Senate Bill: Let's Really Eliminate Farm Subsidies Act (Final Vote)

[TNF]

I am also in favor of ending the subsidization of Big Ag.

[TNF]

I concur with Senator Sbane.

[TNF]

Nay.

[TNF]

Subsidies can be targeted at small farms looking to expand their business and invest in their communities.  Rural businesses and communities have taken a significant hit from the Great Recession, and the vast urbanization of the country certainly hasn't helped.  If we're going to eliminate these subsidies entirely, the Senate should pass a bill that will boost the economies of rural areas and aid farmers in doing so.

Or just pass another stimulus bill. The economy is still not in the best shape, why should we only pump up rural areas? Give everyone another round of stimulus and we'd be a lot better off.

[TNF]

What I don't get here is why we should subsidize agriculture. If we're going to be throwing money at it, what justification is there for PRIVATE agribusinesses to exist at all? Individual, small farms are romantic and get everyone's panties nice and damp but they're horrendously inefficient. There's a reason why massive agribusiness conglomerates like Monsanto et al. do well, and it has less to do with government cash flow than it does the superiority of large scale farming over small scale farming.

If we are going to be throwing money at it, we might as well own it and operate it. Nationalize the whole damn agribusiness sector, I say, and get it over with.

[TNF]

Why is everyone so willing to help out farmers but then get all pissed off when a single mother who works 40 hours a week at $8/hour gets food stamps?

ya got me comrade

[TNF]

Several months ago, the NE government passed a law that grants subsidies to farms if they meet two requirements: one, they have to be small, and two, the farmers have to develop a business plan or design a more efficient farming system in order to qualify for the grants.  If we're not going to pass a farm subsidy program similar to that, then we should find other ways to help small farms and their communities, rather than sweep their problems under the rug.

Atlasia has already taken a hit in its manufacturing sector over the past decade.  Let's not let the same thing happen to its agriculture sector.

Why is everyone so willing to help out farmers but then get all pissed off when a single mother who works 40 hours a week at $8/hour gets food stamps?

...I don't see anyone here who feels that way.

This is a ridiculous argument. Give me one good reason as to why we should pay farmers to continue an economically inefficient activity other than the nostalgic appeal of the small farm. Farm subsidies are the equivalent of paying companies to hand-craft chairs or furniture rather than produce them en masse in a factory. They are backward and reactionary at this point in time and serve no clear economic purpose.

Will ending them hurt some people and force them to sell their farms? Absolutely. But if this Senate does anything, it should make it so that those people are eligible for trade adjustment assistance or unemployment insurance (and I will probably offer an amendment to that end later in the day) rather than stupidly continue to pay for weaker, inefficient forms of agriculture. The end result will be stronger farms with the ability to produce food more cheaply for everyone. I would advocate then taking those farms over by bringing them into public ownership; I realize the Senate likely won't do that, so I'm at this point not even going to bother with a doomed amendment.

[TNF]

Tmth, having worked on a farm before, can attest to the importance of keeping small communities economically viable.  But if the majority of our senators view those communities as weak and inefficient... not good enough to have a spot in your elite paradise... well, I think that's plain sad.  That's not the progressivism I've come to know.

Can we please stop with the faux outrage and have an actual argument on this?

You're expecting far too much from Scott if you're expecting him to put up an actual argument.

[TNF]

Tmth, having worked on a farm before, can attest to the importance of keeping small communities economically viable.  But if the majority of our senators view those communities as weak and inefficient... not good enough to have a spot in your elite paradise... well, I think that's plain sad.  That's not the progressivism I've come to know.

Can we please stop with the faux outrage and have an actual argument on this?

You're expecting far too much from Scott if you're expecting him to put up an actual argument.

I'm just gonna put you on ignore before I start saying things I'll regret.  Problem solved.

>implying you've ever said anything of note up to this point anyway

[TNF]

Proposing an amendment:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[TNF]

AYE.

[TNF]

I'd say we should move on to a final vote if we have no more objections or amendments. We're obviously not all going to agree on this no matter how many times we amend it.

[TNF]

AYE

[TNF]

I am in favor of the totally superficial amendment to make this bill more readable.

[TNF]

Aye

[TNF]

Wow this was a pleasant surprise.

Indeed!