WASHINGTON, May 21, 2008
House Overrides Bush Veto Of Farm Bill
$290B Legislation Includes Election-Year Subsidies For Farmers And Food Stamps For The Poor
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Only hours before the House's 316-108 vote, Mr. Bush had vetoed the five-year measure, saying it was too expensive and gave too much money to wealthy farmers when farm incomes are high.
The legislation includes election-year subsidies for farmers and food stamps for the poor - spending that lawmakers could promote when they are back in their districts over the Memorial Day weekend.
The Senate could turn to the bill as soon as Wednesday night; there were expected to be enough votes to overturn the veto.
The veto was the 10th of Mr. Bush's presidency. Congress so far has overridden him once, on a water projects bill.
With Mr. Bush at record lows in the polls in the waning months of his term, it was fellow Republicans who joined with majority Democrat in rejecting the veto. GOP lawmakers are anxious about their own prospects less than six months from the Election Day.
About two-thirds of the bill would pay for nutrition programs such as food stamps; about $40 billion is for farm subsidies; and additional $30 billion would go to farmers to idle their land and to other environmental programs.
Congressional Republicans overwhelmingly abandoned Mr. Bush in voting to pass the bill last week. They overlooking its cost amid public concern about the weak economy and high gas and grocery prices. Supporters praised the spending on food stamps and emergency food aid.
"Twenty-five percent of my state is now in need of food assistance," said Rep. Thaddeus G. McCotter, R-Mich. "I work for them, not for the president."
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the bill could make the situation worse for struggling families.
"Members are going to have to think about how they will explain these votes back in their districts at a time when prices are on the rise," she said. "People are not going to want to see their taxes increase."
Mr. Bush said the legislation needlessly would expand government. He cited one new program in the bill that would pay more to corn farmers and others if agriculture revenue were to drop significantly in the next five years. This program, he said, could add billions of dollars to the cost of the bill.
He added that minor cutbacks to subsidies for wealthy farmers were not sufficient.
"At a time when net farm income is projected to increase by more than $28 billion in 1 year, the American taxpayer should not be forced to subsidize that group of farmers who have adjusted gross incomes of up to $1.5 million," the president said in his veto.
Congressional negotiators tried to make some last-minute changes in the bill to come closer to the White House on that issue.
The bill would make small cuts to direct payments, which are distributed to some farmers no matter how much they grow. It also would eliminate some payments to individuals with more than $750,000 in annual farm income - or married farmers who make more than $1.5 million. Previously, negotiators were considering a $950,000 income cap for individuals on farm income.
Individuals who make more than $500,000 or couples who make more than $1 million jointly in nonfarm income also would not be eligible for subsidies.
Under current law, there is no income limit for farmers, and married couples who make less than one-fourth of their income from farming will not receive subsidies if their joint income exceeds $5 million.
The administration originally proposed a cap for those who make more than $200,000 in annual gross income, but later indicated it could accept a limit of $500,000.
The chairman of the House Agriculture said the version of the bill vetoed by the president was missing one section by mistake. But Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said he expected that issue to be resolved. Aides said the section, which includes international food aid, might have to be passed separately or as part of a different bill.
The farm bill also would:
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I agree with straightening out the immigration mess but the reality is that our economy rides on the backs of these illegals.
I don''t know what the answer is but blaming the poorest and hardest working sector of the American working population does nothing for anyone.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino
I do believe MS. Perino has her head up her a$$. The Iraq war budget is bloated... kinda like bush''s head.
The only hope for the GOP is to come clean and strongly denounce Bush, Cheney, Delay, Foley, Ney, Cunningham, Craig and the protracted list of assorted racketeers and criminals that made up their "lasting" majority until it ended in Nov 2006.
Congressman Ron Paul got laughed off the stage at the Republican debates earlier this year for calling a spade of his own party. Come Nov 2008 it will be the entire GOP itself that is laughed off the stage.
What the illegals have to do with military appropriations is still a mystery.
If the system was fair, it would be different, but it favors the ones that really shouldn''t be getting it. I''m not seeing too many cafi%u2019s, gas stations, hardware stores or grocery stores getting that kind of money to stay in business.
I for one would like to see how they fare when the playing field was level and they had to play by the rules every one else have to play by. %u201CNo freebies. If you can''t pencil it out you won''t stay in business%u201D. Nobody''s mentioning the funky math involved in the farming sector. It''s every bit as creative as what we''re seeing housing market. We should be scared.
This is the only thing I actually agree with bush about.
I''m in farm country Minnesota. I did a little research and put some figures together. My county has 704 square miles and a population of approximately 8800. The median income per HOUSEHOLD was $38299 per year and 9.3% of the county lives below the poverty level. In my county in 2004, 18 farmers received government checks in excess of $100,000 and the highest received $485,000. Is it any wonder why some of us in rural America don''t like the subsidies either?
The large farmers are using the money to compete against the smaller ones and are running them out of business. They are paying $3000+ an acre for land in an effort to get bigger and bigger. They get breaks for volume in seed, chemicals, feed and farm equipment etc. Then, in the end, companies pay more for their products (yes, that''s right. Farm Corporation A gets more per lb of milk and pork than Farmer Brown and it doesn''t have anything to do with transportation, it%u2019s simply size).
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Posted by Jack3213
George Bush said that he''d be glad to pay your taxes. All you have to do is sign up for Iraq.
I''m not a Bush fan but I have to agree with him on this one.
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This isn''t a farm bill when 15% is for farm subsidies and 85% is for social programs. More deceit from both sides.
Just keep the spending going...
I wish someone would pay me not to work.
a map with all the farmers on manhattan island.
"Posted by RandyNason
Bush is against spending on anything domestic but has no problem spending billions on an illegal occupation. To add insult to injury, he gives
tax breaks to the wealthiest of Americans, while cutting food stamps to the poorest. What is wrong with the grey matter in this pink monkey''''s head?"
THANKS, RandyNason FOR YOUR STANCE.IT IS EXACTLY MINE AS WELL.
REGARDS,
...MIKETNT303
Unfortunately, only credit cards have limits.
This government is out of control.
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Posted by downsteamjim at 08:25 PM : May 21, 2008
+ report abuse
What is it with you Nazi''s? YOU have NO problem sending BILLIONS to Iraq for their health care.. rebuilding their country and the such... but give an AMERICAN a dollar and you freaks start marching around with your burning crosses. I just can''t figure it out!! Sieg Heil Bush
Apparently, all these neocons think is that farming is a nine to five job, with the weekends off. All the farmer does is drive around a tractor all day, throw some feed at the livestock, then at five hurries home to eat and watch "Ugly Betty"!
The closest these idiots have come to a farm is a children''s petting zoo! As with all the neocon "armchair generals" and the military, how about getting off your lazy "arses", shutting that sewer you call a mouth, and REALLY WORK a farm for even 3 months! See if you can survive that long and think about doing the job 24/7, sunup to sundown for YEARS and NOT getting a steady paycheck, only relying on what the market and the government pay you, when and IF they pay you while the middlemen get all the profits!
You neocon Fascist Nazis are pathetic!
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!
sig heil, DEFINITELY MORE OF THE SAME, McCain!!!!
Jumping ship to save their own arses are they? Are these toe tappin'' mutineers going to start their own party?
Proves the Dixie Chicks were right all along, ha.
Mission Accomplished.
I make a living farming. Chances are I''ve milked more cows than you''ve even seen in your lifetime. I''ve also probably had my arm up the backside of more sows than you or i can even count. I''ve gotten up before the chickens, had sleep interupted and walked a mile in -300 weather to take care of my animals. There''s not a lot you can teach me about hard work. It''s been a big share of my life.
I''m ok with the social end of it, food stamps, school lunches etc, i have no problem giving it to people who need it. Nor do I have a problem seeing it go to farmers down on luck. Drought, tornadoes, all that,,, give them a hand by all means. but when we''ve had year after year of record harvests and we''re still giving them hundreds of thousands of dollars??? maybe we need to take a closer look at how we''re spending our money.
Dollar equals zero.
$20.00 a gallon gas.
Make jobs leave America by the thousands.
Reveal the identities of CIA agents.
Break all Amendments of the Constitution while saying F-the Constitution.
Home sales and new construction eauals zero.
Mission Accomplished nutjobs.
Posted by MCVet at 09:21 PM : May 21, 2008
I''ll tell you what it is...you hippocrit democrats always got plenty to say when you want to accuse Bush of lining the pocket of oil companies...but somehow you don''t see anything wrong with big handouts to farming corporations. That''s the mantra of democrats...situational ethics. If farmers weren''t paid to NOT grow crops...that would result in more food being grown and lower costs for people who are stuggling with higher food prices. Don''t bother to respond with your usual yada, yada , yada Nazi, yada, yada, yada bootlicker, yada, yada, yada
swastika. Just finish drinking yourself to sleep you old fool.
Neocon Fascist Nazis idea of success:
Dollar equals zero.
THANK THE FED AND ALAN GREENSPAN WHO WAS THE FED CHAIR FOR THE LAST FOUR ADMINISTRATIONS. cAN''T LAY BLAME TO A SINGLE ADMINISTRATION FOR THAT ONE.
$20.00 a gallon gas.
OUR DOMESTIC OIL PRODUCTION HAS DECREASED BY 50% SINCE 1985,WHILE CONSUMPTION HAS GONE UP 40%.THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP HAS DECIDED THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BLOCK ANY LEGISLATION THAT ALLOWS DOMESTIC DRILLING FOR MORE OIL. IN FACT THEY JUST BLOCKED A BILL THAT WOULD HAVE ALLOWED ACCESSING A TRILLION BARRELS OF OIL SHALE. THEY HAVE BLOCKED DRILLING OFF THE GULF COAST, AS WELL AS ANWAR. IF YOU THINK THAT BUSH WHOM YOU SO QUICKLY POINT OUT AS BEING A DUNCE, C
HAS ANY SAY ON WHAT A BARREL OF OIL COSTS, YOU ARE NOT ONLY IGNORANT TO SUPPLY AND DEMAND, BUT ARE DELUSIONAL IF YOU THINK THE PRICE WILL MAGICALLY DROP WHEN A DEM GETS ELECTED.
Make jobs leave America by the thousands.
NAFTA....SIGNED INTO LAW BY CLINTON
Reveal the identities of CIA agents.
JUST MORE IDIOTIC LIBERAL TALKING POINTS
Break all Amendments of the Constitution while saying F-the Constitution.
???????
Home sales and new construction eauals zero.
ANYONE WITH ANY COMMON SENCE KNOWS THAT HOUSING IS CYCLICAL. THERE WAS OVERBUILDING AND OVER INFLATION OF THE PRICES. GO CHECK YOUR HISTORY
Mission Accomplished nutjob
AND PAYING ABOUT NINE BILLION A QUARTER IN TAXES.
THE PART YOU YOU DON''T HEAR ABOUT
You neocon Fascist Nazis are pathetic!
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!
sig heil, DEFINITELY MORE OF THE SAME, McCain!!!!
Posted by walt1944 at 09:24 PM : May 21, 2008
...neocon Fascist Nazis????
LOL!!! I am a liberal who grew up on a farm in a time when NON-FARMER John Wayne was getting farm subsidies that he didn''t need. Actor John Wayne took farm subsidies from other farmers who needed them more than Wayne did.
LOL!!! I''m now living in a time when NON-FARMER David Letterman is getting farm subsidies that he doesn''t need. Why does an extremely wealthy entertainer like Letterman need to take farm subsidies from another farmer who needs them?
Your caustic remarks and name-calling are not necessary, however, they ARE an indication of your intelligence level.
But I won''t argue with you. Arguing with an untelligent fool only lowers one to the fool''s level.
I''''ll tell you what it is...you hippocrit democrats always got plenty to say when you want to accuse Bush of lining the pocket of oil companies...but somehow you don''''t see anything wrong with big handouts to farming corporations. That''''s the mantra of democrats...situational ethics. If farmers weren''''t paid to NOT grow crops...that would result in more food being grown and lower costs for people who are stuggling with higher food prices. Don''''t bother to respond with your usual yada, yada , yada Nazi, yada, yada, yada bootlicker, yada, yada, yada
swastika. Just finish drinking yourself to sleep you old fool.
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Another rethug idiot. You just do not get it. The farming subsidies are coming from sorts like you, you knuckle-head!
sig heil, ...
Posted by walt1944 at 09:24 PM : May 21, 2008
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sig heil.... Hmmmmmmm... Sounds familiar...
The login name has changed but the rhetoric and name-calling are the same. According to his narrow-minded way of thinking, we don''t have a right to disagree. Sound familiar?? Sound like Hitler? Hmmmmmm.... Who is the nazi here?
the oil companies that are making 15 billion in a QUARTER.
AND PAYING ABOUT NINE BILLION A QUARTER IN TAXES.
THE PART YOU YOU DON''''T HEAR ABOUT
Posted by bretster7 at 11:39 PM : May 21, 2008
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Apparently the bretster7 is part of the crew that is cashing in here...
Posted by mainedoggie at 12:47 AM : May 22, 2008
Say what????? Coherence please if you''re going to post here!
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by whofhearted0
May 23, 2008 1:57 AM PDT
- I don''''t know exactly how that works. ... Posted by tuffone3 at 11:27 AM : May 22, 2008
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