Congressional Sinners

  Supreme court justices often recuse themselves and local town council members do the same when there could be a hint of conflict of interest. Not true for members of Congress. Call it a sin of omission.

 Then there is the sin of commission where a Representative votes to extend crop subsidies, to farmers earning over $750,000 per year, and cut food stamps for millions earning less than $750 per month.

 Reserved for the ten Republican Representatives who receive farm subsidy dollars and also voted to cut food stamp dollars, is the triple sin of arrogance, callousness and hypocrisy. Unfortunately due to redistricting it will probably not be a mortal sin.

 Leading the pack of “political pork eaters” is California Republican Congressman LaMalta, a rice farmer, who has collected $5.1 million, in subsidies, since 1995 but happily wants to cut the $1.33 per meal subsidy for 4 million children, veterans, disabled and poor who need food stamps.

 The original purpose of the Farm Bill was to ensure our food supply and stabilize prices for family farmers. But times change and guaranteeing a food supply turned into paying farmers to not grow crops, the family farm has essentially disappeared and today’s price levels make millions for corporate agribusinesses.

 What has not changed is the Republicans commitment to the $295B farm bill safety net, for rich farmers, very profitable agribusinesses and themselves. At the same time they hardly try to veil their disdain for the needy and the social safety net they love to hate.