Check the Record Here

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:

1. Ethanol and Energy Renewable Research -- McCain opposes; Obama supports.
2. Farm Bill in general -- McCain opposes; Obama supports.
3. 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.

"Sound Ag Policy Vital in This Presidential Race"

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.

What Farm Leaders Are Saying ...

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.

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

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.

LA TMES tells the story -- McCain Gambles on Drilling

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.

1. How much oil is already open to leasing? ANSWER: 79%
2. How much natural gas is open to leasing? ANSWER: 82%
3. 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.

Farm Bill Passes Senate -- Again with Veto Proof Margin

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

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.

Food Politics & the Farm Bill

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.
  

Once Again, Bush Slows Farm Bill Progress

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 Deadline Looms -- Five Days til April 18th

In brief, there is still disagreement between the House and the Senate. Among items still in disagreement are the tax breaks in the Senate bill and the amount over baseline that the five year bill will exceed. More detail to follow as we move into this week.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi named the House conferees on April 9. They are: April 9, 2008 — Reps. Putnam, R-Fla.; McCrery, R-La.; Pomeroy, D-N.D.; Rangel, D-N.Y.; Graves, R-Mo.; Norton, D-D.C.; Oberstar, D-Minn.; Velazquez, D-N.Y.; Shuler, D-N.C.; McCaul, R-Texas; Lampson, D-Texas; Gordon, D-Tenn.; Jordan, R-Ohio; Waxman, D-Calif.; Bordallo, D-Guam; Smith, R-Texas; Scott, D-Va.; Conyers, D-Mich.; Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.; Sherman, D-Calif.; Bachus, R-Ala.; Waters, D-Calif.; Kanjorski, D-Pa.; Platts, R-Pa.; McCarthy, D-N.Y.; Neugebauer, R-Texas; Musgrave, R-Colo.; Hayes, R-N.C.; Moran, R-Kan.; Scott, D-Ga.; Lucas, R-Okla.; Goodlatte, R-Va.; Boswell, D-Iowa; Baca, D-Calif.; Etheridge, D-N.C.; Cardoza, D-Calif.; McIntyre, D-N.C.; Holden, D-Pa.; Towns, D-N.Y.;DeLauro, D-Conn.; Chabot, R-Ohio; Rahall, D-W.Va.; McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.; Berman, D-Calif.; Dingell, D-Mich.; Pallone, D-N.J.; Barton, R-Texas; Miller, D-Calif.; Peterson, D-Minn.

Farm Bill - Crop Insurance Gets Squeezed?

Hmmmnn. The same crop insurance program that a couple of years ago Members of Congress worked diligently to protect sales agents' premiums at farmers' expense is now getting a second look. Back then, it was the Premium Discount Plan that offered lower prices to farmers, while the plan allowed crop insurance providers to compete on the price of FCIC crop insurance products. Then, it was the farmers that lost that policy discussion.

Now -- with the squeeze on where the money will come from to pass the Farm Bill, Phil Brasher reports in the Des Moines Register that consideration is being given to cutting sales' agent commissions. Read "Farm Bill Plan: Cut Crop Insurance Commissions." Representative Collin Peterson is proposing the cuts. Peterson has often been a critic of crop insurance in the past. Meanwhile, Senator Harkin, who has been an ardent protector of the crop insurance program in the past, is getting optimistic about passage of the Farm Bill before it expires on April 18.

Middle Class Economic Squeeze ... Hurting Rural America Now

Sometimes we're all so busy trying to avoid the economic squeeze that is happening now, that we miss taking time to be thoughtful. In 2006, Senator Byron L. Dorgan wrote a book called "Take This Job and Shove It ... How Corporate Greed and Brain-Dead Politics Are Selling Out America." Two of its key points are:

• "As big companies move their jobs to China, sell their products in America, and run their profits through the Cayman Islands to avoid taxes, they undermine American workers and threaten our future."
• "Trade can't be "free" when our small businesses and working people are expected to compete with exploited workers and slave labor in third-world nations that care little about the conditions in their factories and not at all about the pollution they generate."

We urge you to read the book, and also to recognize that the "Middle Class Squeeze" is happening now. It is jobs disappearing because of bad policy decisions and it is budget decisions that compound the situation. My Rural America's immediate goal is to watch and separate out which Members of Congress care (and act) from those who may give lip service but do not actually walk the talk. Right now, this means watching Congress deal with the Farm Bill and also a series of Budget issues, e.g.,

• President Bush's budget TERMINATES! 19 Rural Development programs including grants:
• For energy projects in areas with extraordinarily high heating costs
• For expanding broadband access to rural America
• For the Delta Regional Authority, and to Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities
• Housing programs, including construction, purchase and rehabilitation of single family homes and also rental assistance

• At USDA, the Bush Budget also makes severe cuts or terminations in renewable energy, conservation, water and sewer grants and disaster assistance.

There is more bad news in the Bush Budget ... to be continued. Tomorrow -- Budget info about health care.

Farm Bill -- Yes Delayed ... Again! and Still!

Not that anyone totally knows for sure, but it could be that we're looking at a one to two month extension of the current Farm Bill -- coming soon?

According to Jerry Hagstrom reporting for DTN, House Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson has blamed some Senators who want to turn the Farm Bill into a tax bill.

"Credit" for the delay in passage of the Farm Bill can also be blamed on other factors, including USDA, which even with the confirmation of the new Secretary, isn't exactly cooperating and on Western and Southern Plains Senators who are committed to creating a new permanent disaster program. Of course, this "blame" list leaves out the environmentalists who had hoped to turn the Farm Bill into a healthy food/health land bill, the corporate interests who specifically oppose change in farm programs and the President who again and again has promised to veto the Farm Bill if the costs threaten his tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans -- Bush Threatens Farm Bill Veto: Opposes Public Nutrition, BioFuel and Land Stewardship Programs.

Meanwhile, rural communities and their farming constituencies are paying the price. Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin's longstanding commitment to stronger funding for rural development programs, conservation and programs strengthening school lunch are also at stake. See House Farm Bill, Senate Farm Bill and USDA Farm Bill for detail on the differences.

Ohio Needs More Information

Kevin Merida writes "In Rural Ohio, It's No Country for Democrats". It's yesterday's story in the Washington Post but it's also a 2000, 2002 and 2004 story because of the continuing theme that all too often rural voters vote against their own needs and values simply because they lack information.

In the Post's story, elected county engineer for Darke County (Greenfield, OH) James Surber asks, "I have always said that the three most baffling questions you could ponder forever are: What's the meaning and purpose of life? Why is Bruce Willis a star? And why do farmers vote Republican?"

At My Rural America, we have to admit that Surber's Bruce Willis question is completely above our pay grade, but as to why farmers voter Republican, we are still pondering. Overall, the simple answer to his question is that the news isn't getting to farmers.

For example, a test of rural policy issues recently debated shows:

• 2008 -- President Bush is still wielding his "veto" club over the Farm Bill.
• 2007 -- Despite the fact that a few Republicans joined the new Democratic Majority to pass disaster assistance for drought stricken farmers, and despite the fact that the President signed the bill into law, some farmers who were stricken by drought in 2005 still are not paid. Why? It's USDA's job, but it's the President who ultimately is responsible to be sure USDA carries out the law.
• 2007 -- Health Insurance for Children. Sure ... the Senate voted overwhelmingly to support SCHIP but rural Republicans in the House are still dragging their feet about over-riding President Bush's veto. Meanwhile, it is rural children who are most likely to benefit from the bill's passage.
• 2006 -- The Republican Majority in the House voted overwhelmingly to cut back veterans' benefits.
  
• 2006 -- Two Republican Members joined House Dems on the Appropriations Committee to save the American food aid requirement for international food aid to Sudan. It stopped the President's Budget request to allow purchase of the food from other places. Where would the President have purchased the food ... maybe from France? or maybe from the Middle East?
• 2003 -06 -- Republican Majority, following the President's Budget Request, overwhelmingly vote to cut back veterans' benefits in a time for war.
  

There is more but even at this quick glance, it's clear that Ohio farmers need more information, so here's our request:

Dear Reader: Please forward this story to a friend in Ohio. The election is coming and Ohio's rural voters need to get started preparing themselves for the general election.

Farm Bill ... the View from Chuck Hassebrook, Center for Rural Affairs

The last time we wrote about the status of the Farm Bill, we asked "Where oh Where?" was it? The answer to that question is "stuck in the mud" ... White House "mud" to be more specific.

Now, Chuck Hassebrook, Ex. Director for the Center for Rural Affairs, is predicting a new opportunity to get the Farm Bill passed. "Sen. Tom Harkin has the opportunity to deliver the kind of Farm Bill he has always supported - one that strengthens, rather than undermines, family farms and rural communities," writes Hassebrook for the Des Moines Register.

Calling for a new alliance that would prioritize the rural economy in general, small businesses and small towns, Hassebrook continues,

"(Senator) Grassley has led the fight for payment limitations and Harkin has used his position as Senate Agriculture Committee chair to pursue reform. But both have been blocked. The (Bush) administration says the farm bill must do more to deny payments to certain high-income landowners. However, its proposals are far less effective than the payment-limitations reforms pursued by Grassley and Harkin."

Let us know what you think.

Children in Poverty -- More Every Day

At My Rural America, we value

• Family – Children, good neighbors, friends helping friends, working together to solve problems … teamwork.

In recent months, we have strongly supported children's health care ... or SCHIP as passed by Congress and consistently vetoed by the President. It's a veto supported by most conservatives in Congress, and it's a veto we don't understand since Democrats and also key Republicans like Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa have actively worked as a team to support it.

Meanwhile, our nation's children have been slipping deeper into poverty. "Poverty Mars Formation of Infant Brains," screamed a recent headline in the Financial Times.

If you care about children, this news story is must reading since in plain language it explains the results of a recent study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, e.g.,

• Martha Farah, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s centre for cognitive neuroscience, said: “The biggest effects are on language and memory. The finding about memory impairment – the ability to encounter a pattern and remember it – really surprised us."
• Jack Shonkoff, director of Harvard University’s centre on the developing child, said policymakers had to take note of the research because “the foundation of all social problems later in life takes place in the early years ... The earlier you intervene [to counteract the impact of poverty], the better the outcome in the end, because the brain loses its plasticity [adaptability] as the child becomes older.”
  

New York Times op-ed writer Paul Krugman put it another way on Monday, saying "Poverty is Poison." Krugman reminds us that statistics prove that Lyndon Johnson's "war on poverty" reduced the poverty rate from 23% in 1963 to 14% in 1968. In 2006, this rate has increased to the point that 17.4% of America's children are living in poverty.

Krugman continues, " ... American children born to parents in the bottom fourth of the income distribution have almost a 50 percent chance of staying there -- and almost a two-thirds chance of remaining stuck if they're black."

Well, poverty strikes a lot of ways -- hunger, neglect, embarrassment, shame, the feeling of being an outcast ... of knowing that there is no hope, that you're just stuck and miserable and angry. This is a tough list, so for today, let's just start with one goal -- food for the kids. They can't learn if their stomachs are empty.

The Farm Bill awaits President Bush' s signature. By not signing it, he endangers free and reduced school lunches for poverty stricken children. Our recommendation: Call the White House today and tell him your patience has run out ... he must sign the Farm Bill immediately. Here are the numbers:

Phone Numbers Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461

TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 Visitors Office: 202-456-2121

Where oh Where Has Our Farm Bill Gone?

We've been wondering why and where did our Farm Bill disappear? First, the outgoing Secretary of Agriculture did more than a dozen hearings on what should go into the Farm Bill and then the Congress worked ... and worked ... and worked to answer farmers' and their rural communities' needs. The House supported a bill that gave high priority to farm program, and the Senate gave additional priority to rural development. And then the great disappearance happened.

Today, National Farmers Union President Tom Buis made comments regarding the problem, saying, "The problem from the beginning has been the White House's reluctance to provide adequate funding to address the challenges in rural America, including vital nutrition, conservation, renewable energy and other farm bill programs." See more story at Cattle Network.

Also among those problems is how to deal with disaster payments. Traditionally, providing disaster assistance used to be a bi-partisan deal. No matter which side of the aisle, farm state representatives knew their state would have a weather-related disaster sooner or later, so everyone pitched in.

But in 2005, things changed. At President Bush's request, the disaster assistance bill for farmers stricken by drought was locked up in committee ... no votes allowed ... by then Chairman Bob Goodlatte (VA), and there it remained until 2007 when Democrats took over the Majority. The result -- long story short, was that the bill passed almost immediately and on May 25, 2007, President Bush finally signed it into law.

Now ... the new problem is that USDA can't (won't?) write the checks so here we are -- Feb. 13, 2008, and farmers who were stricken with disaster in 2005 (three years ago) still do not have the assistance.

This kind of wait is unacceptable. It puts more pressure on Congress to create a new permanent disaster assistance program ... and now that this program is in the Farm Bill, both USDA and President Bush are once again dragging their feet, failing to meet rural communities' needs.

Congress Getting Along? YES!!

Well, this is pretty cool. We first wrote about how Speaker Nancy Pelosi went to the White House to negotiate with the President over the need for economic stimulus in January. She came out with agreement for a solid package that met the three most basic goals for a stimulus -- timely, targeted and temporary. The bill passed the House and went to the Senate where it got dolled up with a couple of very necessary extras that will assist 20 million seniors and 250,000 disabled veterans. That was good news, but still we worried ... since the bill was a slightly stronger bill than the President had agreed to, would House Republicans balk?

The answer to that question was no. Rather, Minority Leader John Boehner and Speaker Pelosi worked together to pass the bill in the House, with the expected result that the President will sign it very soon. We call that a BIG WIN for the economy and for our nation. For more detail on the final package, see the New York Times story -- Congress Votes for a Stimulus of $168 Billion.

There's more good news, too. Today's Politico has an on-line story "First Date: Well Played" that's a quick, fun read with a serious message. Pelosi and Boehner are still talking, and that's a good start.

Let's hope that these conversations include talk about the Farm Bill. After all, the Farm Bill is crucial to the economy of rural America.

Open Letter to Senator Jon Tester on the Bush Budget

Dear Senator Tester,

My Rural America just loves you. Why? ... Because you're right about the Bush Budget being just plain cruel to rural America. You said just, " ... another nail in the coffin of rural America, so to speak."

Over the next days/weeks we'll be doing a continuing feature about our country's endangered Middle Class. Whether the subject -- i.e., the "nail" -- is "Economic Stimulus" package, Farm Bill or how the Bush Budget cuts "Essential Air", broadband, AMTRAK, the "Wild Land Fire Program" and/or a lot of other things too, it would be a real slap in the face to rural Americans if we were to end up stuck with the President and his allies' Budget.

To get us started, we're sharing the Great Falls Tribune's story, "Tester: Bush Budget Fails Rural America."

Thanks again for working hard to protect us all.

Your fans at My Rural America

NPR Notices -- More on how George Apparently Doesn't Eat

Everyone's catching on: The President continues his silence. Determined to be relevant, he's willing to veto almost anything but funds for the continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

NPR described the Mr. Bush's continuing silence -- first in the State of the Union, and continuing five days later, like this: "Let's see ... economy .. check. The success of the surge ... check. Renewing No Child Left Behind ... check. Nasty Iranian rulers ... check. Shot at Bill Clinton's remark about his willingness to pay more taxes ... check."

Never mind that the ability to produce our own food and feed our own people has long been a great strength of our country. Never mind that we can't support or "grow" a strong middle class if our people are hungry. Never mind that for decades U.S. farm policy has long nurtured both food producers and people who need to eat. NPR called its story, "Farmers Angry Bush Left Farmers out of Speech," but we all need to be angry -- farmers and consumers alike because when the President and his lock-step followers in the Congress stop the Farm Bill, they neglect School Lunch, Food Stamps, Food Safety, Food Security and much more, including the farm programs that act as insurance for our food producers so they can stay in business.

So we urge you: Write or call the President today. Let him know that he and his supporters made a big mistake, and it's past time to become cooperative so that we can get the Farm Bill passed and after that, get back to making the decisions necessary to get our economy working again. Click here to find out how: The White House.