Who likes the Farm Bill? Hardly anyone - except those who profit from it!

Congress has passed the latest version of the Farm Bill - which is really a misnomer since much of the taxpayers' money that is shovelled into it goes to people who do not farm. Admittedly the longer title is "Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act."

At one time the government was concerned that farmers could not continue if they could not sell their crops at high enough prices, so Congress passed laws that would cause the government to buy some of the crops at those higher prices propping up the price - supply and demand. Then, the government having bought these crops and not really wanting them would either send them as humanitarian aid to third world countries or give them to people here with low incomes.

Now they just pay some people not to grow something so that those who do can get the higher price. Then they just give money to people with low incomes and more money to third world countries. Or their current plan literally burns taxpayers' dollars by buying up sugar at far above World commodity price and then selling at steep discounts to companies who will make it into ethanol for cars!

Oh, what economic wizards these Congressmen be!

With US and World food prices rising, third World countries rioting over food, chain stores in this country rationing rice and our Congress expands the multi Trillion dollar debt in order to pay farmers to grow less or even not grow altogether. In what alternate universe does this make any sense? I feel like I'm trapped in that SciFi series "Sliders" and am really expecting "Cromags" to show up next!

Here in southeastern NC Congressman Mike McIntyre is crowing about his having helped pass this bill. A quick check of his campaign contributions shows why. Since April 2007 he has raked in over $30 thousand from the big sugar farmers, NONE from North Carolina. And scrolling through just the top few dozen recipients found over $40 thousand in donations to Mike. No telling how many more came from the other couple thousand people on that list who get money from the bill. It is no wonder he has a million dollars in his war chest.