Gilbert Gutknecht: “Mark Twain said there are lies, there are damn lies, and then there are statistics. It has been interesting to listen to…”

“Mark Twain said there are lies, there are damn lies, and then there are statistics. It has been interesting to listen to the debate. We have heard a lot of statistics, and I am going to share some of my own. I am one of the few Members that serves on both the Committee on Agriculture as well as the Committee on the Budget. We have heard this term 'subsidy' thrown around so freely here tonight as we talk the sugar program. I would like to just read from the Economic Research Service put out by the USDA, their latest report, the Agriculture Outlook, September 2001. This is what the sugar program costs in 1993. We had a net profit to the Federal taxpayers of $35 million. In 1994, we had a net profit of $24 million. In 1995, the taxpayers made $3 million. In 1996, it was $63 million; and the next year, it was $34 million. The next year, we made a profit of $30 million. In 1999, we made $51 million. It is true in fiscal year 2000 it cost the Federal taxpayers $465 million. Now, that was not the fault of the sugar beet growers or the sugar cane growers, it was not the fault of the farmers in the United States, it was the fault of failed trade policies. It was the fault of the Federal Government of not doing its job of policing the system. Do not blame the farmers for our failures by the bureaucrats here in Washington. That is what this amendment is all about. This has been a very successful program.”