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.

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.

Reflections -- Filling the News Gap in Rural America

As we at My Rural America began this website, we had only one goal.

• To fill the news gap existing in rural America. This gap is well documented by the Kellogg Foundation, the Pew Institute and our own studies, too. Rural citizens do not have easy access to the information we need to educate ourselves about whether rural America's "bread & butter" issues are supported ... or not! ... by our national elected representatives who vote about our rural "kitchen table" almost every day in Washington.
  

Research shows that often the only information easily available in rural communities is what elected officials say about their own votes, as sometimes heard on the radio and other times reprinted from the representatives' own press releases.

Thus, our original goal -- to become an independent verifier, showcasing additional detail about legislative actions and votes, adds light to key votes that really matter. For example, a continuing story developed by My Rural America is about the difficulty of getting disaster assistance to farmers for drought.

• In short, our coverage shows both neglect to the issue and that the need is ongoing:
  
• 2006: the Republican Minority had locked up the bill for two years -- an unprecedented action since disaster assistance usually gets bipartisan support;
  
• 2006: Rep. John Barrow (GA) tried to fix the problem with a discharge petition that would have forced a floor vote. Dems gave him 195 signature and Repubs offered
  
• However, 218 signatures were necessary. Farmers remained without assistance; (4) 2007: Dems passed funding for disaster assistance early in the year;
  
• 2007: See story: The Perfect Drought on this blog 10/27-07 -- Georgia Republicans catch on ... drought in Georgia matters.
• 2008: Visit US Drought Monitor to see about whether your state will be in need next.
  

Unfortunately, there are all too many stories like this. Local newspapers don't have the resources to tell you who votes ... and who does not vote ... in support of rural America. Re -- drought: If you were represented by conservative Representatives Frank Lucas in Oklahoma, Barbara Cubin in Wyoming, Henry Bonilla in Texas, Jerry Moran in Kansas, you should know that they betrayed you on drought ... no effort but lots of town meetings and press conferences. They simply did not act. Bonilla is gone now and Cubin soon will be, but Moran and Lucas are running again.

Over time, with the presidential caucus and primary season upon us, we expect to add continuing news about the presidential candidates' positions and commitments to rural America. To do so, oOur first big challenge is to find information ... easy with the Democrats who have both campaigned with platforms for strengthening rural America, but difficult to do for Republicans who have not addressed rural America in their platforms so far.

Although subject to change as new information becomes available, we've made the decision to base our comparisons for Republicans on President Bush's record combined with the Republican Minority who endorse his proposals to Congress vs. the record of all three Democratic sources, i.e., the Democratic Congress's actions and the plans of both Democratic candidates -- Senators Clinton and Obama.

New Secretary of Agriculture -- Official Soon

On Thursday, the Senate Agriculture held a hearing on President Bush's appointment of former North Dakota Gov. Edward T. Schafer for Agriculture Secretary. It can be expected that Mr. Schafer will be confirmed soon but meanwhile, we thought you might get a kick out of Senator Saxby Chamblis' comments, “Ya’ll don’t grow many of these in North Dakota,” said the ranking Republican on the Committee with a laugh as he pulled out a small bag of peanuts.

“And I hope you don’t start growing any of these in North Dakota,” Chamblis continued, his voice trailing off with a long list of crops the state already produces. As the Jamestown Sun reported the story, Mr. Chamblis was more than just a little "sarcastic" but you can judge for yourself at Humor Part of the Process.

Senate Ag Chair Tom Harkin officiated over the hearing, but Rep. Earl Pomeroy had the last laugh when he tried to emphasized Shafer's understanding of disaster assistance. "We call him the disaster governor," he said, "Not because he was a disaster, but because during those eight years, North Dakota seemed to have nothing but."

At My Rural America, we hope that disaster won't follow Mr. Schafer to Washington.