FOURTH DISTRICT DEMOCRAT

FARM BILL SHOULD BE PLOWED UNDER

Mickey Hepner
The Edmond Sun

EDMOND — It now appears that Congress is ready to move forward on a new farm bill soon. Unfortunately, this final bill is indicative of all that is wrong with Washington.

House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement last week on a new farm bill that will spend $300 billion during the next five years.

Admittedly, there is much to like in this bill. For example, the bill will increase food stamp benefits in an effort to help low-income families cope with soaring food prices. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that 157,000 Oklahomans will benefit from this expansion. Furthermore, the measure includes more funding for the fresh fruits and vegetables programs for schools, as well as additional funding for conservation programs to protect the environment.

The problem is that in order to enact these programs that have broad, bipartisan support, Congress also must agree to give away billions in farm subsidies that mainly benefit millionaire farmers, corporations and even some members of Congress.

Under the provisions of the bill, farmers who grow wheat, cotton, soybeans, corn and rice will pocket more than $5 billion annually in crop subsidies. Incredibly, married couples earning up to $1.5 million still will be able to receive these farm subsidies. In other words, middle class families are paying taxes to help subsidize these millionaire farmers.

When we are running a $400 billion budget deficit, when we have 47 million Americans without health insurance (including 9 million children), when middle-class families have seen their incomes fall in the last year while gas prices are rising, the idea that we should be subsidizing millionaires frankly is appalling.

Now, the farm lobby argues that these subsidies help decrease food prices, thereby making food more affordable. However, Economics 101 tells us otherwise. First, we must remember that the true price of our food includes not just the price we pay at the grocery counter, but also the subsidies taxpayers provide. Since farmers are receiving more revenue with these subsidies (otherwise they would not support the policy), it must be the case that we are paying more to those farmers. Essentially, farm subsidies mean we have to pay more for food.

Furthermore, by subsidizing only certain crops, we are discouraging farmers from growing other types of crops. With less supply, the prices of these other crops necessarily rise, too. Again, consumers are stuck with high food prices.

In the coming weeks, Congress will vote on whether to approve this bloated bill. Undoubtedly, the increased funding for nutrition and conservation programs will entice many to support the measure. However, there is another choice — Congress could start all over and remove the wasteful spending. The only way to get that to happen is for Congress to vote against the bill now.

Everyone except perhaps some career politicians knows that all wasteful government spending is bad, and everyone except the farm lobby knows that subsidizing millionaires instead of helping our families is a pretty wasteful use of taxpayer funds. By encouraging Congress to oppose this bill we can send those career politicians a message that we will not tolerate their wastefulness any longer.



MICKEY HEPNER is an associate professor of economics at the University of Central Oklahoma.

DORMAN ENCOURGES LAWMAKERS TO MAKE DISASTER FUNDING A PRIORITY

Oklahoma City - State Rep. Joe Dorman said his legislation securing state dollars for Oklahoma's emergency disasters would prevent the delays now created by the legislative appropriations process.

 

House Bill 1519, as amended by Dorman, would require that money from the state's Constitutional Reserve Fund (also known as the Rainy Day Fund) be used to provide the matching 12.5 percent required state funding for federal disaster relief reimbursement as declared through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

 

Dorman urged lawmakers to pass this bill so families and communities can start rebuilding their lives "immediately."

 

"House Bill 1519 will help meet the funding requirements of our counties and cities immediately after disaster strikes, such as the recent tornados and flooding, and secure funding to assist families," said Dorman, D-Rush Springs. "The bill would eliminate the delays we've seen in recent years or the need to discuss extraordinary measures such as bond debt to pay for emergency repair."

 

The bill would also establish that the emergency funding be provided before Rainy Day Fund money is used for any other purpose and be automatically appropriated within 30 days of the state's reception of the certification of disaster costs from the federal government.

 

Currently, in most cases, the federal government will fund 75 percent of the disaster relief leaving the local with 12.5 percent and the state 12.5 percent.

 

"The state still owed money from the ice storms of 2000 until just a few years ago when the Legislature finally appropriated the required state portion. That delay left the counties, communities, electric co-ops and many other entities with unpaid bills due to legislative negligence," said Dorman. "The costs went up significantly for the entities due to legislative neglect on those appropriations and many had to take funding from other areas to get the repairs finished, which hurt things such as road work."

 

At the request of legislative leadership, a safety mechanism has been placed into the language to provide a "roadblock" should the Constitutional Reserve Fund be depleted or another reason arise. The State Contingency Review Board, consisting of the Governor, the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, will have the authority to delay this deposit.

 

"This allows for the times when we are in legislative session and would like to pay for the match out of the General Revenue Fund through the legislative process," said Dorman. "If the legislature wants to assume that payment, we can avoid the debit from the Rainy Day Fund, but in the years of a budget shortfall, this will guarantee the opportunity to reimburse those waiting for this required expenditure."

 

Emergency reimbursement has not been an uncommon event through the years the Legislature has dealt with disasters. Much of the problem occurs when disasters strike Oklahoma when the Legislature is not in session.

 

"I remember several years ago when tornadoes struck Moore, Union City and other parts of Oklahoma and how the Legislature had to rapidly deal with that funding," said Dorman. "A shell appropriations bill had to be used in the final days of the session to provide reimbursement dollars. If either of those tornadoes had struck in June, the funding could not have been allocated immediately without the call for a special session."

 

Dorman said his measure will make sure that problem never happens again.

 

"Communities will not have to wait until we return to session or, as we have seen recently, for years to finally get the funds they are promised when they need a helping hand."

 

Dorman said the bill is waiting to have conferees assigned by the Speaker's office so it can go to a Conference Committee.

OPEN DOOR POLICY

Dorman,Open Door Policy,Oklahoma,Democrat

It has been an interesting two weeks at the Capitol with the legislature passing a standstill budget for agencies. This will essentially fund the various portions of state government at the same level they received the previous year. There will be some exceptions to this as some of the agencies will need additional funds to make it through the year with the added costs of utilities and other requirements. There are also very few one-time projects that were funded from previous years.

 

In order to fund some of those programs, such as conservation projects and the rural fire truck account, there has been talk about a bond issue. This is a bill that could easily develop into a larger-than-anticipated idea if too many pet projects are inserted. I expect there will be some programs, such as higher education and transportation, which will request several million dollars in this bill. It will be interesting to see what negotiations go on between the House, Senate and the Governor before a final agreement is reached. I will do my best to keep this fiscally responsible for the future payments that will be required.

There was some discussion last week about unintended consequences regarding a Senate bill which I authored in the House. An amendment was inserted to allow the Norman/Purcell area to qualify for a foreign trade zone to improve opportunities for trade, but there was worry this would open opportunities for a "super corridor" for transporting goods. We recalled the bill to fix any potential problems after some attorneys discovered this possibility. The Senate author and I both agreed we would allow no chance to harm any landowners with language with this bill.

I will be a guest on OETA's show, "The People's Business" on Wednesday night if you have the chance to watch. This will begin at 7 p.m. and is a live call-in show. If you get the chance, please watch myself and Rep. Ron Peter's discuss the budget and other bills.

I have to finish up this week with a reminder to visit Crawds 'n Rods in Elgin on Saturday afternoon. Proceeds from this event go to assist their local fire department. I also want to thank Lance Hill for doing a great job as an office aide for me at the Capitol this week. Finally, congratulations go out to the Fort Cobb-Broxton baseball team for winning state and to Sterling's baseball and softball teams for making the state tournament!

It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. My home number for work is 1-580-476-2626. My e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work. My mailing address is PO Box 559, Rush Springs, OK 73082 and my website is www.joedorman.com on the Internet. Thank you for taking time to read this column and I look forward to seeing you soon.

CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE

As you all know I have made it one of my objectives to try and find someone to run against Tom Cole. There is a person by the Name Of Ben Odom who is considering the run.   Marsha Coyle  is all working in this endeavor. We would like for you to talk to the people in your precincts and officers and see what kind of support that Ben could depend on should he decide to run.  We really need this information fairly soon so we can try to convince Ben of his chances. If you could also send a possible time of your meetings where Marsha could possibly have a chance to talk to your people please let her know at    marknmarshacoyle@aol.com   This election year is gearing up to be a good one so we need to do what we can to see Democrats elected in all the races we can.   Thanks Troy Green

GADDIE EXPLAINS DEMO DELEGATE PROCESS HISTORY

   http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/

   

You will have to scroll down about 25 articles to get to it. Worth the read. Probably will be a question on the final exam.

OBAMAMAINIA SWEEPS THE HILL

Rep. Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.) was driving toward Washington on Thursday morning when he got a call from Barack Obama. Brady asked Obama where he was, and the man fast approaching ‘presumptive nominee’ status told him he was in the Senate. Brady had an idea: Obama should pop on over to the House chamber and say hello. And that’s just what the Illinois senator did. When he walked onto the floor, said Brady, Obama made straight for the Pennsylvania corner. “See, Bob,” he said. “I listen to you sometimes.” “You got to listen to me all the time,” Brady, an uncommitted superdelegate, said he joked in response. Brady’s casual suggestion turned into quite a scene, as Obamamania — fueled by Tuesday night’s results in Indiana and North Carolina — descended onto the floor of the House in full force. As Obama made his way slowly through the House mob, reporters piled up outside the nearest door to the House floor, craning their necks to get a look. Security guards pressed through the media crowd, repeatedly asking the Fourth Estate to keep a lane open for lawmakers. Supporters and opponents alike maneuvered to get face time, whether it was 73-year-old Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.) patiently waiting his turn or Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-Fla.), a Clinton supporter, giving Obama a big hug. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) had the man autograph today's copy of the NY Daily News. (Cover: "It's his Party.") Reps. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), a Clinton backer, and Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) gave him bear hugs on the floor, as well. Even Republicans were star-struck. Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said she was escorting a group of elementary school students onto the House floor when Obama made his entrance. Ros-Lehtinen said the children noticed the presidential hopeful and screamed, “It’s Barack Obama!” in unison. The congresswoman then led the students across the aisle and over to Obama, who chatted briefly with the three students. “The kids were very excited,” said Ros-Lehtinen. “Like rock star excited.” Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), an Obama supporter, said that a number of Republicans crossed the aisle to congratulate him. “One told me that if he wins, he looks forward to working with him,” said Conyers, who would not give the member’s name. “I’ve worked with [the congressman] before on some things, but that still surprised me.” Conyers suggested that Obama’s primary opponent needs to repeat the cross-chamber journey. “Hillary’s got to come now,” he said. Twice, it looked like Obama was about to leave the chamber, but he got pulled back in by superdelegates — both committed and uncommitted. Obama himself, apparently mindful of his shadow, bowed before House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.). Obama’s core constituency — young voters — was fully represented, too, though most of the pages in the chamber won’t be voting until 2012. But they made their opinion clear. Obama posed for photos with giddy pages on the staircase leading up to the House gallery. The normally staid and deferential pages, who walk the halls quietly on their best behavior, returned the favor, giving Obama a rousing ovation. Security guards reprimanded reporters and tourists for snapping photos with their phones — something that is strictly forbidden in many parts of the chamber unless you are a credentialed photographer — but to little avail. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) arrived after Obama and said she was not sure who had invited him. "I don't know if he was invited by members," Pelosi said. The visit to the speaker’s chamber, however, didn’t sway her from her officially uncommitted position, she said. "Me, I like combat," Pelosi said. "The best training for campaigning is campaigning." Not all Republicans, though, were thrilled to see him. Asked if he crossed the aisle to meet Obama, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), shook his head. “Lord no,” he said. “Lord no.” And Obamamania can have consequences for one's day job. The Senate voted a few minutes after Obama’s victory lap through the House, but Obama was nowhere to be found. He skipped a Senate roll call vote on a budget point of order on a flood insurance bill. John Bresnahan, Martin Kady II, Patrick O’Connor, Amie Parnes and Daniel W. Reilly contributed to this story.

INHOFE BACKS OUT OF GI BILL

Inhofe Quietly Withdraws Support From 21st Century GI Bill»

 

On Tuesday, around 100 veterans and a dozen congressmen gathered on Capitol Hill to rally in support of Sen. Jim Webb’s (D-VA) 21st Century G.I. Bill, which boasts the bipartisan support of 56 cosponsors.

In seeking the support of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) — whom Webb said “needs to get on the bill” in order to secure more Republican support — Webb told McCain “several times that this is not a political issue.” Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) pointed to the bill’s bipartisan support: “[P]eople like John Warner and James Inhofe are on it.”

According to the Congressional record, however, Inhofe (R-OK) quietly removed his name from the list of cosponsors on Tuesday — the same day as the Capitol Hill rally:

After months of stalling, McCain introduced his own competing bill last week, in an apparent attempt to peel off conservatives supporters from Webb’s bill. McCain suggested Webb’s staff “has not been eager to negotiate,” to which Webb retorted, “He’s so full of it. I have personally talked to John three times.”

Unlike Webb’s bill, McCain’s proposal pegs benefits to the length of time served in active duty, reserving the most generous benefits to older soldiers who signed up before 9/11. He purports to be concerned over military reenlistment, an argument fueled this week when Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asserted on Tuesday that “our first objective is to strengthen the All-Volunteer Force.” He warned that “serious retention issues could arise” under a too-generous GI bill.

Of course, as the Boston Globe pointed out, the “promise of an education in return for serving the country is one of the most frequently cited reasons that young men and women join the military.” What’s more, keeping Americans in the military by denying them better options is simply morally bankrupt, as VoteVets Chairman Jon Soltz and Gen. Wesley Clark wrote recently:

[I]t is morally reprehensible to fix the system so that civilian life is unappealing to service members, in an attempt to force them to re-up. Education assistance is not a handout, it is a sacred promise that we have made for generations in return for service.

Email or call Sen. Inhofe and demand that he get back on the Webb bill: (202) 224-4721.

UpdateThe McCain-Graham bill, which was introduced on Tuesday, lists seven co-sponsors, including Inhofe and three other senators still listed as co-sponsors of the Webb bill: Susan Collins (R-ME), Pete Domenici (R-NM), and Joe Lieberman (I-CT).

PORK OR SOMETHING ELSE?

EDITORIAL

 

After stepping out my front door this morning to remove my copy of the Bentley Bugle from my door stoop, I opened it up and scanned the headlines of the front page and noticed that Senator Claghorn had something to say.

 

He was very proud of something he had done and wanted us to know about it. It was a rundown of some figures he wanted us to believe were military projects

 coming to Southwest Oklahoma.

 

On closer examination I am of the opinion that the information neither looks nor smells like real accomplishment for the following reasons:

 

• The bill he mentions is a Authorization Act that has a long way to go before it becomes final and law. This bill has only be approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee. It has to be passed by the full Senate. The House also has an authorization bill that will be coming out of its Committee that also authorizes certain expenditures. Both bills must be reconciled and again approved by both houses and the President needs to sign to make it become law.
• The bill he mentions only authorizes the expenditure of the money. A separate bill needs to go through the same process as described above for the budgeting and release the actual funds to pay for the projects or operations. Authorization of a project or function is worthless until it is budgeted and funded.
• The projects mentioned include “$ 47 million for the second increment of the Air Defense Artillery School”. The bill says “OK go build it” but does not provide for budgeted actual dollars to be spent.
• The authorization bill artfully avoids any mention of BRAC funds for the moving the school from Texas.
• The bill artfully does not provide for further NLOSc research development and manufacturing and I would presume the good Senator has abandoned any further authorization of this project.

 

 

As the bill now stands, the good Senator has accomplished very little to be proud of………………and Southwest Oklahomans should be worried.

 

Geezeweb

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMPORTANT ENDORSMENT

ON MY SWITCH FROM CLINTON

VOTER ID DEBATED IN OK SENATE

Democrat,Oklahoma,Randy Bass,voter id

KSWO Posted: April 30, 2008 06:10 PM CDT Lawton The Oklahoma legislature is one of several states to consider voter identification laws for polling places. Just this week, the United States Supreme Court upheld an Indiana law which requires voters to present a picture ID in order to cast a ballot. Oklahoma has a similar proposal, but there are exceptions. Most law makers agree it's a good concept, but it's having some trouble passing. It's become a partisan issue with Republicans standing behind the bill, while Democrats are fighting it. The amendments that have been made to the bill are causing some dispute.   For the second straight year, Senator John Ford of Bartlesville says he is trying to eliminate any chance of voter fraud in Oklahoma. "I think it's also very important that everyone who votes knows their vote is legal," he says. "But also [that] every other vote in the state is legal, and they all count the same."   However, some lawmakers say that they think requiring a picture ID is asking too much from voters. So, some alternative forms of identification have been added to the bill, such as a voter ID card, passport, driver's license, utility bill, government check, or bank statement. Lawton Senator Randy Bass fears adding these additional forms of identification could cause more problems than not requiring any ID at all. "It may not be your utility bill," he says. "Maybe somebody else has your utility bill - you really don't have to have your proof of identification, just your utility bill. That's a big question we have."   Potential fraud isn't the only reason Bass and other Democrats say they won't support the bill. Another amendment to allow same day registration to vote was on the bill, but the amendment was removed - causing yet more disapproval. Senator Ford says the State Election Board Secretary opposes the idea of same day registration, and he says it's the reason the amendment was removed. Ford also says concerns about voter disenfranchisement is unfounded. "Anyone who comes to the poll and does not have ID, they fill out this form and it becomes a provisional ballot," he says. "In no way are we turning anyone away." He says the bill also adds authentication methods for absentee ballots - a voter would either send in a copy of their ID, or complete an authorization affidavit.   Both senators say military ballots would not be affected by the bill. They are expected to vote on it as early as Thursday, and if it passes it wouldn't take affect until after November's general election.   Count on 7News to keep you updated.