would start prioritizing keeping rural hospitals open and fee for service so that rural communities that recruit doctors have a better chance keeping them.

If you've got the same worries we do about whether Congress is willing to pass a true reform of the health care industry -- a reform that prioritizes access and affordability for families, then be careful about these (good) words as you watch the debate:

Cost containment. A lot of folks talk about "cost containment" as a goal, but let's be clear: cost containment must apply to the cost of health care for families first.
Access for all. Every family needs their own family doctor, so they don't have to rely upon more expensive emergency room services.
Pre-existing conditions. ... Meaning big insurance companies that are already arguing against change, could actually be required to accept all customers -- no more cherry-picking as to which customer is the healthiest.
Public option. Another good word -- meaning that the private health insurers would get competition in the form of a government-sponsored plan that would allow you to pick your own doctor.
Single Payer. No, not a bad word but rather a good word that already defines Medicare, a system that works well for our seniors.
Working Poor. Careful on this one ... it really means people who work but can't afford the sometimes thousands of dollars a single health insurance policy costs, but opponents of affordable health care often use it as a means of disparaging those who can't afford health care now.

Practicing What We Preach?

2009-06-27T12:46:00.012-04:00

It's not often that we wax philosophical here at My Rural America. Mostly, we're about facts and how the facts affect our rural families, so we're not about to start preaching now while Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC) and John Ensign (R-NV) make the news as they join the ranks of other elected officials who have shamed their families.

However, there are several new studies out that focus on numbers of divorces, teenage pregnancies and pornography readers. Until now, we hadn't connected the dots to how states vote and where families are strongest -- moderate and liberal voting states, but see below for some serious detail to help you get started thinking:

USA TODAY 2008 Poll: 54% of Americans say they know someone who has been unfaithful.
Guttmacher Institute 2006 Data: Pornography more prevalent in states where "more people agree that 'I have old-fashioned values about family and marriage.'"
US Census Bureau's Statistical Abstract: States that voted for conservative Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in November 2008 had the highest divorce rates in 2006.

For more details about how conservatives are struggling with the matters they preach about the most, "The Prurient Trap" by NY Times Op Ed writer Charles M. Blow brings a spotlight to the families, and also a really good chart so that you can see where your state falls in the statistical research.

What's most interesting to us is how these conservative states -- states with the highest divorce rates, highest number of teenage pregnancies and the most people sitting around reading pornography -- also have the most elected officials who continually vote to make things more difficult for families.

For 2008, this meant these officials were most likely to votes against State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and most likely to vote to kill the New GI Bill. For 2009, these same officials are more likely now to be dragging their feet on health care for all. Why? Let us know your comments.

ISO Health Care

2009-06-25T08:00:00.004-04:00

The health care debate has flared up in Congress, with many agreeing that reform is necessary but with not quite enough (yet!) agreeing on how to begin fixing the problem. For rural families, the challenges of accessing affordable health care are likely more complicated than for their city cousins, e.g., a partial list of added challenges includes:

State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) ... a great program which more than 1/3 of rural kids benefit from, but many families still haven't signed up. What does it take to get the word out?
Attracting doctors to our small communities.
Keeping the doctors once we're recruited them. (Doctors in rural communities have higher costs and often lack the advantage of telemedicine because of still lagging broadband shortages.)
Keeping hospitals open when they lack the advantages of big city hospitals that can afford more patients and more equipment.

To help you sort out the debate, please scroll down the left column of this blog to see Senator Sherrod Brown discuss the need for a strong public option, i.e., a government sponsored option that would serve as an incentive for private health insurers to keep their prices affordable.

In Search of Health-Care Reform

2009-06-09T14:06:00.008-04:00

One thing for certain, we know that 80 per cent of US citizens are less than happy about their current health care situation, so we were stunned to see on television some of our elected officials saying that 80 percent of US citizens are happy with their current health care options. We were also shocked to see that some in Congress still don't get it ... sure, Canadians sometimes have to wait a bit for a doctor, but so do we -- no news about that.

But what can we do? The Washington Post has made a good start on how we might educate ourselves about the options President Obama and the Congress are beginning to consider. Here are three of the Post's recent websites.

In Search of Healthcare Reform
Decision Makers Differ on How to Mend Broken Health System
Health Care Reform 2009
Sphere -- The Washington Post's new Internet site for multiple stories, including blogs on health care

Harry and Louise May Have Changed Their Minds

2009-06-09T11:44:00.002-04:00

E.J. Dionne, Jr. has reported in the Washington Post (6/8/2009) that health care reform can mean as many as 50 million new customers for the health care industry, while President Obama has said that:

"Reform cannot mean focusing on expanded coverage alone" as he emphasized that reform must also be about "A serious, sustained effort to reduce the growth rate of health care costs."

Read more about why "Harry and Louise" -- "ad people" representatives of the health care industry who lead the charge in killing health care in the 1990's -- may have changed their minds at "Harry & Louise Have Changed".

"Surviving Without Newspapers"

2009-06-08T10:02:00.004-04:00

It is My Rural America's position that newspapers are an important key to keeping our democracy alive and well. After all, if citizens cannot rely upon their newspapers' to maintain independent investigatory reporting, how will they know what their elected officials really do ... vote for ... vote against? And where will be the "check & balance" that citizens need to understand the bills and the debate about the choices in health care? the need for jobs? the importance of fair trade? the desperate need for peace worldwide.

Last autumn, My Rural America targeted three issues:

The New GI Bill
SCHIP ... State Children's Health Insurance Program
HR 4529, Vote # 259 on June 17, 2004 -- a lesser known bill that resulted in good US jobs being shipped out of the country, e.g., Virginia alone lost 75,000 jobs to overseas.

It was an effective campaign, but for our purposes today, what was particularly shocking ... and desperately sad ... was the people who wrote in saying to the effect "my congressman wouldn't vote against GI benefits, children's health or to approve sending jobs overseas." These people were wrong -- many were educated, and clearly not stupid nor lazy or disinterested. Rather, they lacked information -- information which never appears in their home town papers, and often is either not covered by blogs or not fact-checked.

Over the next weeks, readers may expect a series of stories about how important newspapers are. For today, we share "Surviving Without Newspapers" by A.J. Liebling and published in the New York Times on 6/6/2009.

America Used to Be Better than This

2009-03-10T23:11:00.003-04:00

Bob Herbert write for the New York Times that "America used to be better than this". In his column "Reviving the Dream", Herbert outlines how working families had been in trouble for almost 30 years before the economy began its collapse early last fall.

Crediting writer David Cay Johnston, Herbert writes that Johnston noted:
"... from 1980 (the year Reagan was elected) to 2005, the national economy, adjusted for inflation, more than doubled [with a 66 percent increase per capita when population growth is factored in).

That sounds good, until the stats about average income for most Americans gets factored in. The problem -- all that growth, but no extra money for average families. In fact, the only way families managed to prosper was that women went to work, adding income to men's wages which declined during the 30 year period. Read more here.

The one good thing -- Herbert adds that:

"Now, with the economy in free fall and likely to get worse, Americans -- despite their suffering -- have a opportunity to reshape the society, and then to move it in a fairer, smarter and ultimately more productive direction."

Herbert also answers another question: Why is it that right winger conservatives want this country to fail? His answer:

"They like the direction that the country took over the past 30 years. They'd love to do it all over again."

We find that scary, indeed.

Stimulus Means New Broadband Access in Missouri

2009-03-09T07:27:00.003-04:00

Actually, what we like about this story is how it begins. It's true that Broadband is coming soon to Missouri as a result of the Stimulus legislation, but the Stimulus will result in Broadband coming to many more states, too.

So how does it begin? The St. Joe News reports,

Franklin D. Roosevelt took office with about 10 percent of rural households having electrical service. The vast majority of city homes had it.

“Cold figures do not measure the human importance of electric power in our present social order,” the 32nd president said.

In 1935, Mr. Roosevelt created the Rural Electrification Administration. Seven years later, nearly half of the nation’s farms had been wired for power.

Skip ahead seven decades and argue the parallels, but broadband Internet access has become the latest rural equalizer in the newest New Deal.

Read more here: "Broadband Could Be Expanded in Region Due to Stimulus" by Ken Newton.

Overall, President Obama's making broadband a priority in rural America is rural America's chance to get competitive with the urban areas of our country.

Obama Prioritizes Energy, Health Care and Education

2009-02-24T23:07:00.004-05:00

Energy, Health Care and Education. These are the priorities President Obama laid out for us tonight. He also was realistic ... promising a tight budget which will halve the deficit within 10 years. Considering our last President left us with a trillion dollar deficit after he had inherited from Clinton a surplus, that's pretty good.

Please read the speech for yourself: Obama's Speech on the Economy.

You might also want to read "The Obama Code" by George Lakoff. In it, Lakoff points out how President Obama's speeches consistently emphasize his vision of America, sharing a moral vision and a view of unity for our country. A number of the blogs have the full piece published on their website. One of them is fivethirtyeight.com : George Lakoff on the Obama Code. Once you're read the President's speech, Lakoff's writing is a good place to add more analysis.

Stimulus Package Offers $7.8 B for Broadband for Rural Communities

2009-02-22T09:27:00.007-05:00

Health care, education, business opportunities and more ... come to people who have access to High Speed Internet. Fortunately, among the benefits of the new Economic Stimulus Bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama is additional funding for rural broadband.

According to the 2008 Pew Internet and American Life Project Report, 38% of rural Americans now have broadband in their homes. That's 38% compared to 55% of all Americans, or if you compare the 38% to urban Americans, that "on the Internet" gap becomes even wider.

The gap in high speed Internet also affects

To get the picture about how Broadband's move in to rural communities is helping rural America, see the Chicago Tribune's story, "$7.2 Billion Plan to Wire Rural America Holds Promise, Pitfalls".

Author Rebecca Cole writes about how broadband is changing people's lives:

A simple cholesterol check cost a Kentucky miner a day's work because the doctor's office was so far away.
A Tennessee clothing store sells online.
A California cheese maker offers artisanal cheese online.

And people who want to go to college, no longer have to drive to a far-away town where the school is located.
Read more here.

"Pelosi Hits Back"

2009-02-22T09:06:00.002-05:00

The conservatives have once again been blaming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for failure to do team play. We disagree. See below for Rolling Stone's conversation with Nancy Pelosi:

Pelosi Hits Back

Overall, it's pretty obvious to us that when the right-wing conservatives who remain in Congress fail to do anything but say ... No ... No .. No ... we want to do things just like we did them before (i.e., before the election), what they're really saying is they still don't get it! They created this mess and now the new Congress and the new President has responsibility to clean it up.

As we watched the news over the last several days, we think Frank Rich's column, "They Sure Showed That Obama", says it best. Rich starts out:

AM I crazy, or wasn’t the Obama presidency pronounced dead just days ago? Obama had “all but lost control of the agenda in Washington,” declared Newsweek on Feb. 4 as it wondered whether he might even get a stimulus package through Congress. “Obama Losing Stimulus Message War” was the headline at Politico a day later. At the mostly liberal MSNBC, the morning host, Joe Scarborough, started preparing the final rites. Obama couldn’t possibly eke out a victory because the stimulus package was “a steaming pile of garbage.”

We say "NO, Frank Rich, YOU aren't crazy." The whole column is worth reading word for word. Click here to do so.

Can Progress be made in America without the Feds Playing a Tighter Role in Regulation?

2009-02-22T08:24:00.009-05:00

As we write this blog, today is Sunday, February 22 -- only about a month after Barack Obama was sworn in as President. Obama was elected with a strong mandate for change and now, barely more than 30 days after he was sworn in, "Change" is fast on its way. The economic stimulus package, State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act have passed and been signed into law.

Meanwhile, the housing crisis, the automakers' mess and the banking situation still need additional help, as does the need to bring the federal government back to its traditional role as the enforcers of tough regulation. Yesterday, one of our readers wrote in to ask,

"Where the hell were the auditors, regulators? This continuing string of travesties may be enough to cause the American people to become like Howard Beale in Network, "Mad as hell" and "Not going to take it any more." They might even give up their self-destructive love affair with Ayn Rand, Alan Greenspan, and Ronald Reagan's apotheosis of selfishness to the pantheon of virtues."

The widely reported story our reader referred to was "Madoff Never Made Supposed Investments" So far, the court-appointed trustee has examined records "only" back to almost 1993 and no evidence that any securities were ever purchased during that time has been found.

Assuming this remains true as the investigation continues, this fact raises further question, e.g., where did the trade confirmations and fake statements to investors come from ... from someone at the Stock Market? ... and why didn't all these "checks & balances" (Stock Market, Brokerage Firm, Bank Accounts, IRS, etc., etc.) ever come to light through our government "regulation" system? Remember that Madoff confessed ... no government regulatory authority actually looked into this crime.

Chairman Edolphus Towns from New York is the new Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Let's watch carefully to see that the Madoff situation gets the full investigatory spotlight, so that we can learn which regulatory agencies dropped the ball and who profited in addition to Madoff.

Mea Culpa

2009-02-06T23:42:00.002-05:00

Occasionally, our editor fails to catch a mistake. For today, the mistake that was missed was in your email alert. Obviously, the Minnesota Senate race is in court right now, and neither Al Franken who has the lead nor Norm Coleman who is behind but has sued is allowed to vote on the Stimulus package. Our apologies.

"Wanted: Personal Economic Trainers. Apply at Capitol."

2009-02-06T07:54:00.008-05:00

The Stimulus legislation isn't quite through the Senate yet, so if you have friends (who haven't lost their jobs yet), who still don't understand what the Stimulus does, writer and Post website editor Steven Pearlstein carefully explains in today's Washington Post: "Wanted. Personal Economic Trainers. Apply at the Capitol. " It's great reading ... absolutely accurate ... and family friendly -- suitable for all kinds of people, whether they are employed, unemployed or just plain stubborn about understanding the need for economic Stimulus.

Pearlstein's "must read" ends with a quick and easy but very accurate definition of economic stimulus:

"Spending is stimulus, no matter what it's for and who does it. The best spending is that which creates jobs and economic activity now, has big payoffs later and disappears from future budgets."

The bottom line: Our economy is in trouble. Number of jobs lost just in 2008 already is as many as were lost in 1945. Lose many more and we'll all be stuck in an uglier version of the Great Depression because the folks that don't want this bill in the Senate are in danger of being called the "Marie Antoinettes" of 2009 -- happily wondering why the unemployed aren't eating big pieces of cake with lots of frosting on them.

One particular "Marie" is Senator Tom Colburn from Oklahoma. Pearlstein reports that one in five workers in Oklahoma are government workers. Yet in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, Colburn complained that one in five of the 3 million jobs that the stimulus package might create or save would be government jobs. We note here that Colburn's job is a government job and so is every one of the jobs his personal staff holds, some of whom are located in Oklahoma. If Colburn is going to look down his nose at government workers, maybe he should resign so at a minimum, he wouldn't be snarling about his own government salary.

But seriously, Colburn and his staff are evidence of the curmudgions who need most the "economic trainers" Pearlstein recommends. But for Colburn ... and other naysayers, too. See below for basics. Read them ... think thoughtfully ... turn off the radio ... this is too important to trust Rush Limbaugh and his pals. Then call your U.S. Senator -- see directions at the bottom of this article.

Stimulus = Spending
The best spending results in investments that stick around for awhile, e.g., roads, sewers, school buildings, transit and high speed rail, medical equipment and more -- all different kinds of infrastructure. To build or repair infrastructure, it takes workers.
The middle class is hurting. Why? ... because as our economy shrunk during the last eight years, they were asked to pick up the slack -- working more, paying more taxes proportionately than the very rich and all the while, finding that with the cheap interest available then, they could balance their budgets by borrowing money. Now the piper has come with higher interest rates, squeezing the very people who paid the bills while the rich danced.
The middle class is hurting. What to do? ... See Stimulus package ... it creates jobs (see #2 -- infrastructure investments creates jobs) and tax breaks ($500 per individual) give immediate extra cash (to pay for the long delayed bills) in the way of specifically targeted tax breaks for the middle class.

Now, please call your Senator. Let him or her know that you support the Stimulus Bill. You might even tell them how your town has a crumbling school or has had to lay off workers, stop fixing the road, or how bottled waters is required for its babies because of its lack of water/sewer.

For Senate phone numbers, click here. At the top of the page, write in your state and your Senate contact info will pop up. Thank you for caring about your country.

PS: Pearlstein's got a new blog spot on Leadership. You might want to put it on your read list. Find it here.

Change = Progress in Only 16 Days

2009-02-05T16:18:00.009-05:00

Just think -- in less than 16 days, this new Administration has made three really big accomplishments:

President Obama has signed SCHIP -- State Children's Health Insurance Program into law. Last year, readers of My Rural America worked hard to pass it, and we couldn't be more proud of this new Congress' action to pass SCHIP. About 1/3 of rural kids rely upon SCHIP and usually Medicaid. This year -- with the collapsed economy that President Bush left us stuck with, SCHIP is even more important because for every one point rise in unemployment, 700,000 kids in unemployed families become eligible.
Even before signing SCHIP, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law. This bill combats wage discrimination, making it possible for more employees to challenge wage discrimination based upon gender, race, age and disability. The bill is named after Lilly Ledbetter who learned decades later that she was being paid significantly less than her male colleagues who were doing the same job at the same time, for many years of work at Goodyear. A lower court ruled that Goodyear was wrong, awarding Lilly $3M but Goodyear challenged and the case went to the Supreme Court, where the Court's extremely conservative Justices ruled that past discrimination didn't matter, saying Lilly should have sued sooner. The problem with that decision is that often those who are discriminated against in this way do not find out until many years later and the Court decision made sure that companies that discriminated wouldn't have to make things right. Now Congress and President Obama has fixed this injustice.
Obama Stimulus has passed the House. President Barack Obama warned a few hours ago, "The time for talk is over." As you read this tonight -- February 5, the Senate is likely to vote on the package later this evening. There has been much misinformation about the Stimulus, including that from the Heritage Foundation and other conservative news sources, but the bottom line is that Roosevelt did it right to get us out of the Great Depression and Obama's plan, like Roosevelt's, is one that can work. The Stimulus Package includes:

Tax breaks for 95% of American workers. This is immediate cash on hand, which will be reflected in paychecks. What the conservatives are complaining about is that the top 5% of income earners (the extremely rich) aren't getting more tax cuts (like the rich did under the Bush Administration when essentially, the middle class got left out).
First time home buyers will receive additional tax credits -- so more incentives for these new buyers to stop waiting and get into the market. As it is, just like the banks (even those with capital) are afraid to loan money right now), and so are the home buyers, who are waiting to see what happens. The tax credits offered should be the necessary incentive to get these buyers to be braver and quicker about buying the first homes they need and want.
Infrastructure investments -- roads, bridges, schools, rails and mass transit systems ... a whole generation of new green jobs are in this Stimulus.
Buy American ... there is a requirement that materials will need to be made by American workers. This means more jobs for Americans. Presently, the unemployment rate is the highest it's been in 16 years, i.e., since George H.W. Bush was president, and in 2008, more jobs were lost than in any other year dating back to 1945.

So watch the Senate carefully. This is about our future. Watch carefully. You may expect a report here about who votes yes for moving forward, and who votes no, trying to stop progress and return to the last eight years.

Lessons from FDR ... let's get the truth out now!

2009-02-03T18:00:00.004-05:00

Somehow it seems that the conservatives have grabbed the bully pulpit, telling a story about how FDR's programs failed to work. To say it simply ... say it quick ... this simply isn't true.

The Center for American Progress gets it right today. We urge you to read it, digest it, get the FDR story right!

"Selective Keynesians"

Scott Lilly is the author and the expert. We congratulate him on setting the record straight. It's a "set the record straight" that is most important for our rural families, urban families and our nation as a whole. While you're at it, be sure to read the Center's "Recovery: Reversing the Downward Spiral". That story includes interactive maps that detail how the Obama Stimulus Package can begin America's comeback.

Economic Recovery on the Way

2009-01-27T11:54:00.003-05:00

President Obama released more details on his economic recovery plan early this week. The plan covers five major areas:

ENERGY, including weatherizing at least 2 million homes and doubling U.S. renewable-energy capacity
HEALTH CARE, guaranteeing health care coverage to 8.5 million Americans who lose their jobs and risk losing their health insurance
EDUCATION, offering a new tax credit to make college more affordable and also doubling the size of the Early Head Start Program
INFRASTRUCTURE investments that would tighten security at 90 major ports, repair and modernize thousands of miles of roadways and begin new waste water projects, including rural water and sewer projects
TAX CUTS & BENEFITS, which would cut taxes by about $1000 for 95 percent of U.S. families and also extend the child tax credit to parents of 6 million more children as well as offer increases in food stamp benefits to 30 million people.

The Washington Post gives more detail in its 1/25/09 story "Obama Details Recovery Plan" by Philip Rucker.

Democrats and Republicans Getting Along?

2009-01-27T10:24:00.011-05:00

Yes and no ... but compared to the days of old, it seems to be a relatively good beginning.

Democrats are making a specific effort to include proposals that have strong bi-partisan support, e.g., Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) have jointly submitted a renewable energy proposal they developed together for the Recovery Package.

However, there is growing controversy on both sides of the aisle as to what should be included in the stimulus package. Some Republicans are demanding more tax cuts but an issue more important to rural Americans is also bubbling. This question revolves around how to aid distressed mortgage holders, especially those in bankruptcy.

The AP Wire Service has carried a story which covers in detail the controversy: "Fight Building Over Judges Redoing Mortgages" by Larry Margasak. Though work on all the issues will be helpful to rural citizens, this one carries particular risk for rural home buyers in the future, i.e., the provision as written calls for homeowners in bankruptcy to be eligible for having the principle on their loans re-written by bankruptcy judges. In the short term, this may be a good idea, but for rural home owners there are additional considerations, e.g.,

Rural home owners primarily get their loans through FHA and VA, or RHS, and these loans carry Federal government guarantees for the mortgages in the case of foreclosure, but not in the case of a bankruptcy inspired reduction in principle payments on the loan. The guarantees are very important to community banks, who carry the loans. If bankruptcy judges write down the loans, the local banks will carry the losses without being able to resort to coverage from governmental guarantees available if the mortgagees are foreclosed. And this could have the effect that local banks will no longer be willing to offer the low-down and no-down payment FHA, VA or RHS guaranteed loans, with the added effect that home buying in the future will be more difficult for rural buyers just entering the market.
FHA and VA loans, with their government guarantees, have always up until now been considered an iron clad promise by the Federal Government, and legislation breaking this link, i.e., the Federal promise, on these loans could cause rates to go up, or worse yet, cause local banks who relied on the Fed's to cover their risk by refusing to lend to rural home buyers via these programs.

For urban home owners, the need for some sort of solution to the drop in home values is more dramatic. And in the majority of cases, mortgages in cities are more likely conventional loans (because government guaranteed loans are capped at levels of financing more common in rural areas, while urban housing is generally more expensive and does not qualify for these Federally guaranteed loans.) In these conventional loans, the Feds didn't offer a complete guarantee while private lenders were expected to build in additional risk for non-Fed guaranteed mortgages.

These and other issues have led to the provisions regarding homeowner bankruptcy -- originally planned for the Stimulus Package -- to be separated from the Package and expected to be considered in separate language.

My Rural America will continue to follow these financial and stimulus issues that are so important for the well-being of rural Americans.

Happy Holidays from My Rural America

2008-12-23T00:06:00.005-05:00

Dear Friends,

I hope this holiday season finds you -- and those most important to you -- healthy, happy, and filled with hope for the year ahead. 2009 can be expected to be a very challenging time, but where there is change, there is always opportunity.

Thanks too for all your work in 2008. Sharing the facts about progressive policies and the candidates who support them will continue to be an important part of My Rural America's mission in 2009, as we build upon the work we did in 2008.

At My Rural America, we consider ourselves blessed by your friendship and wish for you, our country and the world the very best. One of our readers sent the attached “Christmas Wish” … which offers many reasons to count our blessings during these challenging times, and we've chosen to share it with you even though we don't know the original author. If one of you do, please let us know and we will give appropriate credit.

Thanks for all that you do.

Barbara Leach
President

A Perfect Pick! Vilsack goes to Washington

2008-12-17T19:14:00.005-05:00

MY RURAL AMERICA's Media Release: TOM VILSACK ... A Perfect Pick!

(Washington, DC - December 17, 2008) Former Iowa farmer and Clinton administration U.S. Department of Agriculture appointee today called President-elect Obama’s selection of former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack for Agriculture Secretary a “perfect pick.”

“As a progressive farm state governor who has led Iowa in renewable energy production, I’m confident Tom is the perfect pick for the job,” said Barbara Leach. “Like Obama, he’s committed to making this nation energy independent.” Leach, who led a USDA project that resulted in U.S. farmers saving $400 million on the cost of Federal Crop Insurance, said, “I’ve known Tom Vilsack for years, so I know first hand that Tom understands farmers, farm policy and food politics."

“What Vilsack brings first to the world of agriculture is gravitas,” added Leach, who currently is the founder and president of My Rural America, a 501(c)4 advocacy group that offers education on progressive policymaking and leadership training for rural Americans who want to learn about how national policy-making affects their families’ daily lives. “He’s got great experience and will be an equal among all the highly qualified people that President-elect Obama is putting together for his Cabinet.”

"President-elect Obama’s selection of Vilsack demonstrates that he is serious about his campaign commitments for rural development and the need for a safe and affordable food production system, including the greening of agriculture production,” concluded Leach.

FACTS YOU CAN USE -- Cultivating the Best Choice for Secretary of Agriculture

2008-12-15T10:22:00.007-05:00

Washington and rural America are buzzing about who President-Elect Obama will name as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Will the person be a current Member of Congress, a current or past Governor, (elected) State Secretary or (an appointed) State Director of Agriculture? There is even speculation about the political party of the person to be named with some believing that USDA will be the place for a Republican member of the Obama Cabinet to emerge. Others, of course, are suggesting individuals who would re-open the Farm Bill and shift the emphasis of many USDA programs. The questions within the Obama camp seem to align around whether it is better to name a person from Midwest production agriculture, a person from the Northeast with experience in dairy, someone from sustainable agriculture, or a reformer with strong ideas around future agriculture programs and landscape for the United States.

My Rural America is following this debate as it leaks out into the national and agriculture press and rumors circulate in Washington, and has made the decision to stay neutral in President-Elect Obama's selection process. However, we do recognize how important it is that our next Secretary, and his or her Deputy Secretary, understand the breadth and depth of the job that they must perform on a domestic and global basis. MRA believes that sometimes there is need for more understanding about the numerous responsibilities of USDA on the domestic and global stage and also within the U.S. government, with all factors contributing to many aspects of our nation's economy.

So what are some of the important personal responsibilities of the Secretary of Agriculture? We believe it necessary that our next Secretary and also the Deputy Secretary have a familiarity, if not expertise, in most or all areas of USDA's responsibilities, including the following:

o Farm and Agriculture: Loans, conservation programs, commodity programs;
o Foreign Agriculture: Exports, imports, international trade negotiations such as the current DOHA Round and maintaining the agriculture attaches work on issues worldwide;
o Marketing and Grading Programs: For everything from cotton to dairy, and their interaction with other parts of the USDA;
o Feeding Programs to Enhance Nutritional Well-being of all Americans: School Lunch and especially for the less fortunate via administration of the newly named Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (now "SNAP", formerly "Food Stamps"), Women’s Infants and Children’s Program (WIC), and feeding programs for the elderly♦ and emergencies;
o Human Food Safety: For meat, poultry and egg products, and animal and plant health and safety, and capabilities to deter bioterrorism and other criminal contamination of the food supply, and to respond to them should they ever occur;
o Rural Development: Expansion of broadband Internet access, telephones, electric and funding for economic projects offering specific opportunities to rural U.S. citizens, their communities and their businesses;
o Care of our nation's natural resources: Land conservation, forests and waters, and the general environment of rural America.
o Research: USDA performs more basic and applied agricultural, biological, animal and nutritional research than any other entity in the world through its national network of laboratories, its competitive grants programs and general support of the land grant university and extension program first established by President Lincoln;
o Understanding and Balancing New Scientific and Agricultural Developments: For altering plants and animals to create products of biotechnology and transgenic animals, as well as for the fastest growing area of American agriculture – organic agriculture - will be critical; and;
o U.S. General Economy and Markets: Assistance with understanding the economic, price and market research that help keep a safe and dependable supply of food and beverages flowing to U.S. citizens as well as earning export dollars for our trade balance.

Our next Secretary of Agriculture needs to provide balance, relating closely to small farmers and family farmers, while serving as their advocate. At the same time, our next Secretary will need to deal fairly with production agriculture producers and corporate agriculture, while working to ensure accurate information reaches the commodity markets in an appropriate manner, and overall, representing U.S. interests at international negotiations on world trade agreements that impact the entire world’s environment.

USDA's Secretary must do all of this while working with the Deputy Secretary and the Agriculture Sub-Cabinet, i.e., the Under Secretaries of the seven mission areas of USDA, to administer over $100 billion allocated by the U.S. Congress and to manage more than 100,000 full-time federal employees of varying skills and training – for instance, the largest contingent of veterinarians working for a single entity in the world; Ph.D. scientists performing basic and applied research; dietitians working to improve the health of the U.S. population; and on-farm experts who can help farmers problem solve while growing everything from sesame seeds to soybeans and other major commodities to goats, cattle, hogs and chickens.

The United States and the World need a well informed, experienced individual with great interpersonal skills to work with everyone, including the smallest of local farmer/food producers to the diplomats of the developing world and the European Union. My Rural America hopes that President-Elect Obama will appoint such a person as Secretary for USDA. We urge you, a supporter of MRA, to keep these factors and qualifications in mind should you choose to endorse a candidate for Secretary of Agriculture for the United States. Our next Secretary of Agriculture must bring stature, experience and also a sense of compassion for all the people our great agriculture industry serves at home and abroad. Caren Wilcox -- Advisor to My Rural America

Our Latest Radio Ad

2008-11-03T15:27:00.009-05:00

Check the Record Here

2008-11-03T11:28:00.003-05:00

Wondering how your Members of Congress have voted on key rural economic issues? Use these websites to check on the following issues and more:

Veterans' Report Card, sponsored by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Pay special attention to the votes for the New GI Bill, because it is just a bit tricky to tell whether your Representative voted for it. The Bill itself is quite simple, authorizing our Afghan and Iraq war veterans as eligible to receive the same kind of educational benefits our WWII veterans. There are three votes, and to see which members tried to stop the bill, look down the column to the first two votes.

Project Vote Smart, like IAVA, is a non-partisan organizationdedicated to accurate information about how elected officials in Congress vote. We recomment you check the following votes:

Agriculture -- Farm Bill. Look closely -- there are four votes and if your concern is that the bill President Bush vetoed is too expensive, start your analysis at 7-27-2007 because this vote shows the less expensive original Farm Bill.
Health -- Farm Bill; Medicare; Medicaid; State Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization.
Women's issues -- Unequal Pay Bill.
Seniors -- Medicare; Medicaid; GI Bill Expansion and Other Domestic Provisions
Energy -- Renewable Energy; Commodity Markets Speculation.

Obama? McCain? check the record on their rural policy proposals below. Note that McCain, like President Bush opposed the Farm Bill, and Obama supported it. Their policy proposals can be found below on their campaign websites.

Three key differences in their policy proposals are:

Ethanol and Energy Renewable Research -- McCain opposes; Obama supports.
Farm Bill in general -- McCain opposes; Obama supports.
Health Care -- McCain opposes SCHIP and Obama supports

McCain: RURAL

Obama: RURAL

You can also continue scrolling down this page for more information on various substantive "bread & butter" issues that affect rural families.

SCHIP... How To Find Out if Your Member of Congress Supported the Kids

2008-10-23T21:18:00.014-04:00

Remember SCHIP? State Children's Health Insurance Program. One-third of all rural children depend upon SCHIP and Medicaid for their health care services. That's six points higher than the rate of enrollment for city kids.

We wrote about SCHIP in 2007 and then again throughout much of this year, as the majority in the House and the Senate supported it, President Bush vetoed twice, and; the House fought diligently (and failed) to over-ride the Bush vetoes. The Carsey Institute has more data about the program.

152 Members of Congress worked diligently to stop our rural children from accessing health care. All too many of these were self-identified proud conservatives who represented rural districts and quite simply, had no shame in their neglect of rural children.

Steve King (R IA-5) who was identified this week as one of the eleven worst members of Congress, in tandem with Virgil Goode (R VA-5) who doesn't have such a hot record himself as he so conveniently failed to vote for even the Farm Bill are two examples of those who neglected their District's children. King's CD is 49.4% rural and Goode's CD is 64% rural. Yet, their voting records look like they haven't even noticed.

Project Vote Smart identified King and Goode's twin voting records as follows:

NO 1/23/08 SCHIP Reauthorization Act of 2007 Veto Over-ride Failed House 260-152
NO 10/25/07 SCHIP Reauthorization HR 3963 Bill Passed House 365 -142
NO 10/18/07 SCHIP Reauthorization HR 976 Bill Veto Over-ride Failed House 273-156
NO 9/25/07 SCHIP Reauthorization HR 976 Concurrance Vote Passed House 265-159
NO 8/1/07 State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) HR 3162 Bill Passed House 225-204

We've made an example out of Steve King and Virgil Goode because they've consistently failed to vote their District, but we urge you to go to Project Vote Smart and check on your own Representative and Senators ... make sure they did the right thing. In the case of King and Goode, all four of the Senators (Tom Harkin (D IA), Chuck Grassley (R IA), John Warner (R VA) and Jim Webb (D VA) from their home states laid partisanship aside for the good of the children.

PROJECT VOTE SMART

"Sound Ag Policy Vital in This Presidential Race"

2008-10-19T15:07:00.012-04:00

Iowa Corn Growers Association President Gary Edwards spoke very clearly today, "It is not our job to tell you who you should vote for or what party you should follow, but it is our duty to stand up to promote the interests of Iowa corn growers, Iowa consumers and their future."

At My Rural America, we believe the same -- very specifically believing that it isn't our job to tell you who you should vote for. However, regarding our nation's policies, we have a little broader outlook, i.e., we believe it is our duty to stand up to promote the interests of rural Americans and their future. We don't endorse candidates here but we do present the voting records while we open the door to ways you can easily access more detailed information. We define "interests of rural Americans" as policies that affect the kitchen tables of rural families. These include :

Jobs and the economy, including Farm Bill, where we have supported the Farm Bill and watched carefully over what Congress is doing to get our economy back on track and to keep our nation's credit from drying up;
Health care and education, recognizing that both are necessary if our families are to be strong, resulting in our ongoing effort to support SCHIP, eliminate the doughnut hole in the prescription drug program and offer affordable health care for all;
National security, where we have consistently shared facts on how rural America is carrying an undue burden as our nation fights the Afghan War and continues the Iraq occupation.

That's why Friday we posted a detailed story about the New GI Bill and who really made it happen, including emphasis on who opposed it, in many cases who actually worked deliberately to stop the Bill. We chose this as our first priority issue to emphasize in the coming weeks because rural citizens make up about 20 percent of U.S. population while our sons and daughters compose about 60 percent of the soldiers serving in these military actions. This undue burden that rural families have carried, and continue to carry, for more than five years is a serious one for our soldiers and our country. We believe that at a minimum we owe a strong package of benefits for those who return home. By scrolling down just past this blog, you can read more detail about The New GI Bill, and also learn more about how to find out the details of your representatives' record on the New GI Bill and other military-related policies.

Another priority issue for My Rural America is the Farm Bill. Consequently, for the first time ever, we are sharing a press release verbatim as it was written by the contributing organization:

DES MOINES, IOWA, October 17, 2008 - The Iowa Corn Growers Association voiced concern over recent public statements and positions that do not support sound agricultural policy in this Presidential race. The ICGA believes Iowa voters should understand the potential impact to Iowa's economy and overall ag stability on those positions.

"It is not our job to tell you who you should vote for or what party you should follow," said Gary Edwards, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association "but it is our duty to stand up to promote the interests of Iowa corn growers, Iowa consumers, and their future."

"In our current economic crunch, the importance of agriculture has never been more obvious." Said Edwards. "Iowa currently has 640 million in cash reserves due to our strong ag industry, not to mention that ethanol has reduced our dependence on foreign oil, lowered gas prices at the pump, stimulated rural America, created millions of green jobs, and lowered federal farm program costs by billions."

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the ethanol industry added nearly 48 billion dollars to the nation's GDP and generated 4.6 billion in federal tax revenues. The production and use of ethanol just last year, cut oil imports by 228 million barrels as a savings of over $16 billion.

"Change is a theme for both presidential campaigns and no matter what happens this November, there will be a change. What we need to do for our corn grower members is to make sure the new President understands the importance of agriculture and agricultural products."

Current Iowa Corn
Growers Association policy positions include:

* Energy Policy: As the first environmentalists, Iowa's corn growers have worked to build market demand for our current viable source for energy independence. The ICGA supports the continuation of the 45 cent per gallon blenders' credit for ethanol, the 54 cent per gallon ethanol import tariff, the federal Renewable Fuels Standard, and other tax incentives for ethanol (such as E85) that will reduce prices at the pump for consumers.

* Farm Bill: In the farm bill, the ICGA supports a safety net for farmers that is based on revenue and not price, which supports production and market demand. ICGA policy supports farm policy that is trade compliant and supports strong conservation programs that protect our environment. ICGA also supports a crop insurance program at rate levels sufficient to induce crop insurance and designed to avoid the need for disaster assistance.

Current Presidential positions include:
Farm Policy
* McCain*: Opposes agricultural subsidies and has stated he would have vetoed the 2008 Farm Bill. Supports trade compliance.
* Obama*: Pledges to support a strong safety net for farmers. Supports crop revenue insurance program and voted for the 2008 Farm Bill. Pledges to support a permanent mechanism to encourage wide use of crop insurance.
Energy
* McCain*: Opposes tariffs and price supports for ethanol. Signed a letter urging the EPA to exercise its authority to waive the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). His presidential platform calls for an end to the RFS.
* Obama*: Pledges to continue the 45 cent blenders' tax credit and maintain the 54 cent tariff on ethanol. Pledges to increase the RFS to 60 million gallons by 2030. Pledges to support maximum funding for the Department of Energy's alternative fuels program, with a focus on E85.

* For a complete listing of the candidates positions see the attached report
card or visit www.iowacorn.org

###

The ICGA is a membership organization, lobbying on agricultural issues on behalf of its over 6,000 members. ICGA Presidential report card information is based on information gathered from the candidates. Both parties were given equal opportunity to respond to the ICGA survey questions.

Find Out Who Really Supports Our Troops

2008-10-16T16:55:00.027-04:00

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) has a 2008 Veterans Report Card on line -- interesting because it clearly details this year's votes on issues affecting our veterans, and when you read carefully, it also offers clear documentation about who repeatedly tried to stop support for our veterans and then worked to hide their original votes, i.e., voted against it before they voted for it.

2008 Veterans Report Card

For example, click into your Representative's votes on Senator Jim Webb's New GI Bill, that received strong support in the Senate on the first try, but in the US House took three votes to get it right.

We don't have space to detail every single Member of Congress here on our web page, but you'll find them by clicking Report Card. Then look carefully at the votes because the "grade" that IAVA gives them is sometimes deceiving. For example, we looked at Representative Steve King (R-IA5). King gets a CHECKMARK for voting to support a New GI Bill -- and voting for the New GI Bill is good. However, look more carefully, and you'll see that the documentation actually says:

A New GI Bill (2nd Vote) YEA 6/19/08 ... (good vote) ... but below it are two more votes
A Second Rate GI Bill YEA 5/23/08 ... (bad vote) ... and continuing
A New GI Bill (1st Vote) NEA 5/15/08 ... (bad vote).

So yup!! Caught in the act! What King did was try to stop (5/15) the good bill, i.e., the bill supported by IAVA and then he voted (5/23) to support a bill that had much weaker benefits for our vets. Finally, he faced the reality that the Senate had voted consistently to support the New GI Bill so he voted yes when the bill was going to pass in spite of his effort.

In contrast to King's opposition and later "pile on", Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) was consistent in his position, voting twice to support the New GI Bill and also acting as a co-sponsor.

A few notes of caution: Steve King stood with some pretty strong company since he supported both President Bush and Senator John McCain as they opposed the New GI Bill, and both Bush and McCain did all they could to make it a party line vote. However, a quick look at the states of Virginia and Pennsylvania show that some Members and also Senator Barack Obama really did put our soldiers first as they reached across party lines. See below for examples:

VIRGINIA
Voting Consistently YES! Senator John W. Warner (R-VA) and Senator James H. Webb (D-VA) ... each with four consistent votes for Webb's New GI Bill ... were joined by Virginia's three Democratic House members: Robert C. Scott (VA-3); Jim Moran (VA-8) and Rick Boucher (VA-9).

Hiding their vote as they voted NO and NO and finally along-for-the-ride yes! Robert Wittman (VA-1); Thelma Drake (VA-2); J. Randy Forbes (VA-4); Virgil H. Goode, Jr. (VA-5); Bob Goodlatte (VA-6); Eric Cantor (VA-7); Frank R. Wolf (VA-10), and; Tom Davis (VA-11).

PENNSYLVANIA
Votiing consistently YES! Senator's Arlen Specter (R) and Robert P. Casey (D) stood together for our veterans, too, and in the House, the IAVA website gives two Republican House members credit for doing what right, with Phil English (PA-3) and Jim Gerlach (PA-6) getting"A" ratings for their commitment to veterans. And Democrats Robert A. Brady (PA1), Jason Altmire (PA4), Joe Sestak (PA-7), Patrick J. Murphy (PA 8); Christopher P. Carney (PA-10), Allyson Y Schwartz (PA-13), and Tim Holden (PA-17) got it right, each receiving "A+" ratings from IAVA.

Hiding their vote as they voted NO and NO and finally along-for-the-ride yes! All other PA members split with their Senators and opposed the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans' much needed New GI Bill.

See for yourself (all states) at IAVA Report Card.

Agriculture/Food/Rural Policy Platforms of the Presidential Candidates

2008-10-09T21:20:00.006-04:00

On October 7, the Farm Foundation utilized their monthly Farm Foundation Forum to host representatives from the Obama and McCain campaigns. Their assignment was to talk about food, agriculture and rural policy in their respective campaigns.

The event -- held at the National Press Club, featured James C. Webster, an Obama Agriculture Advisory Committee member and former USDA Secretary Block, who represented the McCain Campaign. You can listen to the forum at: http://www.farmfoundation.org/news/articlefiles

Originally from South Dakota, Mr. Webster recently retired as the author and founder of the Webster Ag-Letter, a well respected news letter that has documented agriculture, food and rural development policy-making in the US Congress and the Department of Agriculture.

John Block, originally from Illinois, served as Secretary of Agriculture under President Ronald Reagan.

The Farm Foundation, a publicly supported 501 (c)(3), is directed by a Board of Trustees comprised of leaders in production agriculture, related businesses and academia.

Hard Questions About Patriotism and Taxes

2008-10-08T22:53:00.017-04:00

Thomas L. Friedman asks a tough question in his 10/8/08 column for the NY Times. Essentially, his question is: Can you love your country but be unwilling to pay the taxes that run it? ... or to put it another way, is it better to borrow money from China to buy the things you want ... or is it better to admit up front that government actions, whether its war-making or road-making takes money ... and money comes (usually) from taxes.

You could call this a conundrum or maybe a Catch 22, but overall, one just has to wonder how anyone running for a major office -- in this case Governor Sarah Palin -- can so lightly throw away all the good things that are paid for by taxes in this country. Here's the way Friedman framed his question:

"Criticizing Sarah Palin is truly shooting fish in a barrel. But given the huge attention she is getting, you can't just ignore what she has to say. And there was one thing she said in the debate with Joe Biden that really sticks in my craw. It was when she turned to Biden and declared: 'You said recently that higher taxes or asking for higher taxes or paying higher taxes is patriotic. In the middle class of America, which is where Todd and I have been all of our lives, that's not patriotic.'"

And wisely, Friedman answered her comment/his question, saying, "Sorry, I grew up in a very middle-class family in a very middle-class suburb of Minneapolis, and my parents taught me that paying taxes, while certainly no fun, was how we paid for the police and the Army, our public universities and local schools, scientific research and Medicare for the elderly. No one said it better than Oliver Wendell Holmes: "I like paying taxes. With them I buy civilization." Read more here.

So ... we're in the middle of an economic mess and Palin thinks it's better to borrow money from China than for us all to actually pay for what we want our government to do. Well, that lines up with how she and McCain would rather drill for oil -- note here that the U.S. only has five percent of the world's oil -- than invest in technology that over time will put the U.S. on the road to energy independence. More detail is available in "Palin's Kind of Patriotism" by Friedman.

What Farm Leaders Are Saying ...

2008-10-08T22:36:00.007-04:00

Jerry Hagstrom, National Journal Ag Reporter, has reported that John McCain's strong opposition to the Farm Bill is still impacting how farm leaders think of McCain.

We're not surprised since we still remember that McCain went to Iowa to proudly urge the President to veto the Farm Bill, and more recently chose Independence, MO to wave the flag of opposition against ethanol and this country's path to energy independence.

Here's what some of the farm leaders are saying:

Senator Kent Conrad: "... (McCain) has opposed the economic interests of those of us living in rural America."
House Ag Committee Chair Collin Peterson, "He (McCain) lacks any clear knowledge or understanding about how agriculture in this country works."
Senate Ag Committee Chair Tom Harkin, "The majority of this farm income safety net has nothing to do with holding up the price of farm commodities and thus the price consumers pay for food."

Meanwhile, House AG Committee Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte refused to comment, and Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss has promised to teach Senator McCain all about agriculture later, i.e., next year.

We think "next year" is going to be a little late.

Economic Pressures and Health Care

2008-10-08T19:49:00.002-04:00

We were watching last night's debate, and we "betcha" you were, too. One key difference between McCain and Obama is on health care, so for easy clarification, we recommend re-watching YouTube's "McCain Obama Differ Dramatically on Health Care."

Once you watch, a more substantive view has been offered by Paul Krugman in his recent column "Health Care Destruction" in the 10/6/08 New York Times. The column really is must reading, but Krugman's closing line is particularly scary as he says, "I agree: the McCain plan would do for health care what deregulations has done for banking. And I'm terrified." Read more here.

Count us as terrified, too.

McCain Picks Missouri to Once Again Turn His Back to Rural America

2008-10-01T12:08:00.011-04:00

John McCain in Independence, MO this morning:

“And my administration will reduce the price of food by eliminating the subsidies for ethanol and agricultural goods. These subsidies inflate the price of food, not only for Americans but for people in poverty across the world, and I propose to abolish them.”

Lesson's Not Learned -- FDR had the solution. Can our Congress Remember?

2008-09-29T21:21:00.049-04:00

Remember the great credit crunch of the 1980's? That was when we in the farm states got a really bad taste of our own Depression. It was called the Farm Crisis. The scars of that crisis still remain on our land ... on people's faces and along the roadsides where the empty barns and empty farmsteads still tell the story.

You may also remember the Great Depression? That was an even bigger credit crunch. Whether the depression or the 1980's credit crunch, both bear great lessons for Congress, the President and Treasury Secretary Paulson.

The lesson we were supposed to have learned as Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) pulled our country out of the Great Depression has been described in detail by South Carolina candidate for Congress (1st CD) Linda Ketner on her website. Here's how she explains the problem ... a problem that is also happening now:

"To understand the cause of this problem, we have to go back to the years leading up to the Great Depression of 1929, when: There were no walls between banks and the stock market. Credit was cheap and people were allowed to borrow money from the banks and then risk it in the stock market – and they did. Everyday people were playing the stock market and even banks were doing it with depositors’ money. It was the roaring 20’s and people were getting rich right and left. Stocks began to fall in October ‘29, banks began to call in loans because the value of the stocks dropped and no longer covered the loan amount. People couldn’t make payments so they defaulted on the loans. Because banks had been borrowing money to invest as well, their portfolio plummeted. When people came to get their money out of the banks (i.e., when there was a run on the banks), they didn’t have the cash and closed. Does any of this sound familiar?

"In 1933, when Franklin Roosevelt was elected President, he said that in order to protect ourselves “against money lenders and unchecked and unregulated Wall Street gamblers” – and to prevent the possibility of another depression, we needed to supervise and separate:
Banks
Securities
Companies and Insurance Companies.

"The Glass Stegall Act was the response and there was a clear separation of: BANKS, which were to be the guardians of public money. Low risk. Low reward. Safe. Federally insured with taxpayers dollars. And banks could not risk other people’s money in the stock market.SECURITIES for those who wanted to speculate in the market, but could not do so with other people’s money. Glass Stegall said they needed transparency, anti-trust laws, and accounting standards so that a Depression would never happen again.INSURANCE companies were the third arm that Glass Stegall separated to make sure a bank failure, or stock drop, would never risk the public’s health and property.

"Does any of this sound familiar?

"Through Democrat and Republican administrations, these protections endured (despite chipping away which started in the 80’s), until 1999 when the walls, boundaries, and safeguards came down with the Gramm, Leach, Blilly or Banking Modernization Act. "Soon these institutions became self-regulating.

"Citibank bought Travelers Insurance and Smith Barney and became Citigroup. J.P. Morgan bought Chase Manhattan. BOA bought Merrill Lynch just recently and, because they were deregulated and self-regulated, there was no supervision of what they were doing. What they were doing was making wild loans to people who had no business getting credit - with depositors’ money. Subprime loans. All the time shielding from view the transaction trail by bundling loans and selling them off in pieces and parts to speculators.

"When the first round of subprime loans and mortgages – the high risk mortgages – adjusted, the trouble began. Defaults began. Some people didn’t understand the loan agreements they signed in the first place. Some people were borrowing cheap money and flipping houses as they watched the housing bubble grow bigger and bigger. Credit card companies were hiding extraordinary charges from view that made predatory lenders look like pikers."

"But the bubble burst, as bubbles always do, and the banks didn’t get paid on their loans, their investments have gone south, and they are filing for bankruptcy.This is obviously very serious. Just as in 1929, there is nothing really to stop the spiral downward except the response time and creative problem-solving of the government now."

Ketner continues, laying out a series of solutions -- some long term and some short term -- on her blog which can be found at Economy --- Linda Ketner for Congress.

Well, Roosevelt isn't here. We wish he were, but we are where we are with our leaders working hard to "stop the spiral downward" as they try to move fast and be creative to solve the problems we've got now. See our next blog for more on this continuing story. It seems that some members of Congress, lead by Rep. Eric Cantor (R VA7), are playing political games.

Tax Cuts -- Who Really Gets the Breaks

2008-09-27T13:03:00.007-04:00

Everybody is worried about taxes so today, we feature a series of "just the facts" items about taxes -- see column on right side of this blog which gives detail on John's McCain's original verbatim answer regarding his commitment to keep the Bush Tax Cuts, which are set to expire in 2010.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study was done when the Majority was held by the Republicans. Other conservative sources agree, e.g.,

The Wall Street Journal (reporter Martin Vaughan) wrote that “an apt description” for McCain’s tax proposals would be to say “that the wealthy would benefit most.”
The Cato Institute’s Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies points out, McCain’s proposals are aimed at the wealthy “even more so than Bush’s'.".... “McCain’s proposals this year are consistently pretty supply-side, even more so than Bush’s were.”
Earlier this year, the non-partisan Tax Policy Center found that McCain’s economic plan “would primarily benefit those with very high incomes.” In fact, under McCain’s plan, John and Cindy McCain would get a $300,000 tax break while middle class Americans would save only $319. The McCains save $60,016 more under McCain’s tax plan than under Bush’s.

In their more candid moments, McCain’s supporters admit that he is doubling down on Bush’s tax policies. In May, House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) said that McCain’s “tax policies” would “be in effect a third Bush term.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told ABC News in June that McCain’s policies would “absolutely” be an “extension” and “enhancement” of Bush’s.

McCain Will Show Up

2008-09-26T16:28:00.003-04:00

Breaking News ... at noon today, McCain announced he would debate tonight at Ol' Miss. And soon afterwards, McCain staff also admitted McCain spent hours in debate prep last night.

So ... we're glad that Mississippi gets its debate, and after all the preparations ... and all the theatrics about McCain closing down his campaign, we can hardly wait to watch both McCain and Obama.

The "Wall Street Journal" Calls McCain Actions "Mystifying"

2008-09-26T07:18:00.018-04:00

"Mystifying" ... reckless ... irresponsible ... undependable ... so many adjectives ... so little time! In our book, any of these words will do to describe John's McCain's diversionary tactic. The Wall Street Journal's 9/25/08 coverage said this:

"Last we checked, the President of the United States was still George W. Bush, the Secretary of the Treasury was still Henry Paulson, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve was still Ben Bernanke, and Congress still had 533 members not running for President who are at least nominally competent to debate and pass legislation.

"So count us as mystified by Senator John McCain's decision yesterday to suspend his campaign and call for a postponement in Friday's first Presidential debate so that he and Barack Obama can work out a consensus bill to stabilize the financial system. This is supposed to be evidence of leadership?"

Just like The Wall Street Journal, we checked too ... and surprise ... surprise (evidently to Mr. McCain), George W. Bush is still President, Nancy Pelosi is still speaker ... all the leadership remains the same. Committee's haven't changed and although not happy about having to fix the problem, our Congressional leadership, i.e., our governing system, was working just like it is supposed to, with leaders both diligently and responsibly working together to fix the Wall Street "melt-down" that bears the risk of drying up credit for everyone.

In short and very simple because space and time is limited here, Secretary of the Treasury Paulson's original plan was three pages ... very simple. It basically said Treasury needs cash to shore up big bank/big investment companies who are failing. $700 Billion, more than the Iraq War & occupation together has cost to date has cost, was the ask.

Paulson was clear and straightforward about the need and Congress realized it had to act.
What was missing from the Paulson proposal was protections for the taxpayers.
Barack Obama called for protections as did Democrats ... pay back to the taxpayers once the companies get stabilized; offer specific assistance to help home owners get their mortgages under control; eliminate the huge golden parachutes Wall Street "big boys" were going to get as their companies went down, and; lock in oversight to make sure all this money is used carefully and legally.
The Congress -- it's leadership and key committee members -- acted. Democrats lead the way to make sure that the money wouldn't be used lightly to line the wrong people's pockets and Republicans were carefully agreeing.

At this point, according to McCain's own statements, he didn't know as as much about the economy as he should, but he thought the economy was strong, later explaining what he meant by strong, i.e., "fundamentals" but not jobs (????) which made no sense at all. Two days ago he admitted that he had not even read the Paulson proposal, and yesterday, there he was mucking things up in Washington.

Readers will remember the farm credit crisis of the 1980's, a crisis that no one in Washington acted responsibly on and for those of us who come from, or remain in, production agriculture, many of us still bear the scars from plunging land values, creditors working to call loans on all too often people that still had equity but were struggling to pay ... and people losing their land.

I think we can agree that our leadership -- Bush is still president and the leaders in Congress really are working diligently to make sure can't let that our country doesn't fail -- either in farm country or worse yet, all across this land -- again.

So what's really going on? The Wall Street Journal also said this,

"... We also understand Mr. McCain's desire to further dress his campaign in "Country First" gilding, as if patriotism and consensus are one and the same, or that getting something done is more important than getting it right."

All this "dancing around" of McCain's is more proof that McCain's judgement is less than solid ... scary, actually.

McCain picks Sarah Palin as VP when he barely knows her and even Laura Bush has called her without experience in foreign policy ... no foreign policy experience, can barely pronounce the names of international allies and enemies .. when we are in two wars, and the odds say that McCain himself with his four cancers and his aging issues will likely die in office.
McCain admits he doesn't understand the economy ... plays a whole series of political tricks at this very risky time for our whole country.
?????? too many to name here, but skipping the debate surely makes the list.

?? This week's nomination for "mystifying" for #3 ... he's afraid to debate Obama and doing all this play-acting about being in charge to avoid having to debate international policy and how these policies are affecting our national economy.

Hello??? McCain is NOT "in charge" ... and NOT "elected" ... and may never be. We the American people deserve to hear what both Barack Obama and John McCain have to say in detail about this mess.

Wondering Why Home Owners with Dicey Mortgages Should Get Some Assistance, Too?

2008-09-24T14:11:00.003-04:00

In short, here's the deal. First, skip over the home owner who is losing his/her house and whether they made a bad business decision. Instead, put your mind on the bigger picture, i.e., ask youself what happens to the values of your own house and other supposedly non-affected owners?

Now, you're pointed in the right direction because the danger in not bailing out troubled home owners has a direct effect on all their neighbor's values. The bottom line -- a surplus of homes coming on the market all at once drags down everyone's values. Worse yet, should some of these emergency "for sales" not get sold, the homes sit empty. No one mows the yard ... sometimes someone even breaks in ... and the end result is that values go down further. Buyers get nervous and don't want to choose a neighborhood where things look like they're on the down-hill.

Of course, it wouldn't be fair to just give a tax-payer supported break to either the in-trouble home owner or his crappy lender, so we hope you'll support things that can protect tax-payers across the board, e.g.,

For home owners in trouble, support for a lower interest rate but also a commitment to pay back the assistance when the home is sold some years later.
For the big firms that made the bad business decisions, (1) taking federal assistance should equally require a promise for pay-back, just like we would support for the homeowners caught in the rising interest rate trap, and (2) for the executives that already have been paid the big bucks, let's make sure those golden parachutes are prohibited ... or failing that, taxed at 90%.

Bailout Proposal Meets Bipartisan Outrage

2008-09-24T13:49:00.004-04:00

Turmoil in the markets combined with the Bush Administration's panicked request for $700 Billion -- more than the war in Iraq has cost to date, is having an effect on voter opinion. Our lead story in our "changing every day" news service sheds the spotlight on The Washington Post's 9/24 story "Economic Fears Give Obama Clear Lead Over McCain in Poll."

We recommend additional reading:

"Bailout Proposal Meets Bipartisan Outrage", by Lori Montgomery, Paul Kane and Neil Irwin, Washington Post
"Alternative Solutions Diverge From Administration's Approach", by Anthony Faila and David Cho, Washington Post
"The Words Left Unspoken in the Bailout Debate," by Steve Pearlstein, Washington Post

When you look at "Alternative Solutions ... ", pay close attention to whether home owners are going to get assistance ... or whether the big bucks will only go to the big gambling mortage investment companies, and also ask yourself whether tax papers need to guarantee the golden parachutes of failing company executives. In some cases, those parachutes are worth as much as $2.5 billion ... which seems quite a bit to us ... especially when in the words of Steve Pearlstein, none of these high rollers have let the words "I'm sorry" cross their lips.

"Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Fired Foes"

2008-09-14T15:04:00.005-04:00

The real Sarah Palin is unveiled in the 9/13/08 issue of the New York Times. Written by Jo Becker, Peter S. Goodman and Michael Powell, we challenge you to read this story.

If in fact, you read only one thing today, read this one.

"Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Fired Foes"

Notice how she embraces secrecy.

Didn't eight years of secrecy from W and Cheney do enough damage?

Weren't Cheney's secret "oil & gas" meetings? ... and the selling of the Iraq war (when they knew their were NO weapons of mass distruction? ... and the politization of the Justice Department? ... and _________(fill in the blanks) enough?

Oooooo! Ugly Question

2008-09-12T00:26:00.004-04:00

Lots of people have great expectations for this election, but one central question that is most difficult for the pundants to predict is, "Could Obama's inability to pull away from John McCain really come down to his skin color?"

For the record ... here at My Rural America, we believe rural citizens should make their decisions on facts that benefit rural America and ALL of America's economy, national security and individual freedoms. Oh yes!! ... and add health care and educational opportunity to that list, too.

But the question that is asked in, "What Small Town America is Saying About Obama" is whether this election is only going to be about race. The story, written by Dan Hoyle for Salon.com, is a complicated one and we urge you to read it. Overall, the way Hoyle describes the dilemna is,

"Beyond Obama's race, what I found was a more complicated set of concerns -- whether accurately informed or not -- about his religious faith, values and cultural and educational background. That is, many of these white rural voters expressed a discomfort that may have more to do with unfamiliarity about the type of person Barack Obama is, rather than with direct concerns about his race." Read more here.

Does Being Able to Dress a Moose Mean You're a Populist? Hightower Says NO!

2008-09-11T23:23:00.017-04:00

Jim Hightower, former Texas Rail Commissioner, prolific author and consistent radio commentator writes,

"Living in a small town and being able to field dress a moose does not make Palin a populist, no matter how much pundits want to pretend it does."

Read more of Hightower's wisdom on Alternet at "Sarah Palin's Faux Populism."

It's a fact that faux populism is certainly Sarah's signature identity. What also a fact is how Sarah's been talking down to those of us who live, treasure or work for rural America. It's also outrageous -- What's turned out to be her assumption that we'll just all sit back and believe her no matter what she says. Does she think rural Americans can't read? or just that we're really, really gullible?

Over time, we'll share more examples of her less than factual nonsense, but for today, we're limiting ourselves to just one example, i.e., she started bragging in St.Paul and has not quit that she was "against that bridge to nowhere" when the reality is she was for the "bridge to nowhere" before she was against it.

"AG Leaders Pan GOP Ethanol Stance"

2008-09-05T16:20:00.004-04:00

Months ago in Iowa, it was John McCain who said NO to the Farm Bill, adding his voice to Bush's Farm Bill VETO. Their's was a big NO to the hope that our country could become energy independent.

Now the Republican Platform has confirmed McCain's big NO to ethanol. This platform rejection is a really BIG NO since once again it confirms McCain's opposition to our country's hopes of becoming energy independent.

Then, to add insult to injury, McCain anointed Sarah Palin, new Governor of Alaska, as his VP choice, and Sarah immediately proclaimed herself expert on energy policy, but this self-proclaimed expertise can only be considered true if "energy" is defined as "oil and gas" ... and even then, there's little evidence that her expertise is actually backed by legitimate science. Forget ethanol. Forget solar. Forget wind. Forget polar bears. Forget global warming. Just plain forget, since essentially everything we know must be forgotten except for VP Dick Cheney's early-in-the-Bush-Administration secret meeting with the oil industry. I'm not sure we know yet the names of all the oil and gas industry folks who planned and plotted, but we certainly know the results, i.e., oil industry profits were the name of the game, with the result that every time we fill up our car's gas tank or get the bill for home heating, we pay more ... and more ... and more.

Of course, Sarah has proclaimed herself a budget expert, too ... since Alaska is about the only state whose budget has gotten stronger in these days of escalating energy prices.

Jerry Hagstrom, DTN's political correspondent has written a very thoughtful piece about how even the most dedicated farm leaders who have been traditionally Republican are taking the news that once again, the conservative back door has slammed shut on the hopes of Americans who previously were still loyal to the conservatives. See Hagstrom's story at "Leaders Weigh Changes in Republican Ethanol Platform".

War Spending Helps Rural Economies -- Is That Good?

2008-08-13T18:10:00.005-04:00

"Facing South", the Institute for Southern Studies' blog, asked the question first but we couldn't have said it better ourselves: "Is it good that war spending is helping rural economies?"

"Facing South" is based in North Carolina, but the report actually covers eight Southern states (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia). All have seen big influxes of military money.

Certainly, money matters, but so do a lot of other things, including the "big" ones like whether our country's international reputation is better now, or better before we went into Iraq ... we say, "No." Or, do we have fewer enemies -- or more enemies -- than we did before 9-11? ... we say, "More." Or is our economy in general better or worse? ... when we answer this question, we're thinking about working families. Are jobs more secure? Is it easier to send a child to college? and more. We say, "Everything is more difficult."

You may agree, or disagree, but one way or the other, we challenge you to read, consider, and also to ask yourself hard questions. Because of the higher recruitment rate for soldiers from rural communities, our sons and daughters are dying at a 60 percent higher rate than urban families' children (Carsey Institute data).

Ask yourself too? Did your Senator or Member of Congress vote against the new GI Bill that Senator Webb and others worked so diligently to pass? President Bush opposed as did Senator McCain. The Washington Post recently offered an editorial about "What the GI's Deserve." Long story short, Bush eventually signed the bill into law but McCain continues to oppose.

Health Benefits Inspire a Rush to the Altar, or to Divorce Court

2008-08-13T11:25:00.004-04:00

Let's just say this very clearly: Access to basic health services should NOT be based upon whether you're married or divorced.

The divorce rate for American marriages is over 50 percent these days, and the problem of how difficult it is for people to access affordable health care is making things worse. Kevin Sack wrote the story "Health Benefits Inspire a Rush to the Altar, or to Divorce Court" for the New York Times. Read it here.

Overall, it's a pretty sad state of affairs that getting good health care depends on whether you've got a spouse that has it, or for that matter, that you have to divorce your spouse in order to be poor enough to get assistance with your medical bills. This said, it brings us to some key differences regarding what the two leading presidential candidates (presumptive nominees) have to say about health care. We credit National Journal -- not the campaigns, for these differences, noting that National Journal frames the key difference as "over the scope of government involvement in America's health care system."

To put this another way, Senator McCain's plan depends primarily on tax incentives to individuals, while Senator Obama's plan pays for his proposed program by allowing President Bush's tax breaks to expire for people who earn over $250,000.

There are differences in their voting records, including:

State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

McCain voted NO; Obama voted YES .. for reauthorization and expansion in 2007

Stem Cell Research

Obama SPONSORED 2006-07 legislation -- VETOED by President Bush & OPPOSED by McCain -- that would have expanded federal funding of embryonic-stem-cell research

National Journal lists SEIU, the American Hospital Association, Families USA and America's Health Insurance Plan as key supporters of Obama. National Journal does not list any organizations as advocates for McCain.

SEIU made its endorsement of Obama based upon his work in support of universal coverage, with employers, individuals and government sharing the financial burdon.

Republicans for Obama -- Jim Leach, Susan Eisenhower & More

2008-08-12T23:29:00.003-04:00

We're fascinated.

Newsweek reported this growing story early --February 2008, calling it, "Barack + GOP = Obamacans." According to the story, Susan Eisenhower said she,

"Has no plans to officially leave the Republican Party. But in Eisenhower's view, Obama is the only candidate who can build a national consensus on the issues most important to her—energy, global warming, an aging population and America's standing in the world."

Now -- August, 2008, Republicans are organizing for Obama. Mike Glover, for the Associated Press reports, "Former Republican Congressman Endorses Obama."

The New York Times reports,

"About 20 current and former Republicans make up the group’s leadership committee, including Douglas Kmiec, a Republican who served in the Justice Department under President Ronald Reagan and was a supporter of Mitt Romney during the Republican primary, and Dorothy Danforth Burlin, a Washington lawyer who is the daughter of former U.S. Senator John Danforth, another moderate Republican."

And FT.com reports, "Three Prominent Republicans endorse Obama," saying that

"Most "Obamacans", among them Susan Eisenhower, the grand-daughter of the former Republican president, Dwight Eisenhower, come from the so-called realist wing of the Republican party which has fallen into deep disenchantment with George W. Bush's foreign policy."
Most fascinating of all, is the LA Times reporting from Florida ... all about how rank & file Republicans are feeling, "Long Time Republicans Are Airing New Views."

Four Rural Americas -- Place Matters

2008-07-31T18:44:00.005-04:00

Leave it to the University of New Hampshire's Carsey Institute to do a new study that helps us understand the challenges of rural America.

The report -- "Place Matters: Challenges and Opportunities in Four Rural Americas" -- identifies four separate and very different places in rural America.

Amenity-rich areas with seashores, mountains, forests and lakes, enjoyed by vacationers, retirees and 2nd home owners.
Declining resource-dependent areas -- regions that once prospered because of agriculture or mining, timber or manufacturing, now without enough opportunity to maintain a middle class.
Chronically poor regions which have lacked investment and lost jobs for decades.
Transitional, defined as regions that seem to be balancing resource-based decline but still have amenity growth.

Some of our readers may ask why all this matters? Our answer to this very important question is that Carsey's "Place Matters" further proves that rural America isn't all alike, and that policy solutions will need to be flexable as we work to address rural America's unique challenges.

When Congress Works

2008-07-31T18:19:00.006-04:00

David Broder's July 31 column for the Washington Post offers info on the new National Housing Trust Fund, which makes a good beginning on creating affordable housing for both cities and rural areas. In "When Congress Works", Broder says,

"For far too long, the federal government has been shirking its responsibility to help the neediest Americans meet their basic housing need. Food stamp allocations have been increased repeatedly to combat hunger, in part because the farm lobby values the additional markets for its products."

Well ... yes. We agree. The farm lobby does appreciate the fact that when people are hungry, they need food ... whether they can afford it or not.

And well ... yes. Finally. The housing lobby, pushed by the home mortgage loan crisis as an extra incentive, finally got the job done, or started. Our congratulations to Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, Jack Reed and Richard Shelby ... and all the other folks who helped too. Read more.

See John McCain's Everyday Shoes -- $520 per pair

2008-07-31T17:21:00.004-04:00

Bet you already know that we don't usually advertise for NeimanMarcus on this site? ... But every rule has its exception. In this case -- our exception offers opportunity for you to find (buy?) Ferragano loafers just like John McCain's ... so you too can wear them to the State Fair or perhaps to play golf in. Just click here to see John McCain's Salvatore Ferragamo Pregiato Moccasins for a mere $520 per pair.

Isabel Wilkinson, writing for Huffington Post, has pictures of the shoes in her story. Yet another fun read can be found at CNN's site: "McCain's $520 loafers put 'elitist' shoe on the other foot".

We think "elitist" is exactly the right word. After all, McCain is the guy that thinks Farm Bills are nothing but nonsense -- voting no on every single one since the mid-'80's. That's a lot of NO NO NO's ... NO to conservation, NO to affordable housing in rural communities, NO to school lunch, NO to new water/sewer systems for small towns, NO to fresh fruits and vegetables, NO to organics, NO to food safety and NO to food security.

Al Gore: "Environmentally Responsible is Economically Responsible"

2008-07-22T10:58:00.007-04:00

Last week, Al Gore spoke to a turn-away crowd about the U.S. (and the world) energy crisis. So many people wanted to attend that people who RSVP'd first were asked to please let the organizers know if they weren't coming so that people waiting in line could take their place.

Gore, urging a 10-year goal for our nation to make the change from carbon-based fuels to 100 percent of our electricity from clean, renewable sources, said,

"We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that has got to change."

What we liked best -- recognizing that making the switch won't be easy, is how thoroughly practical and straightforward, the mainstream media has covered Gore's challenge.

E.J. Dionne covered the story in the Washington Post with this comment, "

"It sounds like a typical, idealistic Al Gore idea. But two things about this proposal merit attention. It points a country that uses too much energy down the right path. And Gore is showing that being environmentally responsible is economically sensible."

Gore and T.Boone Pickens aren't alone in ringing the "EMERGENCY BELL." Many are others are too. Click below for more info.

Nation's Security on the Line: T. Boone Pickens says "Time to Stop Digging"

2008-07-22T10:40:00.003-04:00

T. Boone Pickens spoke plainly as he testified to the Homeland Security Panel which Senator Joseph Lieberman chairs and Senator Susan Collins serves as Ranking Member.

Pickens stated:

“We are more fragile today, from a national security standpoint, than we have been since World War II. This danger stems directly from our overwhelming dependence on foreign oil, which has risen from 24 percent in 1970 to 70 percent today. What worries me, and what should worry this committee and the American people, is that much of this dependence is on oil that comes from countries that are not our friends. And in some cases, this dependence on their oil has placed the US in the position of paying for the tools these countries use to embrace, export and manifest their ideology that would like to see us fail as a democracy and as the leader of the free world.

"And further, by spending this $700 billion year importing oil– more than four times the cost of the Iraqi War -- we are strangling our economy and putting ourselves and our nation in greater harm’s way. All without our enemies ever having to raise a hand in anger. This is more than a disturbing trend line. It is a recipe for national disaster. This is a crisis that cannot be left to the next generation to solve and shame on all of us if we don’t grab this bull by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. And we must do it now. I have been traveling all around the country with a simple message – that our country is in a deep hole and it’s time to stop digging. I have a plan where we can do this in a way that actually improves our economy and our way of life, and I have to tell you the response to the plan has been tremendous.”

Click here for Picken's 5 points as reported by Business Wire:

"T. Boone Pickens to Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee: National Security Is Jeopardized by Crippling $700 Billion Dependence on Foreign Oil from Countries We Cannot Trust with our Future."

Click here for more detail on Picken's Plan.

Bush pastor: "James Dobson Does Not Speak for Me"

2008-07-06T12:32:00.006-04:00

CBS News reports: President Bush's own pastor -- Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell who introduced Mr. Bush at the Republican National Convention in 2000 and also married Bush daughter Jenna a few weeks ago at the Bush family ranch -- has disavowed long time conservative evangelical religous leader James Dobson.

Rev. Caldwell's announcement comes in the form of a new website: jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com

Caldwell dials in for Senator Obama's weekly Friday morning prayer call (hosted by the Obama campaign) but is not an official surrogate for the campaign. Rev. Caldwell heads the 14,000 member Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. For more on this story, click here.

Anderson Cooper at CNN also reports additional detail in his AC360 degrees column. Meanwhile, Senator Obama has reacted to Dobson's distortions, saying evangelical leader James Dobson "was making stuff up' when Dobson accused Obama of distorting the Bible.

Rural Roads Responsible for More than Half of Road Accidents

2008-07-02T23:51:00.003-04:00

The University of Minnesota is the home of the McNamara Alumni Center which houses a new clearing house for safety on rural roads. Deputy Transportation Secretary Thomas Barrett described the situation this way,

"Rural roads carry less than half of America's traffic, but they are home to far more than half of the nation's vehicular deaths. The death rates on rural roads are almost twice what they are on urban or interstate highways."

Barrett also noted behavioral differences in rural versus city accidents. "They're more likely to take place at higher speeds. The incidence of people driving under the influence is higher. The rate of seat belt usage is lower. The lowest seat belt usage we have in this country are by drivers of pickup trucks."

kare11 in Minneapolis/St. Paul tells the full story here. From our viewpoint, the most important part is about a new "Device (that) will tell parents when their children are speeding".

The Second Amendment -- Guns and Hunters

2008-07-01T23:07:00.003-04:00

The story "The Elusive Hunter" was actually published a couple of years ago by Newsweek, but it is still worth reading because it so clearly describes all the good things about hunting ... boys learning responsibilities, fathers and grandfathers with their sons, sportsmanship.

There is, of course, much controversy about gun ownership, perhaps best described by how people in cities are known to worry about street warfare while people in more rural regions of our country believe guns are all about sportsmanship and safety. The "Hunter" story reminded me of one time when I was in Montana visiting a ranching family there. Walking across the dining room floor, I almost tripped over the head of a bear, still firmly part of what had become a huge furry bear rug, of course. When one of the family started telling me how they came to own the bear rug, my awkwardness disappeared. The family story, of course, was about how the (gigantic) bear had been tearing off the shutters covering one of their house's windows, when the oldest son shot the bear.

Hunting ... safety ... street warfare. Isn't it funny how both sides of the rural v. urban viewpoints about guns meet in the middle about safety?

A few days ago the Supreme Court tackled this same subject. As described in the Kansas City Star, the "Supreme Court Ruling Still Allows Reasonable Restrictions" on guns.

“Like most rights, the Second Amendment is not unlimited,” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in his lead opinion. “It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.”

Reacting to the ruling, Ray Schoenake, President of the American Hunters and Shooters Association had this view:

"On behalf of our many thousands of members, we applaud this decision, which is critically important for all of us who believe in gun rights. This balanced, thoughtful approach to the Second Amendment is shared by an overwhelming majority of the nation's 80 million gun owners, including AHSA's members. The Supreme Court has soundly rejected the extreme views of the N.R.A., which espouse unlimited access to any weapon. "

We agree.

LA TMES tells the story -- McCain Gambles on Drilling

2008-06-24T22:24:00.003-04:00

The LA Times tells the story in detail: "McCain Gambling on Off Shore Drilling ... He thinks the nation's high gas price will trump concerns about protecting the environment, especially in key Midwest States".

The McCain gamble is that voters will care more about high gas prices than they do any environmental risks involved in off shore drilling. To emphasize his point, he gave his speech supporting off-shore drilling in Santa Barbara, CA which was the site of a big oil spill in 1969 that many voters still remember.

In short, the McCain gamble, as described by writers Cathleen Decker and Michael Finnegan, is intended as a campaign tactic to reach out to independent voters. As these voters make their decisions, we expect them to consider a series of facts.

How much oil is already open to leasing? ANSWER: 79%
How much natural gas is open to leasing? ANSWER: 82%
How many total federal acres are leased and in production now? ANSWER: 91.5% leased but only 23.7% of these acres are producing.

According to a study done by the U.S. Committee on Natural Resources, the reality is that drilling does not lower gas prices.

So what's the McCain tactic about? ANSWER -- it's a "fool ya" game. "Fool ya Midwest" is a very specific kind of dirty political game tactics that seeks to blame a "straw man" while ignoring all the facts ... in this case, facts like worldwide demand, the industrialization of China and more factors, all of which have come together to create more demand for oil products. Essentially, McCain is playing the "fool ya Midwest" in the hopes that he can scare voters into believing that this off-shore drilling is the only answer to $5 gas.

In a way, it's the same sort of game he played recently when he went to Iowa to urge the President to veto the Farm Bill, i.e., McCain was hoping to trick some city people into believing the Farm Bill was all bad, when in reality, the Farm Bill had many sections important to urban citizens ... sections like school lunch, WIC, farmers' markets, food safety and food security. That was a "fool ya" game, too .. just like now with off-shore drilling ... "fool ya" by pretending that more off-shore drilling will actually lower oil and gas prices.

Iraq & Afghan Troops Take Daily Dose of Anti-depressants

2008-06-24T19:15:00.006-04:00

Bob Herbert reports in the NY Times: "Wounds You Can't See" some of the saddest news:

Because the pool of volunteer soldiers is so small, our sons and daughters are called back to the war again and again, and the more they go back, the more they risk.

Paul Rieckhoff, Ex. Director of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group working to make it easier for our veterans to receive mental health services, says,

"This should be a top issue in the presidential race, and it should be a top issue in the news. When you come home from Iraq, you feel like you're lost in the wilderness sometimes. You feel like you don't fit in."

A new RAND study reports that 300,000 US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan have mental problems with 320,000 brain injuries inflicted so far. Many of these injuries are ones that our soldiers will suffer from all the remaining days of their lives.

And TIME Magazine reports in "America's Medicated Army" by Mark Thompson, about how our troops are running on Prozac.

We challenge you to read every word of at least two of these stories.

$5 Gasoline? One Reader's Response

2008-06-22T23:16:00.002-04:00

We've chosen the following as a Reader Guest Op-Ed, as sent to us through the blog:

Gasoline prices are rising all over the country – now $4 going on $5 a gallon or more – and the price of diesel fuel is even higher. And who is hurting the most? Yes, rural Americans, who depend on fuel to earn a living!

Senator John McCain and President Bush say they can “solve” the problem and bring down prices by lifting the ban on drilling. Wrong!

Here are the facts: In 2007 the Bush Administration’s Department of Energy analyzed the impact on oil production and what you pay at the pump if we lifted the ban on offshore drilling. The conclusion? “No significant impact” on gas production and prices “before 2030.”

Can you wait 22 years? Is this the best McCain can offer – promising that if you vote for him maybe in 22 years you might see fuel prices stop rising?

One more fact: While you’re paying $50 or more to fill your car or truck’s gas tank, Exxon Mobil reported profits – not gross income, but profits! – reached $40 billion in 2007.

Floods ... Tragedy, Challenges and How You Can Help

2008-06-20T10:54:00.004-04:00

The "500 year" flooding in Wisconsin and Iowa seems to be unparalleled. For Iowa, it's the second "500 year" flood in 15 years. And now, as the water moves down-river to more southern states, we can expect more tragedy.

It's a conundrum: On the one hand we read about high farm prices and how farmers have never had it so good ... on the other hand, many family farmers are already suffering from huge losses in crops damaged by floods and the disaster is also making feeding livestock more difficult for livestock producers. Overall, the disaster is likely to drive up prices for consumers at the grocery store, too. The challenge of recovery is likely to be particularly difficult since many people do not have flood insurance because their neighborhoods, individual rural homes and farmsteads are not on flood plains and have not flooded before.

Thus, we bring you opportunities to contribute to charities while we share stories and pictures about the ongoing tragedy:

"RURAL" CHARITIES YOU CAN TRUST (we will add more to this list in a later edition):

For Iowa or , individual tax-deductible contributions should be written to the "NCSS Charity Fund" with "Iowa Flood Relief" in the memo section. Mail checks to: State Society of Iowa, P.O. Box 40831, Arlington, VA 22204-9998.
For Iowa but also for other flood damaged states, donations can also be made through Willy Nelson's "Family Farm Disaster Fund -- Farm Aid." For more info, click here.

PICTURES AND STORIES:

Wisconsin Flood Photos by the LaCrosse Tribune
"In Midwest, a Threat to Crops" by Susan Salny, New York Times
"Flooding Forces Evacuation ... Governor Jim Doyle orders evacuation ... 7 dams watched for potential failure" by Channel 3000, WiscTV.com
"Floods Leave Iowa Swimming in Toxic Brew" by CBS News
"Iowa -- Best of Flood Photos" by the Des Moines Register
"More on Flooding -- Cedar Rapids Residents Again Turned Away" by USATODAY
Hog Farmers Face A Perfect Storm by Ilan Brat and Joe Barrett, USATODAY
Farms Under Water as Levee Breaks by Metro.co.uk
Flood Waters Wash Away Homes as Freak Weather Hits U.S. by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Guest Editorial: Corn Growers Say Ethanol Saves Average Family $1,000 Annually

2008-06-20T10:43:00.005-04:00

Katie Allen Writes on June 17:

"New information released by Iowa’s Renewable Fuels Association and Corn Promotion Board shows that ethanol saves a typical family of four an average of $1,000 per year.

"The figure comes from price data by the USDA, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Council of Economic Advisors and Iowa State University, and shows if ethanol were not in the picture, consumers would save a mere $24 at the grocery store in a year but would pay $560 to $1,600 more for fuel.

"Iowa farmer Roger Zylstra, who raises corn, soybeans and hogs, agrees with most other producers that transportation costs, more than corn demand, are driving up food prices.

" 'So very little amount of corn actually goes into the food that we consume,' Zylstra says. 'Most of the corn that we grow is used for animal feed and things like that.'

"As a producer of both grain and livestock, Zylstra knows this is a challenging time of high prices for everyone.

" 'Corn is a major part of hog feed. If we get corn really high, it's going to have an impact, but history shows us that the prices always adjust. It's just that we have to have enough cushion to survive that adjustment period.'

"Zylstra also says he’s confident farmers and ag leaders will continue to find enough corn supply for food and fuel despite flooded fields and an expected lower crop this year."

Senator Bernie Sanders Calls People who Don't Worry about our Economy "Pollyanna's"

2008-06-17T09:23:00.005-04:00

Senator Bernie Sanders has called the people who don't worry about our economy "pollyanna's." Others might say out of touch, but one thing for certain, the letters that Sanders (one of two Independents in the U.S. Senate), has shared from his rural Vermont constituents make real the financial difficulties that high gasoline prices, escalating heating costs and the economy in general are causing. They also make the case that things very much need to change. The constituent letters also underline Sanders' point that the ...

"Conservatives' assertion that the economy was strong and getting stronger, repeated with the frequency of a mantra, hid the reality that working Americans have taken a real beating."

Bob Herbert in the New York Times brings more perspective, including criticism of the media for failing to report how really, really squeezed middle class citizens have become.

Sanders' constituents' stories include how a couple age 65 only eats two meals a day; how a family keeps it heat just above 30 degrees so that the pipes don't freeze; how one mother reports her family doesn't go to church any more because of the cost of gasoline; how someone else burned their mother's dining room furniture just to keep warm. There is more. Read it here.

"Bad Cow Disease" -- Why Regulation Matters

2008-06-16T08:36:00.002-04:00

Aren't you tired of it? Tomatoes you can't eat, tainted spinach, bad peanut butter, mad cow disease. And all too many questions we "eaters" shouldn't have to decide, e.g., should the cattle shipped to the packing plant have to walk into the plant all by themselves, or were they "downers" that were already down and dying?

And then there's the perennial argument ... should we let business be business? After all, some would say that when business makes a mistake, the market will teach them a lesson.

But meanwhile, our stomachs seem to be paying the price; we get sick on the bad food, and eventually the big corporate food supply business does a recall. In my book, that doesn't seem too cool. It makes me like "government regulation" a lot, because I want to trust the U.S. food supply system, so that all I have to do is go to the grocery store, buy, cook, eat ... definitely not worry.

The New York Time's Paul Krugman's very thoughtful "Bad Cow Disease" walks us through how we got here, with food we can't trust. One lesson to be learned: For six years, the Congress failed to conduct oversight regulation. Now this new Congress is rushing to catch up.

For those of us who want to trust our food supply system, that can't happen too soon.

In Memoriam: Tim Russert

2008-06-15T20:00:00.004-04:00

Age 58? Somehow it doesn't seem that old, and many of us who are "baby-boomers" wonder, how could this happen?

The Russert smile ... his love of politics ... his belief that if we all just would pay attention, look carefully at our candidates, and make sure that we evaluate so very carefully that we understand how some elected officials' rhetoric doesn't always match their votes.

My personal favorite is Sally Quinn's memory, "He was a junkie. He would say, 'People find stories about the budget boring -- that's crazy.' And then he would talk about the behind-the-scene fights, the cast of characters, and it was interesting."

Read more about Russert here. Or watch Meet the Press' podcast and more at the MSNBC news website which honors him.

The most important thing to remember? ... That Tim Russert thought our most important election was coming up on November 4. He would have wanted to be here with us ... watching, questioning, learning, participating in our very own history in the making. Let's do it -- for Tim, for ourselves and for the world, too.

"That's Not Too Important", says McCain

2008-06-12T22:27:00.005-04:00

It started on Wednesday, June 10th' on NBC's "Today" show and continues to be the talk of Washington.

John McCain was asked about the timetable for bringing our troops home from Iraq. As reported by Jonathan Weisman in the Washington Post, McCain's response was:

"The issue erupted after Sen. McCain (R-AZ) said in an interview with NBC's 'Today" show that the timetable for U.S. forces to come home from Iraq is not of great concern as long as U. S. casualties in the Middle East fall to levels comparable to those in allied countries where U.S. forces have been stationed for decades without incident.

"That's not too important," McCain said, when asked byhost Matt Lauer if he could better estimate when U.S. Forces would come home. "What's important is the casualties in Iraq," he said. "Americans are in South Korea, Americans are in Japan. American troops are in Germany. That's all fine."

We don't agree. We also urge you to read the whole story here.

"Obama Probes National Health Care"

2008-06-12T21:55:00.007-04:00

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's visit to St. Louis this week. The trip gave Obama a chance to talk in detail about his health care plan, but he also had made progress on his effort to reach out to rural America. The Post-Dispatch reports:

Asked why Democrats have lost the state in presidential elections since Bill Clinton carried Missouri in 1996, Obama said, "A mistake is probably made in neglecting those parts of the state that are not traditionally Democratic."

"Obama promised more stops in predominately Republican territory like the town hall gathering he held last month in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

"In the rural parts of the state, showing up makes a big difference," Obama said. "My general view is, even if I don't win those areas, we can narrow the gap and that may make a significant difference in how we do statewide."

Read more here. Once you get to the story, you can also click into an audio to hear more and also see more picture of his hospital visit.

What to do? $4 ... or $5 ... Gas to Fill the Tank.

2008-06-12T21:32:00.004-04:00

Today -- June 12th, Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) discussed the difficulties families are facing as they confront skyrocketing gas prices. He also thoughtfully reminds us why our country can't just drill its way out of this problem. Rather, it will take investment in renewable energy and serious new regulation to prevent the oil companies and their pals from driving up the price of oil by buying back their own stock and allowing speculators to further push the prices up. Right now, 36% -- yes, more than 1/3 of the price at the gasoline pump -- is due to speculators.

Equally important, Salazar brings real insight to the "why?" ... all about speculators as well as what Congress is working to do to solve the problem. This one is a podcast. Find it here or if you'd rather listen to it on the phone, dial 1-800-511-0763 actuality No. 2698.

VA Says NO to Veterans Needing Help to Vote

2008-06-06T09:42:00.007-04:00

The St. Petersburg Times has reported that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said in late May that it would stop giving assistance to vets who need help in registering to vote. Read more at "VA Rejects Directive to Help Vets Register to Vote".

For 14 years, there has been a presidential directive that has required the VA to help our vets, but this year VA Secretary Peake has said, "No."

More information is available at the website of "Veterans for Common Sense": VA FlipFlops, Bans Registration Drives for Veterans at VA Hospitals and Nursing Homes.

Reflections -- the Bobby Kennedy We Revered

2008-06-05T20:27:00.004-04:00

If you're like us at My Rural America, you likely remember how Bobby Kennedy reached out to farmers in his 1968 presidential campaign. He personally walked into the farm organization offices and made promises on the Farm Bill and we all believed. I still do. I lived on the farm then (600 acres -- corn, beans, hogs, cattle & 1300 laying hens), and I worked for Bobby/voted for him in the Iowa Caucuses. I also cried when we lost him that sad California day -- June 5, 1968.

Forty years later, the New York Times op-ed section has shared with us remembrances from three of his children. Years later, when Senator Ted Kennedy -- now fighting for his life was running for president, one of the memories I have from that campaign is about Kerry Kennedy, and for those of you who know me personally, I make this confession ... I remember when we "stole" her purple cowboy boots and mailed them back to her house. She was in Iowa campaigning for her dad and she wore those boots every single day. The PURPLE boots were so distracting that people talked about the boots, rather than her message, so the boots went back home. Years later, some of us still wonder if she every figured out who did it. Her memory -- without the purple boots -- is worth reading: Lessons of the Magnolia Tree.

Taking "No" For an Answer is her brother Joseph P. Kennedy II 's memory. His is a wonderful remembrance about how his father, "Bobby", could make you understand ... and feel ... the pain of people of who had nothing at all. In this way, it reminds me of Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for President, who has such a great skill of reminding us ... without hope, we have nothing at all.

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend also remembers: The Delta in Our Home ... learning to take personally the poverty in Mississippi. It's a lesson we still need to remember today ... for those of us who have been given much, we need to both share ourselves and help our children to be generous, too.

Thank You GOOGLE ... for helping us save nickles and dimes on our cell phones

2008-06-05T20:01:00.004-04:00

The New York Times reports how "Cell Services Keep It Easy and Free."

The tips in this article are all free and better yet, all easy. What you do is put in the number 800-GOOG-411 and push the "dial" key. Google will dial it for you for free, ask you politely the city/state/who? questions and actually dial the number for you. Better yet, you'll be saved from that long "garbage" time-killer speech that most cell providers use to gobble up your precious minutes. Likely, you'll save both cell minutes and also the extra charge.

So THANK YOU ... Google! ... for this wonderful, money-saving (and simple!) new phone directory.

We also recommend the whole article because it contains a whole lot more simple and free ways to use your cell.

"War's Stresses Take Toll on Military's Chaplains"

2008-05-29T17:18:00.004-04:00

The New York Times reports from Killeen, Texas that, "War's Stresses Take Toll on Military's Chaplains." We share this story as a reminder ... Monday was Memorial Day and a time to honor our nation's soldiers. As the story reports, there is much more to appreciate, to learn about and to change so that we truly honor our soldiers and those who take care of them as they return, including how we:

Manage health care services to our Veterans.
Make decisions about going to war and/or staying in war.
Understand the difference between war, occupation and "giving" people democracy.
Move forward to repair the damage done to our economy by borrowing money from China.

We can expect it to be a continuing challenge about how to take care of our veterans when they return. PTSD and unprecedented serious injuries will require both patience and resources. A related continuing challenge will be how to rebuild a new, strong economy that includes both good jobs and the resources necessary to take care of our soldiers and our nation's other needs, too. As we approach the November elections, it also becomes increasingly important to consider the trade-offs about how our nation spends our money, e.g.,

OHIO's taxpayers paid $4.4 Billion for the Bush tax cuts benefiting the richest 10 percent in FY2009. For that kind of money, they could have paid for:

One year's health care for 1,555,685 people.
For more Ohio trade-offs, go here.

NEW MEXICO's taxpayers paid $397.7 Million for the Bush tax cuts benefiting the richest 10 percent in FY 2009. They could have paid for:

92,839 scholarships for NM's kids to go to college.
For more New Mexico trade-offs, go here.

IOWA's taxpayers paid $841.2 Million for the Bush tax cutes benefiting the richest 10 percent of US citizens in FY 2009. They could have paid for:

946,483 homes to have renewable electricity for one year.
For more Iowa trade-offs, go here.

Clearly, Memorial Day is only one day a year, but for those of us who want to honor our veterans, we must find a way to make the wise decisions necessary to honor our returning veterans and also their families with jobs, health care and more opportunities.

Minnesota Caregivers Fight Against Proposed Bush Medicare Cuts

2008-05-29T15:29:00.006-04:00

Medicare cuts proposed by the Bush administration would be most damaging to rural providers and caregivers, prompting caregivers and providers in Minnesota to fight back this week. Minnesota’s rural nursing homes would lose $11.57 per patient day – or $3.7 million annually – under the administration proposal, according to the American Health Care Association (AHCA).

AHCA data shows that the proposed regulatory action, introduced May 1 to correct a “forecasting error,” would slash $133 million nationally in Medicare Part A funding for rural seniors during the next fiscal year. This comes at a time when rising energy, food and labor costs combine to hit rural providers particularly hard, threatening care for rural seniors and endangering the jobs and employment bases of rural communities.

Besides Minnesota, other rural states that would take the biggest hits – based upon loss of per-patient-day cuts – include Ohio, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois and Texas.

With a decision on these proposed Medicare cuts to be determined within the next several weeks, long term care advocates in Minnesota are urging their federal lawmakers to ensure that these cuts that would hurt seniors and the facilities which care for them are not an option.

“We plan on ensuring federal lawmakers are acutely aware how spiraling costs, in conjunction with these proposed Medicare cuts, will undermine nursing homes on an operational basis, and jeopardize seniors’ care needs on a clinical level,” said Alan Rosenbloom of the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care. “On virtually every front, America’s skilled nursing facilities are facing budget cuts and cost increases, and it is time to sound the alarm.”

"The Traveling Taps Bridgade"

2008-05-26T14:33:00.006-04:00

Memorial Day. Remember how we used to call it "Decoration Day"? It was a time of true remembrance and honor for our nation.

But times change. Now, the Department of Defense (DOD) policy calls for keeping the deaths of our soldiers, lost in the Afghan War and the Iraq Occupation, a secret. No pictures are allowed at Dover, DE's airbase, the place that our fallen sons and daughters first touch soil in their caskets.

It's a very sad thing, certainly because of the loss each family and our country faces when we lose an individual soldier and also a loss for our democracy as a whole, i.e., it's also a sort of "catch 22", i.e., our sons and daughters are sent to war, or volunteer to go to war, to defend democracy.

But DOD's secrets, as required by President Bush and supported by John McCain, actually result in a weakening of our democracy, since voters ... in order to make wise decisions at the polls ... must arm themselves with all kinds of information about how our nation is doing, including why the wars began, why they continue and more. Without accurate information or at a minimum the ability to access both the good and the bad, it means that voters have a tougher time making the wise decisions necessary to protect our great democracy.

One person who has felt the call to make the news public and to honor our almost 4000 lost soldiers is Joe Baldo of Maryland:

"At the age of 71 ... retired and in the twilight of his life, he shuttles from cemetary to cemetary across Maryland. And
everywhere he goes, he takes three pairs of white gloves, his meticulously pressed Air Force uniform and, in the back seat of his car, his 1933 Bach Stradivarius trumpet. For 27 years, Mr. Baldo devoted his trumpet to his country ... day after day sounding taps at Arlington Memorial Cemetary for soldiers funerals. "

Now, every day -- all across Maryland, he spends his days driving from funeral to funeral, playing his trumpet for our nation's fallen soldiers. Read more of the Washington Post's story here.

We each need to do our part, too. One way to do it is to make your own personal pledge to learn more about the decisions that paved the way to more than five years of war for our nation and the undue burden our rural sons and daughters are carrying in the war, so today -- Memorial Day 2008, in honor of our rural soldiers, we share the following "extra" reading.

"Rural Death Rate Higher Among Soldiers from Rural Areas" -- by the Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire. Also available in podcast from the Center for Rural Strategies.
George Bush's Deep Reasons for War in Iraq: Oil, Petrodollars and the OPEC Euro Question
Reasons Not to Invade Iraq by George Bush, Sr.
US Military to Probe Propaganda Effort
Honoring OurVeterans on Memorial Day by the Center for American Progress

This last story is a critical read. It tells the story by the numbers -- who our veterans are, how many new veterans we have, and more about how they live with disabilities and how our nation meets their challenges on mental health and homelessnews.

Bush Vetoes Farm Bill

2008-05-21T23:05:00.003-04:00

George Bush vetoed the Farm Bill today ... just like John McCain wanted. Bush -- McCain ... always the same. Meanwhile, we've been getting some comments that skipped our usual blog system, so this is to share one whose perspective by "MRA Reader, Nelson" seems particularly relevant since it makes clear the difficulties of trying to talk budget sense with the White House.

"President Bush's threat to veto the Farm Bill because it is too expensive is ironic.

"Why ironic ? Well, not just because the President's motives are really political. After seven-and-one-half years, no one is going to buy the argument that this President is concerned about the cost of anything that he sticks the taxpayers with. Compare, for example, the cost of this Farm Bill to the price that Americans are paying for the Iraq War.

"Rather it is ironic because the threat of a veto actually raised the price tag that the Farm Bill must carry.

"Quite a few months ago a Congressional majority (mostly democrats, but plenty of Republicans, also) more or less had the outline of a Farm Bill that they believed the country needed. But, plenty of Republicans (and more than a few Democrats) were denied goodies for their constituents. So, these "exclude-niks" sent their constituents' lobbyists to the White House to ask the President to please, please, pretty-please threaten a veto. The effect that a veto threat would have would be to force the Bill's managers to go back to the excluded Members and
agree to add costly goodies, thus "buying" those Members' votes.

"How many votes did they have to buy ? Why, the difference between a ordinary majority (50% plus 1 vote) and a super majority (two- thirds). That's a lot of votes -- and a lot of dollars. But, what's a few billion more or less to this President.

"So, after successfully jacking up the cost of the Farm Bill by a bag full o'billions (by issuing the threat during the negotiations), why did this President actually go ahead and veto the porker of a Farm Bill that he prodded Congress into creating when he knew that they would override the veto in a heart beat?

"Who knows ? Maybe the boy just wanted to have some fun!"

Nelson

The Need for a New GI BIll

2008-05-20T13:02:00.004-04:00

Although most of the talk this week is about the Farm Bill, there is news on other subjects, too. In this case, we think its pretty cool that the people of Virginia did our country a great favor when they elected Jim Webb (D-VA) to the U. S. Senate two years ago. Webb, a former Secretary of the Navy under President Reagan, is the junior Senator from Virginia and his bill -- the 21st Century GI Bill, is one to be treasured. An easy way to find it is to click on Webb's Senate web page.

See below for what various news sources are saying about it.

"Michael's Mind" -- The Need for a New GI Bill, Houston Chronicle -- Texas
Georgia Democrat's criticize McCain on GI Bill, -- Georgia
GI Bill Is Long Overdue for Expansion, The News Tribune -- Washington (state)
CBS' Smith: Senator Jim Webb "the least political person I know", Newsbusters

An excerpt from Webb's new book also appeared in Sunday's PARADE magazine. We found it worth reading and we hope you do, too.

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_05-18-2008/1What_It_Takes_To_Be_a_Leader?prnt=1

Webb and co-sponsor Senator Chuck Hagel's (R-NE) 21st Century GI Bill offers our sons and daughters who are soldiers in the ongoing Afghan War and Iraq occupation the same kind of educational benefits that our WWII and Korean War veterans got. Once again, it's another thing that Senator McCain and President Bush oppose.

McCain does have an alternative bill which -- no surprise here -- is supported by President Bush. Essentially, the difference is that the McCain/Bush bill sweetens the pot for keeping our GI's in the military but opposes benefits that might make it easier for our soldiers once they exit the military.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and our soldiers have now fought in ongoing wars for longer than WW II. If you think our soldiers should get the same kind of benefits as they leave the military that our previous veterans did, we would suggest you let your representatives know.

Find your Representative.
Find your Senators.
Contact the White House.

Poll: Rural Voters Not Reliably Republican in 2008

2008-05-18T23:09:00.003-04:00

The Center for Rural Strategies, a Kentucky-based rural think tank lead by Dee Davis, has partnered with Greenberg-Quinlan Research and Greener-Hook Research to poll rural voters on how the presidential candidates are doing. The result showed Clinton and McCain tied, with each getting 46% in the poll. Obama did less well, running nine points behind McCain.

However, Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, says "This poll is more good news than bad news for Obama, because he's only losing rural voters by nine points. ... He's pretty well-positioned to do very well in these swing states."

NPR reports that the survey took place the week of May 13-15 with 682 phone call to citizens in non-metropolitan counties in 13 "battleground" states (New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Florida, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada).

54% of those surveyed agreed with the statement: John McCain has served his country honorably but he does not seem to understand my economic problems.

Farm Bill Passes Senate -- Again with Veto Proof Margin

2008-05-18T23:01:00.004-04:00

The Senate has passed the conference report, 81-15 -- a margin comfortably above the two-thirds majority needed for an override. The bill is expected to go to the White House next Tuesday.

Senate Ag Chair Tom Harkin said his priorities for the bill were not just his but also national priorities,

"including ensuring strong farm income protection, investing in nutrition, ramping up renewable energy production, supporting conservation, and promoting rural economic development."

More detail on these priorities is available here .

Whew!! 318 Votes for the Farm Bill

2008-05-14T23:17:00.005-04:00

Tonight the Farm Bill passed with 318 votes and strong support from both sides of the aisle. 318 votes is a veto-proof margin. Tom Buis, President of the National Farmers Union, said more than 500 organizations advocated for the Bill.

Recognizing that the Bill isn't a perfect one, Buis admitted that this has been the most difficult time in which to write such legislation, saying, "The budget rules reflect higher commodity prices, which gives you less money to write a farm bill with, and number two, the federal government is in a sea of red ink."

Buis also told the the Public News Service that the bill "benefits rural communities, urban communities and everyone in between, with record increases in nutrition, conservation, specialty crop, rural development and renewable energy programs." The bill goes to the Senate next where Senator Tom Harkin chairs the Ag Committee.

Supporters of the Bill include: ACORN, Agricultural Retailers Association, Agri-Mark, Inc., Alaska Marine Conservation Council, Alliance for Children and Families, Alliance for Rail Competition, America's Second Harvest, American Agriculture Movement, American Agriculture Movement of Arkansas, American Association of Crop Insurers, American Beekeeping Federation, American Commodity Distribution Association, American Corn Growers Association, American Sheep Industry Association, American society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, American Soybean Association, Annunciation Church Food Pantry (NY), Arizona Community Action Association, Association of Arizona Food Banks, Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, Blue Mountain Action Council (WA), Bradley Food Pantry (NJ), Bread of Life Ministries of AR, Inc. (AR), California Association of Food Banks, California Food Policy Advocates, Campaign for Contract Agriculture Reform, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Stockton (CA), Center for Civil Justice (MI), Center for Public Policy Priorities (TX), Central Utah Food Sharing, Channels Food Rescue (PA), Children's Alliance (WA), Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (MA), Collaborative Center for Justice (CT), Colorado Anti-Hunger, NetworkColorado, Anti-Hunger Network Community Action Partnership (DC), Community Action Services and Food Bank (UT), Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Community Services of Moses Lake, Inc. (WA), Comstock Community Center (MI) ,Congressional Hunger Center, Connecticut Association for Human Services, Connecticut Food Bank, Connecticut Food Policy Council, Conquer Hunger And Needy Together (CHANT), (NJ) Corporation for Enterprise Development, Covenant Soup Kitchen (CT) ,CT AIDS Resource Coalition (CT), CT Association for Community Action (CT) , Daily Bread Soup Kitchen (NY), Dairylea Cooperative Inc., Dare To Care Food Bank (KY), Denver Urban Ministries, Desert Cities Hunger Action (CA), East Side Soup Kitchen (MI), Emergency Food Bank Stockton/San Joaquin (CA), Emergency Food Network of Tacoma/Pierce County (WA), End Hunger Connecticut! EOC Direct Services (CA), FACES NY Inc. (NY), Families USA, Family Promise of Monmouth County (NJ), FareStart (WA), Farm Credit Council, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, FB of Northeast Louisiana, Feed My People (MO), Ferris Counseling Services (MO), First Presbyterian Church (LA), Florida Impact, Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo Co. (CA), Food Bank Council of Michigan, Food Bank For New York City, Food Bank of Alaska, Food Bank of Central New York, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Food Bank of North Alabama, Food Bank of Northeast LA/Americas Second Harvest Food Bank of San Luis Obispo County (CA), Food Lifeline (WA), Food Research and Action Center FoodChange (NY), Forgotten Harvest (MI), Fremont Public Association (WA), Georgia Rural Urban Summit Gleaners, Community Food Bank of SE Michigan, Good Samaritan (MI), Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Harvest Hope Food Bank (SC), Hope-Net (CA), Houston Food Bank, HRC Food Bank, Serving Calaveras County (CA), Hunger Solutions, Minnesota Hunger Task Force (WI), Illinois Hunger Coalition, Imperial Valley Food Bank (CA), Independent Community Bankers of America, Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas, Interfaith Council of Amador (CA), Iowa Farmers Union Iris House, Inc. (NY), James Weldon Johnson Head Start (NY), Jewish Community Council of Washington Heights (NY), Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Jewish Family & Children's Service (MO), Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes (MI), Kansas Farmers Union, Kenai Peninsula Food Bank (AK), Kingsley House (LA), KY Task Force on Hunger, Let Justice Roll (IL), Lifelong AIDS Alliance (WA), Local Food Dude (CT), LUNCH Program (LA), Lutheran Office of Public DE, Advisory Committee (DE), MACC Charities (CT), MANNA (TN), MANNA FoodBank (NC), Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers, MAZON--A Jewish Response to Hunger (CA), McClendon Center (DC), Mel Trotter Ministries (MI), Mercer Street Friends Food Bank (NJ), Michigan Farmers Union, Midwest Dairy Coalition, Migrant Legal Action Program (DC), Minnesota Farmers, Union Minnesota, FoodShare, Mississippi Contract Growers Association, Missouri Association for Social Welfare, Montana Farmers Union, MSUE Oakland County (MI), National Association of Counties, National Association of Farmer Elected Committees, National Association of Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, National Association of Social Workers (CT), National Barley Growers, Association National Biodiesel Board, National Bison Association, National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NY), National Center on Poverty Law (IL), National Council of Jewish Women, National Farmers Organization, National Farmers Union, National Milk Producers Federation, National Priorities Project, National Sunflower Association, Nebraska Farmers Union, New Mexico Voices for Children, North Dakota Farmers Union, Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives, Northeast States Association for Agricultural Stewardship, Northwest Harvest (WA), Northwest Settlement House (DC), NYC Coalition Against Hunger, Oceano Community Center (CA), Office of Kentucky Legal Services Programs (KY), Operational Emergency Center (WA), Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force, Partners in Ending Hunger (ME), Pennsylvania Association of Regional Food Banks, Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Pennsylvania Farmers, Union Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center, Protecting Arizonas Family Coalition (AZ), R-CALF, USA Redwood Empire Food Bank (CA), Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, Ricebelt Warehouses River Bend Food Bank (IL), Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Room at the Inn (MO), Rural Coalition/Coalicion Rural Rural Community Insurance Services, San Luis Obispo County YMCA (CA), San Luis Obispo Food Bank Coalition (CA), School Nutrition Association, Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and NE Pennsylvania, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties, Seward Senior Center (AK), Share Our Strength (DC), Shriver Center on Poverty Law (IL), Slow Food Utah Solid Ground (WA), South Dakota Farmers Union, South East Dairy Farmers, Association Southern Peanut Farmers, Federation Soybean Producers of America, St. Albans Cooperative Creamery Inc., St. Mary's Food Bank (AZ), St. Vincent de Paul Society (NJ), Statewide Emergency Food and Anti-Hunger Network (NJ), TEFAP Alliance (TX), The Center in Asbury Park (NJ), The New Mexico Center on Law & Poverty, The Salvation Army, Thompson Ecumenical Empowerment Group (CT), Thurston County Food Bank (WA), Tobacco Valley Food Pantry (MT), Transitional Food and Shelter, Inc. (CA), Transitions Mental Health Association (CA) ,U.S. Canola Association, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association Union for Reform, Judaism Union for Reform Judaism (DC), United Dairymen of Arizona, United Egg Producers, United Way of New York City: Emergency Food & Shelter Program, University District Food Bank (WA), Upstate-Niagara Cooperative, USA Dry Pea and Lentil Counsel, Utah Community Action Partnership Association, Utahans Against Hunger, Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, Village Community Resource Center (CA), Virginia Poverty Law Center, Voices for America's Children, Walsh & Weathers Research and Policy Studies (UT) , Washington Farmers, Union West Side Campaign Against Hunger, NYC, WIC at West Central Community Center Spokane (WA), Wisconsin Farmers Union, Women Involved in Farm Economics, Worldwide Missionary Movement Inc. , Food Pantry Program (NY), Xaverian Brothers USA.

Gas Prices too high? My Rural America Speaks for You

2008-05-12T09:57:00.007-04:00

On May 8th, Senators Carl Levin, Jack Reed and Amy Klobuchar invited citizens to come to the U.S. Capitol to tell their experiences with how skyrocketing energy prices are affecting everyday life. The Senators, with Levin in the lead, got it right when they talked about their bill, the "Consumer-First Energy Act" which is designed to limit excessive speculation and impose a windfall profits tax on Big Oil, with Reed emphasizing the need, " ... experts suggest that up to 25 percent of the premium of petroleum products is a result of speculation."

Klobuchar further emphasized,

"With oil soaring over $120 a barrel and oil companies making record profits by drilling into middle-class pocketbooks, it's time American families had someone looking out for them. This legislation would provide families the short-term relief they need, and help America achieve energy security by investing in the farmers and workers in America instead of the oil cartels of the Mideast."

At My Rural America, we were glad to take advantage of the Senate invitation to speak for rural voters. Barbara Leach, My Rural America's president, emphasized that, "This season family farmers are enduring an almost 100 percent increase in farm inputs -- gasoline, fertilizer, diesel fuel -- costs that already are being reflected at the kitchen tables of Americans everywhere. Rural families in general are having a tough time too because they drive 15% longer distances to get to their jobs, get the kids to school, and even to get their families to church on Sunday morning."

Jim Hoffa, General President of the Teamsters Union, spoke up for both companies and truck drivers, too. His concern: "More than 600,000 Teamsters earn their living driving vehicles that run on petroleum-based fuel. These exorbitant prices are hurting their employers, whether they are freight or parcel delivery companies, airlines, police departments, grocery chains or school bus companies companies."

Josephine Powe of Maryland spoke for the Alliance for Retired Americans, saying, "An extra dollar or two per gallon may not seem like a lot of money to a big oil executive, but to a senior on a fixed income it is everything. When our costs go up and our incomes does not, that dollar means you don't know if you're doing to have enough money to buy food after you fill up the tank."

--Picture left to right: (front) Klobuchar and Levin; (rear) Powe and a Colorado truck driver; (not pictured) Reed and Leach.

Pragmatic Politics -- Rural Voters to Play Key Role in November

2008-05-11T23:21:00.005-04:00

The Republicans long ago wrapped up their decision making as to who would be their nominee, so of course, by now we all know that John McCain -- U.S. Senator, war veteran, age 73, from Arizona -- will get the nod.

Now, Democrats are very close to confirming their nominee, too. Today's NY Times which previously endorsed Hillary Clinton, gave front page, above the fold coverage to Barack Obama -- U.S. Senator, raised by a single parent, President of Harvard Law Review, community organizer, age 47, from Illinois -- who has all but wrapped up the nomination. Read the story at The Long Run: Pragmatic Politics, Forged on the South Side.

The New York Times also identified key electoral battleground states as follows:

McCain targets – Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Obama targets – Iowa, Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin and Virginia.
Hispanic voters key to both – Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico
Other states recognized as competitive – Oregon
(and not mentioned by the NY TIMES, but states still possible to be competitive races – Arizona, Missouri and North Carolina)

NOTE HERE -- Rural voters will play a key roll in 12 out of 16 of these states (see underline), all of which have significant rural populations – average 28.7 percent. These states have a total 107 electoral votes in which rural votes can be expected to significantly impact each statewide victory. Readers can expect this blog over the next month to take a serious look at both candidates' records, comparing how McCain and Obama policies would impact rural citizens in their every day life.

Senator Salazar Calls Bush Veto Threat a "Slap in the Face"

2008-05-11T22:04:00.004-04:00

On Friday, May 8th, Senator Ken Salazar called the promise of a Bush veto a "slap in the face", saying,

I am very disappointed in President Bush, who has announced that he will veto the Farm Bill. That decision is a slap in the face to those who care about America’s food security and to America’s farmers and ranchers.

It was Thursday, May 7th, that the Congress' Conference committee agreed on the Farm Bill package. See ConferenceOnePager for more details.

Senate Ag Committee Chair Tom Harkin also gave strong warning, saying "the President's veto would destroy the harvest just as the seeds are being planted. "

The Bill, called The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, does make real progress. Among the many steps forward ... Finally! ... is the requirement for Country of Origin Labeling, consumers will be able to tell where the food they buy was originally grown, and good for kids -- is $1B in funds for fresh fruits and veggies for school lunch. This Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Program" was originated by Senator Harkin, and comes at a time when more financially troubled families are signing up their kids for reduced price lunches, so this is particularly good news.

There is much more, including investments in renewable energy and conservation, international food aid, micro-enterprise loans and emergency disaster loans. The farm program safety net has been extended and modernized, with an updated adjusted gross income means test for commodity programs, too.

Overall, this is a good bill ... about 70% of the funding will go to nutrition, food safety, food security, renewable energy and conservation ... better than we had before!

McCain in Iowa: I'd Veto the Farm Bill

2008-05-05T14:31:00.003-04:00

Could we make this up? I don't think so ... Apparently John McCain is proud of wanting to veto the Farm Bill since he picked Iowa ... a major part of the food basket of our nation ... to make his announcement. To veto the Farm Bill is to veto conservation, nutrition, crop insurance, school lunch, food stamps, food safety -- yes, even all the inspections necessary to make sure our meat packing plants and other food processing systems remain safe and clean so that contaminated food doesn't enter our supply system. It's also to veto research -- research about new kinds of biofuels and how to make our country energy independent.

Read the story by Thomas Beaumont, Des Moines Register staff writer here.

Food Politics & the Farm Bill

2008-05-04T22:46:00.005-04:00

I wish ... you wish ... we could say the Farm Bill had passed, but no. Think two week extension this time. Apparently one of the complications is that last time President Bush signed the Farm Bill, he got criticism from his old conservative buddies who have consistently pushed for smaller government and at the same time have supported the skyrocketing deficits caused by Bush's earlier tax bills.

Meanwhile, escalating food prices are becoming more and more of a worry. Everywhere in the world that is a "hot spot" ... whether Pakistan or Africa, Afghanistan or Iraq, higher food prices result in more unrest. People get desperate when they can't buy food, and that's pretty understandable. Desperation ... hunger ... bad temper ... looking for someone to blame. Too often it is "only" us they blame -- "us" as in the United States of America, and "us" as in U.S. food producers.

There is a tendency for news analysts to hold only farmers responsible -- never mind that for decades the cost of production for almost every grain was lower than market prices. Never mind that if you took out the corn used for ethanol, i.e, a good start on energy independence for our nation, most analysts would agree it would only lower the price of corn about 26 cents. Never mind that all of us -- rural, urban, suburban -- have a responsibility to make sure that our family farms remind stable and that we citizens of a rich nation do need to share in feeding the world.

Clearly, more compromises are coming, but first see below for this weekend's news coverage -- serious perspectives on this growing problem:

Food Politics -- The old ways no longer cut it. Washington Post editorial.
They're Global Citizens. They're Hugely Rich. And They Pull the Strings. By David Rotherkopf, author of Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making.
As Farm Bill Nears Vote, Bush Presses for Fewer Subsides. By Dan Morgan, Special to the Washington Post.
World Hunger Map. United Nations.
Where Every Meal Is a Sacrifice. Washington Post.

How America Looks to the World

2008-05-04T22:35:00.004-04:00

Aaaaghh. Remember all those "ugly American" stories from back in the 1970's and before. Americans were considered rude, insensitive and perhaps, simply oblivious to the local mores and culture of the various counties we had begun to travel in.

Things changed in the late 1980's and continued through the 1990's. Now, it's back to the future ... and it's not a pretty story. In Sunday's Washington Post, Josef Joffe, publisher of a German newspaper, wonders whether the "free and the brave" have lost it. The "free and the brave" is us ... rural, urban, suburban ... all of us together! Of special note is his detail regarding the "fear tax."

That "fear tax" is driving our economy downward. Read about it here.

Facts on Iraq: Five Years after President Bush Declared “Mission Accomplished”

2008-05-01T22:33:00.003-04:00

Special Staff Report from My Rural America, May 1, 2008:

Congressman John P. Murtha (D-PA) honored our men and women soldiers today by offering hard facts on the Iraq War to members of the media and other concerned citizens who gathered at the Center for American Progress, five years after the war in Iraq was declared over by President Bush. Murtha is the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee on Defense, and a veteran of the Vietnam War. The following summaries his comments.

To date, there have been over 4,050 Americans killed in Iraq; over 3,900 since President Bush declared “Mission Accomplished.” The U.S. has sustained more than 30,000 casualties. Because Murtha visits our military hospitals frequently, he has seen first hand the horrific burn injuries, amputations, and blindness to our service men and women. These are injuries they will “have to live with the rest of their lives.”

Murtha is particularly concerned about Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD. Just two weeks ago, a Rand study concluded that nearly 320,000 military personnel who have been deployed to IraqAfghanistan reported probable traumatic brain injury during deployment. Murtha said, “The U.S. Military did not dispute the figure.”

Murtha described an Iraqi government riddled with corruption and incompetence. While the Administration claims “progress is being made,” he said that of the 18 Iraqi provinces, only 8 are under Iraqi control with a combined population of 6.5 million people, less than 25% of the total population of 27.5 million Iraqis. “This is a fact the Administration fails to mention,” Congressman Murtha stated.

Since 2005, the number of allied troops in Iraq has decreased 60% and the U.S. troops have increased to fill the gap. In Basra, 1,300 Iraqi soldiers and policemen deserted or refused to fight against Moktada al-Sadr’s popular and well-armed Mahdi Army. Our goal was to train 350,000 Iraqi security forces. We reached that goal in June of last year, yet today we have more American troops on the ground in Iraq than we did two years ago.

The United Nations Refugee Agency estimates more than 4.7 million Iraqis have left their homes. Of these, 2.7 million have been internally displaced, and more than 2 million have fled for neighboring states. For the past two weeks, the U.S. military has been actively cordoning off sections of Sadr City, home to 2.5 million Iraqis. Residents interviewed said the U.S. barriers were creating city-like prisons.

Unemployment is as high as 50% in certain areas, and electricity production remains widely unreliable. Baghdad receives less than 9 hours of electricity per day, and just seven of the 18 provinces receive more than 12 hours per day.

Oil production remains below pre-war levels, while world crude oil prices have climbed to over $100 per barrel. Congressman Murtha said, “Before the invasion you remember the Administration said that Iraqi oil revenues would pay for reconstruction. American taxpayers have spent approximately $47 billion on Iraqi reconstruction while Iraqi oil revenues are expected to now reach $70 billion in 2008. Because there are no reliable figures, we don’t know how much the Iraqis have spent on reconstruction, but we do know that American taxpayers are picking up most of the tab.”

Murtha continued, “We’re going to change that in this next war supplemental spending bill, if the United States has a $410 billion budget deficit, why should we be paying out of our pocket to rebuild a country with a significant budget surplus?” He described the President’s war as being funded on credit and every day American taxpayers borrow $343 million to pay for the war in Iraq.

Murtha is concerned that the U.S. military is distracted by Iraq, and that the reputation of the United States worldwide is falling dramatically. When questioned by a reporter about what he would put in his appropriations as recommendations, Murtha gave the following list:

(1) Recommend a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq;

(2) No torture – Torture did more to hurt U.S. reputation than anything;

(3) Cost would support fully equipping and fully training U.S. forces.

Murtha hopes to have a supplemental that looks beyond Iraq. “We’ve spent so many resources and so much attention on Iraq that we’ve lost sight of what’s to come down the road. We need a national strategy to identify both near-term and long-term threats to this country. Look what’s happening around us because of Iraq – a faltering economy, skyrocketing energy prices, rising food costs, a significantly weaker dollar, and a considerable rise in influence of both Russia and China.”

“The country needs a national security strategy, one that focuses our attention on the future. This must be our mission, and this is something that our nation’s next President and Congress must accomplish,” said Murtha.

No Yachts in Waseka, MN

2008-05-01T12:20:00.006-04:00

Kevin Kerr writes today in his column From Field to Fork that "The New Reality for Food Costs is Here." We've been sharing the big stories from national newspapers with you, but this article caught our attention in specific because Mr. Kerr deliberately, and accurately, points out that,

"Farmers feel that the average consumer blames them and think the farmer is getting rich off these food costs; when in reality there are no yachts in Waseca, Minn., only farmers trying to grow their crops and take care of their families."

Of course, Kerr is right. The reality is that what farmers do is raise crops and feed their families -- no yachts, no trips to Paris and in fact, all too often a couple days at the State Fair is all the vacation there is.

So once again, there is a conuldrum. Profit margins have narrowed because of rising costs of diesel fuel, higher technology in seeds and more. As Kerr reports, crop input costs are up as much as 100%. The Wall Street Journal reports that "Grain Companies' Profits Soar as Global Food Crisis Mounts."

And the world's poor is becoming more hungry. But let's not blame it on farmers. Instead, let's get into the "WE" mode, i.e., WE ALL need to take responsibility. Certainly for all the reasons that add up to compassion and caring, but also for a few selfish reasons too. For example, take a look at northern Africa ... look at the Middle East, look at where famine, war, and all kinds of "hate the western world" and "hate each other" actions take place. Note that these regions of the world pretty much are the same places -- different lists, but the same locations for the difficulties. In short, the bottom line -- where people lose hope, see their children hungry, see their friends' and their own hopes disappear, it doesn't matter how sensible the risks are -- to start a war, to hate the U.S. and/or the whole Western World -- even when the risks are 99% likely to fail. If you're really, really hungry, you'll try just about anything.

As far as solutions, perhaps the best one would be for everyone -- rural and urban together -- to start sharing more resources rather than to be so quick with the guns in foreign, hungry lands.

Once Again, Bush Slows Farm Bill Progress

2008-04-30T10:46:00.003-04:00

Does President Bush want a Farm Bill? We wish we knew.

What we do know is that "compromise" is an important skill, and we applaud Senate AG Chair Tom Harkin, House Ag Chair Collin Peterson and the conference committee members as a whole for their hard work in finding the compromises that allowed last night's committee session to come to agreement. Meanwhile, President Bush is once again dragging his feet, with both his senior appointees -- USDA Secretary Schafer and Deputy Secretary Conner having admitted to Peterson that they have no authority to negotiate alterations to administration demands.

And the Bush demands seem to be centered on contrariness -- his way or the highway -- with his "required" changes designed specifically to hold up what has already been a hard process.

Next step is for Senate Ranking Member Saxby Chamblis to go to the White House with a message centering on, "We've got a Farm Bill you can sign."

When Chambliss comes back, we'll learned whether Bush understands that this is a democracy -- not a dictatorship, and even the President must take a turn at compromise.

Farm Bill Agreement Today? -- Tuesday, 2:30 PM EST

2008-04-29T11:20:00.002-04:00

Senate Ag Committee Chairman Tom Harkin has called together the conference committee for a 2:30 PM EST meeting today. His goal -- to smooth our final details on the Farm Bill so that the Bill can be voted on by House and Senate, and forwarded to the President for signature. It's been a long path, but compromise includes additional funding for nutrition, energy and conservation, as well as some cuts to farm subsidies and a reduction in the size of the new disaster relief fund. Overall, this is good news.

Still worrisome is what the President will do. He, of course, is trying to be relevant and may be sticking to his long time commitment to reduce all kinds of government funding for rural programs. You will remember that Agriculture and Transportation are the two most important programs for both rural communities and small business, but beginning when the President first came to office, it has been Agriculture and Transportation that have always received the biggest cuts in Bush Budgets.

In his Rose Garden press conference this AM, the President warned Congress that he wants more changes, and yesterday, Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte made similar noises. In a related statement, last Thursday Chairman Collin Peterson said that if the president vetoes the bill, he should be ready to implement permanent farm law.

We need to remember that strong Farm Bill legislation is key to rural America's economic well-being. One consistent question asked by some national reporters, is "why subsidies" and/or "why" other rural community and farm protections at a time when prices are strong. The answer to that question lies in the hard truth that prices go up and prices go down. If the protections aren't already in place when the prices go down, it will be too late to put then back retroactively.

"The Wage That Meant Middle Class"

2008-04-21T23:08:00.006-04:00

We reported on this story earlier this week, but it's so important that we've chosen to give it extra emphasis here. Recently, we wrote about our economy (our very fragile economy) and how a few weeks ago, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats responded by passing the Economic Stimulus Package which will result in a tax rebate for ailing middle class voters ($1200 per joint filing, $600 per single).

"The Wage That Meant Middle Class" was $20 an hour, introduced on a large scale in the middle of the last century. As reported by author Louis Uchitelle,

"The Trend in the Hourly work force is striking. Take only the peak years in each business cycle, starting in 1979. The proportion earning at last $20 an hour declined from 23 percent that year, to 20 percent in 1980, to 18 percent in 1989, and to 16 percent in 2000. Manufacturing was hit the hardest."

Quite simply, the votes of rural citizens will make the difference in the upcoming November 2008 elections. You can find more details of just how endangered our middle class has become by clicking here. Meanwhile, if you're worrying about whether your vote might actually make the difference, there's a great election map site at 270toWin.com/ Click on an individual state and you'll also find how only a percent or two can change results ... and that's why every vote really must be counted this year.

US Energy Secretary Bodman on Biofuels

2008-04-21T21:51:00.005-04:00

The Wall Street Journal has reported in its "Environmental Capital" section that Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman is cautiously balancing his position about biofuels, saying, “the bottom line is this: concerns about the sustainability and environmental impact of biofuels are not misplaced, but they are absolutely not a reason to ignore the tremendous promise of biofuels. They are an argument for developing them in a way that makes sense for our environment, for our food supply, for our agricultural community and for our nation’s economic health.”

Of course, the challenge is how to balance world food needs and world food prices with the huge possibility of the U.S. becoming energy independent. Read the whole story at "Bodman on Biofuels: They’re ‘Critical’ to Energy Security".