On the recordJuly 23, 1998
Mike, Senator Dorgan and Senator Conrad were just here with us in the Oval Office just a few minutes ago, and we were talking about this. I think the provision in their bill is going to pass. I believe it will. But I would just say to any of our listeners there, if you've got any ideas about what we can do with this program, this insurance program to make it fairer and more affordable and more functional or how it could be modified in some ways, I would urge you to directly contact Secretary Glickman or write to us here at the White House, because I am hearing from farmers all over the country that it's simply not working. And as Dan Glickman said, it's really not like buying car insurance or home insurance or something like that. It's almost like buying flood insurance in a 25-year flood plain where you just have no control over what's going to happen. But we have a national interest in seeing that land, which is highly productive, in North Dakota be planted. So I think the whole concept behind the requirement that it be, quote, ``actuarially sound'' misperceives the facts there. And I don't believe the Congress meant to say we don't want anybody planting in North Dakota anymore because they've had floods and disease and pests and everything. I don't believe that was the intent of the act of Congress. So I think this is one where an honest error was made, and we would like to correct it and if you've got any ideas, for goodness sakes, give them to us. [Secretary Glickman introduced Bart Walker from WGNS in Murfreesboro, TN, who said that economic success in his area had driven up population, resulting in family farms being turned into subdivisions; while at the same time, most students majoring in agriculture at Middle Tennessee State University went into related fields rather than farming. Mr. Walker asked if there were plans for low interest loans that would enable and encourage students to take up farming.]
Source
govinfo.gov
