What do you think about Trump’s plan to throw money at farmers?
What happens to the surplus crops?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
31 Answers
bootstraps…
Not thrilled my tax money will be essentially used to subsidize what is welfare for farmers in middle-America for votes in the mid-terms.
For some perspective on what 12 billion dollars is. About a decade ago they did a study and it would have cost about 80 billion to run fiber to 90% of the dwellings in the united states.
It’s nothing new. They’ve done it forever it seems. There’s no money in farming without subsidies.
Is it more money than we typically give to farmers?
If the republicans are ok with it, then they better be ok with it when democrat presidents do it. You know me, I can’t stand the hypocrisy.
Republicans seem to be ok with subsidies are given to farmers and corporations. “Welfare” for the working poor is basically a subsidy for businessmen. Republicans use the family farm example to get rid of estate tax (which I think is ridiculous).
I’ve always had a problem with some of the farm subsidies, I would need to know more details. Large commercial farms that make huge money every year, except the one bad one in every 20 years, I don’t agree with subsidizing that farmer or paying him to take him through the one bad year. I also don’t like the idea of the government subsidizing certain crops. Why not let the free market decide what crops are grown? Oh, free market—the republicans should be in favor of that over government interference.
I don’t know the details of the current situation.
Mostly, people who hate Trump are trying hard to get his supporters to turn on him. That’s why they are obsessing about Trump being very very far from the family values that so many of his supporters used to trot out. Now, even if Democrats before Trump did the same type of subsidies, it doesn’t matter, all that matters to the people who hate him is his supporters see that he using tax dollars. My feeling is majority of his supporters will ignore it all, and it’s a waste of time. Although, if you just sway some people it can matter. Some elections tend to be very close.
I predict more food will end up going to food cupboards and there will be a flurry of ads pushing meat, corn, and other products now being rejected by China.
The fact that the US had to throw this money at it shows the downside of trade wars. This is exactly what economists were predicting. Unfortunately no one was listening.
He breaks trade, hurts farmers, and now is considered a savior for helping them. What a cynical way to run the country!
My question: why stop with farmers? What about the people in other industries that are being laid off?
^^I just can’t help thinking a lot of farmers are republicans and other industries tend to be democrat, especially if they are unionized.
It’s a result of Trump’s trade wars. The tariffs Trump imposed on imports have led to US trade partners raising taxes on US exports such a soybeans causing the price to fall by 15% and leaving farmers with unsold crops.
The $12 billion subsidy helps farmers short term but it isn’t what they want. Farmers want stable markets so they can plan for the future. They want trade not aid as they put it.
Is this just a flat payment? This would be disastrous in the long term. Why should the farmers grow anything? If it is a rebate for goods actually sold, we end up paying our own tariff. It would be a whole lot simpler and cheaper just to eliminate tariffs on both sides.
Problem is we all still think of individual family farms when most crops are produced by huge farming corporations. These are the guys that will make money from this. Yet another form of corporate welfare.
Is this Trump move simply a form of welfare?
If the republicans rant and rave about how poverty-level people get welfare, why should the farmers be the recipients of free money for doing nothing?
@JLeslie
To be fair, the last time we let the free market decide agriculture we ended up with the Dust Bowl. So there’s that…
I see this as a crass attempt to keep the farmers on the administration’s side after they buggered up their income by making it harder to make a profit because of the tariff wars with China. So now we will borrow money from China to pay the farmers who lost money by losing the Chinese market. The art of the deal indeed!
@Darth_Algar . I see your point. There were agricultural reasons for the dust bowl mainly. We now have a greater understanding of mass agriculture, how to treat the soil, and rotate crops.
I find it interesting that 1 out of 6 children in America don’t have enough to eat, but we’re going to waste food, or push it on other countries…
I find it interesting that the farmers lost vast numbers of cheap laborers, and have now fallen victim to the beginnings of the effects of a trade war, but they will stick/sink with Trump…
When I read your question, I first took it literally; him throwing bundles of cash at farmers.
But that would be a ridiculous sight to see.
Sheer impossible.
Almost like throwing paper towels at hurricane victims.
Surplus crops end up as livestock feed.
But there’s more people who are going to be affected than just the farmers…
I’m anxious to see if I will get any benefits from Trump’s tax cuts. And if my business will suffer from his antics.
@Darth_Algar I’m definitely willing to be fair. It’s why I wondered if this is really any different than what we’ve done in the past. Some of the reporting and comments on my Facebook page make it sound like Trump is doing something out of the norm.
^^ What’s out of the norm are the tariff wars created by Trump which are causing some of the problem. The farmers don’t have the Chinese market for their soy.
We’re over here in Europe, drinking our own alcohol and eating our own cheese and driving Italian made motorbikes…. watching and laughing…. sorry,.... not sorry.
Seriously, if my kids and grandkids weren’t on this earth I’d seriously consider moving to another country.
None of this is new, 1933 the New Deal included subsides to farmer. But Trump is try to make himself out to be a hero for sending money to the farmer.
He skips the fact that his tariffs are causing the problem to start.
Lack of thinking skills and problem solving on Trump’s part.
he creates problems and then rushes in like a hero to solve them.
What is that called? Munchausen syndrome.
And utter lack of brains, @Tropical_Willie. God he is so stupid.
@MrGrimm888
Of course agricultural practices of the time were largely the cause of the soil erosion that caused the Dust Bowl. However the problem was exaerbated manyfold by farmers plowing and planting ever increasing amounts of land just to make the same amount of money the year before – due to prices falling and falling for several years.
Anyone else love the “socialist” irony to this? Many of the people cheering on Trump were just denigrating Ocasio-Cortez as wanting to turn the US into North Korea. Here Trump is increasing subsidies by the taxpayer in a boldly socialist program.
#hypocrisy
@gorillapaws Are you saying the Republican Administration, after years of demonizing Democrats for the same, are resorting to their feared and hated social program income redistribution is being hypocritical? I agree. 100%
It won’t matter. Democrats keep hoping that pointing out the irony and hypocrisy will cause Trump supporters to do a 180 in their adoration for him, but they don’t care as long as Trump is doing some of the things they want. Democrats can be the same way.
Plus, people have amnesia and false memories and plain ol’ never had it right to begin with. Look at the TARP that bailed out banks. Lots of people think Obama did it. Bush did the Tarp. Not to mention Bush handed out the money with very few requirements, then when Obama did another bundle of money who put in reporting requirements, and they were retroactive to the original TARP. Banks that didn’t need the money basically had to boost their numbers compared to the other banks. I don’t remember the details, but my husband worked in banking at the time and had to prepare some of the reporting. Yes, it’s true, bonuses were still given to compensate for frozen salaries.
My question is…WHAT FARMERS??? IF you think about it, we haven’t had any real farmers since the late 60’s or early 70’s. ALL Trump is doing is handing out MORE of our hard earned cash to corporations!!! So, the rich get richer off the backs of those of us who are really doing the actual work!!!
Of course we have real farmers! I live smack in the middle of the bread basket. The farmers are out there, working everyday.
I live in the middle of hundreds of family farms. Yes they sell to big corporation, but they are family farms some go back to 1790’s; as payment for fighting in the Revolutionary War.
Answer this question 
