I was reading this article Trump winning farm vote despite pinch of trade policies and pandemic and couldn't fail to see the irony. These stalwart conservatives have been raking in record subsidies, directed specifically to Republican areas and yet are worried about a leftward tilt towards socialism.
Daryl Haack, a corn and soybean farmer near Primghar, Iowa, echoed the sentiment. Haack said his personal views on abortion and socialism – not farming – drove him to vote for Trump.
The Trump administration has given out $28 billion in assistance to offset trade losses over the last two years along with another $30 billion in aid for coronavirus. Despite the high totals, farmers say the payments only cover a fraction of their losses.
“I pay taxes, and when the government controls my industry and does things that hurt my industry, I don’t feel bad for taking payments that make up for the hurt," Haack said.
I bet you don't, Daryl. I found several similar articles and sentiments expressed. Socialism ain't evidently quite so bad when it is your ass getting bailed out on the government dime. Read this.
Under the program, farmers and ranchers received $8.5 billion for 2018 losses and $14.3 billion for 2019. No trade-related subsidies have been distributed for 2020 except for the remaining third tranche of the 2019 payments.
But just as some states were hurt more by the trade war than others, not all states benefited equally from the payments. The subsidies heavily targeted the Midwest, reflecting the political influence of rural constituents in these states. Most of the states that came out ahead – such as Iowa and Nebraska – tend to vote Republican and have relatively large agricultural sectors.
As Trump put it during a recent rally in Iowa, “Some of the farmers were making more money the way I was doing it than working their asses off, all right? They were very, very happy.
Our President made a concerted effort to make the midwest farmers whole and take out his wrath on California and the rest of the country. If you read the article you will see that California, his nemesis, was actually made worse off by the program.
I hope that the payback is a bitch, if it ever comes.
2 comments:
I don’t quite understand the great concern with socialism... I remember when the Tea Party demonstrations were occurring and, several times, I saw signs in the crowds that said “Don’t touch my Medicare.” Obviously, they have no clue that Medicare is as socialist as anything is.....as is Social Security, VA Medical care, the armed forces, public schools, public fire and police departments as well as farm subsidies. Get a clue, Folks!
They benefit from socialism every day. It is what keeps grandma's rent down in the mobilehome park, and pays rich farmers not to grow crops. Also allows rich presidents not to pay taxes by paying them not to develop property.
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