Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, where do I begin? I guess it was JFK who said the farmer is the only businessman who--I think he said it this way--who buys retail, sells wholesale, and pays freight both ways. So we are comparing apples and oranges here with a business that is, say, I don't know, an accountant maybe--I don't know, Mr. Chairman--and a farmer. Farming is inherently risky, so that is not even debatable. The issue we have here, though, is is it worth it to us as a nation to make an investment in our national security? Our ability to feed ourselves is absolutely crucial to our national security, number one. Number two, we support our farmers at a fraction of what the rest of the world does, and so we get much better value, much better return on investment. I think the disposable income of an average American is somewhere in the 12 percent range, what we spend on food; and if you think about and compare it to, say, in Europe where they are upwards of 20 percent and Japan in the 25 percent range of their disposable income, we get a much better return, much, much better value to the taxpayer.”