From: Amanda Swafford – U.S. Senate Candidate – Libertarian Party of Georgia
Last week, Georgia Farm Bureau’s state board met with my opponents in this race to get their opinions on the new Farm Bill which was recently signed into law. And although Libertarians were not invited, as the Libertarian candidate for US Senate I am offering my thoughts on the issue.
Nunn told the Bureau she supported the Farm Bill. And while Perdue said he opposed it, he actually supports more of the Farm Bill than he opposes because he is on record saying it didn’t do enough.
This is the problem with both of our major political parties: They both want to give more power to government, the only difference is they just want that power in incrementally smaller doses. The Farm Bill is a $956 billion dollar expenditure. That’s almost a trillion dollars of government power at work in an economy running an $18+ trillion dollar deficit!
First, let’s take a look at the crop insurance program included in the Farm Bill. Crop insurance is a federal plan which pays farmers if certain projected revenue targets aren’t met. It may sound good in theory to protect farmers and our food supply from volatile conditions but where in the Constitution does the government have this authority?
Agriculture adds around $71 billion dollars to the Georgia economy each year. It is a profitable and diverse industry. Yet, under one provision in the Farm Bill, only corn, cotton, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, spring barley, spring wheat and winter wheat can be covered and only in selected counties. What about a taxpaying farmer who grows green beans? There is volatility in many aspects of our economy serving equally vital interests as our food supply. Yet there’s no federal insurance plan for those merchants if projected revenues fall below target. Government loves to pick winners and losers. Farmer, merchant or consumer, you lose. Government, special interests and the two party system, they win.
Finally, let’s look at the food stamp entitlement program which is a part of the Farm Bill. After four years of work, the final bill cut just $8 billion dollars from food stamps over the next 10 years. A $956 billion dollar Farm Bill and the final result was an $8 billion dollar cut to an entitlement program that almost everyone admits has serious problems. Both parties claim to want reform when it comes to entitlements, however, since the 1990’s, both parties have held control of the House, the Senate and the Oval Office at various times and remarkably, entitlement reform hasn’t been “reformed” at all.
Georgia Farm Bureau’s state board doesn’t appear to want to hear ideas for putting more power and responsibility in the hands of farmers instead of the federal government. It is clear from the meeting with the Georgia Farm Bureau that both parties are deeply vested in continuing the status quo of more government growth. Isn’t it time we get serious about electing a candidate to the United States Senate who understands the power and responsibility of the individual and the limited powers of government as laid out in the Constitution? If we don’t change the way we vote, we won’t change the government we get.
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Libertarian Party of Georgia
Vote November 4, 2014
