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elleng

(130,156 posts)
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 02:43 AM Nov 2013

Billionaires Received U.S. Farm Subsidies, Report Finds.

Source: nyt

The federal government paid $11.3 million in taxpayer-funded farm subsidies from 1995 to 2012 to 50 billionaires or businesses in which they have some form of ownership, according to a report released Thursday by the Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based research organization.

The billionaires who received the subsidies or owned companies that did include the Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen; the investment titan Charles Schwab; and S. Truett Cathy, owner of Chick-fil-A. The billionaires who got the subsidies have a collective net worth of $316 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

The Working Group said its findings were likely to underestimate the total farm subsidies that went to the billionaires on the Forbes 400 list because many of them also received crop insurance subsidies. Federal law prohibits the disclosure of the names of individuals who get crop insurance subsidies, the group said.

The report is being issued as members of the House and Senate are meeting to come up with a new five-year farm bill. The authors of the report said it is timely, given that lawmakers are debating a House proposal that would cut nearly $40 billion over 10 years from the food stamp program, which helps provide food for nearly 47 million people. A Senate provision would cut $4.5 billion over the same period


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/07/us/billionaires-received-us-farm-subsidies-report-finds.html?hp



32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Billionaires Received U.S. Farm Subsidies, Report Finds. (Original Post) elleng Nov 2013 OP
Wherever you offer a subsidy expect billionairs to find their way there... n/t PoliticAverse Nov 2013 #1
Please give them more, it creates jobs! Rebellious Republican Nov 2013 #2
The Slackers!! Why can't they get real jobs and stop sucking on the government teat??!!! n/t Indi Guy Nov 2013 #3
Glad this is getting attention. gtar100 Nov 2013 #4
And yet SNAP is cut, Meal on Wheels is cut.... ReRe Nov 2013 #5
Now, now... we must not penalize our "job creators" theHandpuppet Nov 2013 #11
sadly, we are now.... ReRe Nov 2013 #13
Of course they did. Fair and balanced. blkmusclmachine Nov 2013 #6
What a country! Enthusiast Nov 2013 #7
It's good to see that the $20 cut we got this month is being used wisely. bearssoapbox Nov 2013 #8
To be fair, none of these billionaires are doing their taxes. glowing Nov 2013 #9
The accountants provide a service daleo Nov 2013 #26
Individuals who NEVER farmed, receiving $20,000 annually in farm subsidies for decades Divernan Nov 2013 #10
I know of cases as well. Boudica the Lyoness Nov 2013 #29
Pretending "Farm Subsidies" = Welfare pipoman Nov 2013 #12
Your argument is insultingly simplistic & flat wrong. The European Union is getting it right. Divernan Nov 2013 #14
Prior to farm subsidies pipoman Nov 2013 #15
They also suck billions out of the food stamp program. bluedeathray Nov 2013 #16
How about a little 'means testing' for farm subsidies instead of Social Security? sinkingfeeling Nov 2013 #17
THAT is the most excellent idea I've heard in a long time! Divernan Nov 2013 #31
This absurd subsidies also make it difficult for farmers in poor countries to compete with American pampango Nov 2013 #18
Hard to imagine that they would do that! dmosh42 Nov 2013 #19
There must be some punitive fine that could be levied against these people. burnsei sensei Nov 2013 #20
no wonder the GOP doesn't want to reduce them - n/t RussBLib Nov 2013 #21
The rich get richer... awoke_in_2003 Nov 2013 #22
ELIMINATE ALL AGRO SUBSIDIES IN ALL FORMS! Dawson Leery Nov 2013 #23
And watch the price of groceries pipoman Nov 2013 #32
Michele Bachmann collects a cool $250K in Federal Farm Subsidies. bvar22 Nov 2013 #24
Contrast this to the food stamp story daleo Nov 2013 #25
Subsidies should phase out with the net worth of the receiver. Thor_MN Nov 2013 #27
Arg! Emit Nov 2013 #28
The farmers in our neck of the wood really know how to milk it Boudica the Lyoness Nov 2013 #30

gtar100

(4,192 posts)
4. Glad this is getting attention.
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 03:57 AM
Nov 2013

I wonder when the tea bag repugs are going to complain about their tax dollars being spent on these true to life welfare queens.

Probably never.

bearssoapbox

(1,408 posts)
8. It's good to see that the $20 cut we got this month is being used wisely.
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 05:48 AM
Nov 2013


Our SNAP has been cut from $316-Nov. 2012, to $270-Nov. 2013 with the only increase in income was $11 in Jan. on my SSDI.

Happy Thanksgiving you GOP bastards!
 

glowing

(12,233 posts)
9. To be fair, none of these billionaires are doing their taxes.
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 06:04 AM
Nov 2013

They hire accountants to find every tax break, loophole, or subsidy that they can qualify for. And at anytime these mega wealthy people or corporations seem to come into a snag where they would have to pay too much tax, they hire a lobbyist and pony up donations to de-regulate and/ or create a loophole, subsidy, or tax break for theirselves. And many times these items are attached as a rider onto a bill that must be passed.

Let's face it, the farm bill with it's many subsidies and tax breaks, etc., were designed originally to stabilize food costs and production for the small family farmer. But over the years, the wealthy and corporate farming has bought out the small family farmer; creating not only a monolithic corporate approach to mass production of our food sources by board members in a suit, but also another example of the wealthy sucking money off the public dime.

If we had representatives that actually represented The People, congress would fashion the farm bill off of a fair model where the small family farmer would get the benefits and subsidies. The big farms and people claiming they are a farm and taking a subsidy to stifle their production for market purposes. And it would also create an easier way for youth to obtain land in order to implement farming for the future with sustainable and humane practices, as well as, having a new generation of farmers who will be able to take over production of our food sources when many of the older generation of family farmers is retiring or being bought out by these factory farms. Then again, members of congress their own selves would have to create legislation that would have they themselves having to pay taxes on their land to NoT Farm.

Money in politics makes our democracy extremely fragile. And The Supremes made it worse with Citizens United case!

daleo

(21,317 posts)
26. The accountants provide a service
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 05:06 PM
Nov 2013

The taxpayer is legally expected to do due diligence, and therefore must know what has been done in his or her name.

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
10. Individuals who NEVER farmed, receiving $20,000 annually in farm subsidies for decades
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 07:49 AM
Nov 2013

I was trying to track down an old high school classmate and one google link was to a list of those receiving farm subsidies. There she was, along with her older sister and younger brother (now all in their 70's). I know their parents -back as early as the 1940's- lived in a big house in our small town - and the father wore a suit to work every day. The three kids all went to college and never worked a day of their lives on a farm. So here the 3 "kids" are, some 60 years later, collecting $60,000 a year in farm subsidies - apparently leasing out their farmland to some agribusiness.

And of course the parents and kids are lifelong Republicans. Damn welfare queens!

 

pipoman

(16,038 posts)
12. Pretending "Farm Subsidies" = Welfare
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 08:02 AM
Nov 2013

Is where this gets it wrong. Farm Subsidies = Payment for control of private enterprise. We have 2 choices... Pay private business for control of production or deal with farm commodity cartels

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
14. Your argument is insultingly simplistic & flat wrong. The European Union is getting it right.
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 08:47 AM
Nov 2013

The EU's recent reforms to its farm subsidy program include features like:
(1) Farmers under 40 years old will get extra subsidies;
(2) 30 percent of EU members' farm payments will also be spent on "green" measures like crop diversification, maintaining grassland and creating ecological areas;
(3) favors young farmers and smallholders over big business;
(4) give farmers' organizations a greater role in helping farmers cope with market volatility;
(5) lets the markets play their role but also gives farmers a chance to play their role.

http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/agriculture-farm.phk


A reform of EU farm subsidies agreed this week will favour young farmers and smallholders over big business as well as more eco-friendly farming in a "paradigm shift" for Europe, a top official said on Thursday after three months of talks.

"We wanted to have a fairer and more economical Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as well as one that is more in touch with the modern world," the EU's Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos told reporters in Brussels.

"This is the start of a paradigm shift for the CAP," he said.

Paolo De Castro, head of the Parliament's farm committee, said the deal was "a victory for EU farmers and consumers". Fellow European lawmaker Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos said it signalled the end of a "dependency culture" for farm subsidies.





 

pipoman

(16,038 posts)
15. Prior to farm subsidies
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 09:10 AM
Nov 2013

as they are today, farm production was driven by the market and cartel like 'associations'. If the price of corn dropped, the US corn growers associations would strongly encourage farmers to reduce production which would drive up prices creating great swings in commodity prices from one year to the next. Most people only consider the swing effects on local grocery prices..the effect is much more dramatic for fulfillment of government commodity contracts. The US government negotiates contracts for farm commodities with foreign governments years in advance. A massive swing in prices equal massive differences in value of these contracts making them extremely difficult to negotiate and draining tax dollars. It is the government's and tax payer's interest to stabilize commodity pricing.

Since farms in the US are private enterprise, the government can't impose restrictions on them for production. The subsidy programs are designed to require massive amounts of information about production to be submitted for statistical evaluation, and participation allows the government to dictate what crops and what volumes of commodities are produced.

I am sure that big agribusiness has corrupted the system...what system hasn't been corrupted by big business from the tax code to the clean air act? Bottom line remains, if the government wishes to control production of private enterprise, they must induce participation voluntarily, thus the subsidy/crop insurance programs in place now.

pampango

(24,692 posts)
18. This absurd subsidies also make it difficult for farmers in poor countries to compete with American
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 11:30 AM
Nov 2013

agriculture which causes great problems in these poor countries.

burnsei sensei

(1,820 posts)
20. There must be some punitive fine that could be levied against these people.
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 12:24 PM
Nov 2013

I'm pretty sure that these people are part of the crowd that is fighting poverty by punishing the impoverished.
For lining their pockets, they should pay a heavy price.
The poor we always have with us until we do something to re-structure resource allocation in this society.

 

pipoman

(16,038 posts)
32. And watch the price of groceries
Fri Nov 8, 2013, 09:55 AM
Nov 2013

and fulfillment of world agri trade agreements drain everyone's pockets..

bvar22

(39,909 posts)
24. Michele Bachmann collects a cool $250K in Federal Farm Subsidies.
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 04:42 PM
Nov 2013
Anti-socialist Bachmann got $250K in federal farm subsidies

"Bachmann isn't alone in her selective socialism: EWG found that the top four districts receiving the largest ag payments are represented by conservative Republicans.

1. 3rd district of Nebraska (Rep. Adrian Smith - Republican) - $1,736,923,011 in subsidies go to 51,702 recipients.

2. 1st district of Kansas (Rep. Jerry Moran - Republican) - $1,315,979,151 in subsidies go to 75,802 recipients.

3. 4th district of Iowa (Rep. Tom Latham - Republican) - $1,288,622,912 in subsidies go to 35,696 recipients.

4. 9th district of Texas (Rep. Randy Neugebauer - Republican) - $1,227,192,312 in subsidies go to 21,290 recipients.


http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/1209/Antisocialist_Bachmann_got_250k_in_federal_farm_subsidies.html
 

Thor_MN

(11,843 posts)
27. Subsidies should phase out with the net worth of the receiver.
Thu Nov 7, 2013, 07:54 PM
Nov 2013

Major corporations and the very wealthy do not need subsidies. Unless it's a bona fide small business, tough luck.

In fact, it's time for corporations to start paying for "services to protect American interests abroad". They want military protection? Pay for it.

 

Boudica the Lyoness

(2,899 posts)
30. The farmers in our neck of the wood really know how to milk it
Fri Nov 8, 2013, 01:00 AM
Nov 2013

They have split their farms up, to beat the limits, into three or four smaller farms. And some have given their farms names to mock the system as they milk it.

Below is a link to the farm subsidy database. BTW; one of the top recipients in our state said making this database public was not fair because, "we can't see how much welfare/food stamps individuals are getting.

http://farm.ewg.org/

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