Richard Gephardt: “rural America is in a crisis. Farmers across this country are struggling to survive natural disasters and commodity…”

“rural America is in a crisis. Farmers across this country are struggling to survive natural disasters and commodity prices that are at a two-decade low. Driven down by the economic slide in Asia, farmers are being forced to sell crops at prices that don't even cover production costs. They need our help. When hedge-funds ran into trouble because of the impact of a global economic tidal wave, our government took strong action. We need to take the same kind of immediate steps to shore up the farm economy, which is as important to our economy and our national standard of living as the health and stability of the financial markets. America's farmers have never failed us. But too often we have taken their hard work for granted. America has the best in quantity and quality of food products--produced at low prices and with an efficiency that is a model for the world. Agriculture is vital to the economic success of this country. It is one of our export leaders. But in 1996, when we passed the Republican farm bill, we cut the safety net out from under our farmers. Now, we are reaping the effects of that misguided effort. Thanks to the Republican Freedom to Farm bill, the only freedom farmers still have is the freedom to fail. They face hardship and even ruin because of a financial crisis not of their making and a 1996 Republican farm bill which still makes no sense. For months we having been begging with the majority to listen to farmers--to help farmers.…”