Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, this amendment, which I am pleased to offer along with my friend from Massachusetts, Mr. Kennedy, will significantly reform taxpayer subsidies to cotton growers. As you know, the Cotton Program is the epitome of corporate welfare. Everyone involved with the Cotton Program gets a subsidy--except the taxpayers who foot the bill. The Cotton Program is an affront to hard-working American citizens who are forced to finance these corporate hand outs. Since 1986, taxpayers have forked over an average of $1.5 billion each year to inflate the profits of producers. For every dollar that the cotton conglomerates made by selling their cotton, the taxpayers were forced to spend another 33 cents to support the Cotton Program. Now, many believe that farm programs such as the Cotton Program benefit small farmers. That's simply not true: The Cotton Program benefits a few powerful special interests. The top 20 percent of cotton producers reap some 80 percent of the Cotton Program's benefits. And in 1993 alone, four of the largest cotton growers received more than $1 million in Government payments, while one cotton magnate received a staggering $4.4 million.”