Mark Dayton: “19 Minnesota counties were declared disaster areas last year because of severe flooding. Many of those same counties…”

“19 Minnesota counties were declared disaster areas last year because of severe flooding. Many of those same counties were devastated the year before. In fact, many of the same farmers lost their entire crops in both of the last 2 years. That is real disaster. Whether it is a record drought in South Dakota or flooding in Minnesota, we know the vicissitudes of Mother Nature are ones that no farmer can predict and no farmer, in this case, can survive. Last year the Senate bill contained disaster assistance. We understood that it did not make sense to have a bill where if you suffered some loss--you were going to get a lower price--you were going to get a countercyclical payment, but if you suffered complete loss, you would get nothing at all. But the House would not agree to that because the administration was opposed to it. I was confused for a while about the administration talking about 'compassionate conservative' because I thought they meant both the words together. But I have concluded they mean one or the other. If it is tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country, then they are very compassionate. If they are talking about farmers who are on the brink of disaster, they are very conservative. For big corporations and, indeed, new tax shelters, they are very compassionate. For unemployed workers, they are very conservative. In this case, we need more compassion.”