Political Quotes

“recently, the Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin- based national dairy farm magazine, Hoard's Dairyman, on its editorial page, expressed its support for the continuation of the Northeast Dairy Compact and allowing other regions of the country to form their own compacts. As a representative of a Congressional District with a large dairy producing population, and as a strong advocate of States' rights, I implore my fellow Members to keep an open mind on the complex interstate dairy compact issues. I would like to read this thought-provoking editorial from the prestigious dairy magazine from the heart of dairy country, Wisconsin. ``Editorial comment: Compact Divisiveness Could Damage Our Industry. Hoard's Dairyman. Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. July 2001. ``Dairy compacts, in the eyes of their proponents, help stabilize and boost dairy farmer incomes by flooring Class I prices. Opponents see compacts as an unconstitutional restraint of commerce, a rip-off of consumers and processors, and distortion of supply and demand. We see the compact ``cup'' as being half full rather than half empty. That is why we support continuation and extension of the compact concept. We do so for the same reasons we work together to improve and stabilize their incomes. ``To us, compact pricing is of little difference to the overorder Class I premiums negotiated across the country by the dozen or more groups of dairy co-ops working together. Compacts are different in that they are not voluntary.…”