An e-mail from Massachusetts asked this: “As a middle class taxpayer in the Northeast, why should my hard-earned tax dollars go to support wealthy farm owners in the South versus feeding the hungry in this nation? What is another example where the government pays welfare to a wealthy American?”
“I don’t know I envisioned payment limits getting as much debate as it has,” said Johanns [the Secretary of Agriculture - Ben], who produced a map showing a red-dotted Park Avenue in New York City.
“(This is) some of the ritziest real estate anywhere. The red spots are people in Manhattan that get cash subsidy payments under the farm bill. The bigger dots are getting over $250,000 in subsidy payments annually.
“The House version [of the new Farm Bill (The House-Passed 2007 Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) at a Glance, Congressional Research Service, July 31) - Ben] won’t impact this in any meaningful way. It impacts about 7,000 people in the entire United States. They set their payment limits on adjusted gross income of $1 million per year. For a husband and wife (the limit rises) to $2 million per year. So very, very wealthy people will continue to get cash subsidies under the (House proposal).
“(Our proposal’s payment limit cutoff is) set at $200,000 AGI.
If you look at the number of people in the United States with an AGI of over $200,000, you’re still in the wealthiest 2.3 percent (of the population).
“We say there’s a point where you graduate from subsidies. And that point should be $200,000. The House version says $2 million for a husband and wife.
“I don’t think people want that. I don’t think farmers want that. I don’t think there’s a farmer in America that would argue that’s what we should be doing.
“My hope is the Senate will take a long, hard look at this. We don’t need a $2 million AGI (for a cut-off), we simply don’t.”
The text is from USDA’s Johanns unhappy with House (David Bennett, Farm Press, August 22).
Thanks to Jonathan Dingel of Trade Diversion, for the "heads-up," and for passing on the map: Fifth Avenue farms (August 30).
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