Political Quotes

“Mr. President, reducing our national debt--which now exceeds $15.8 trillion--is the most critical issue facing our nation. Our country simply cannot survive if we continue down this unsustainable course. Every area of the Federal budget should be examined to determine, which programs should be priorities. Federal conservation programs are a good place to start. These programs pay farmers and ranchers to either implement conservation measures on their farms, ``working lands'', or to idle their land for conservation purposes, and ``land retirement''. Oftentimes, the financial assistance offered by these programs incentivizes what is already in the best financial interests of farmers. Natural, market-based incentives already exist to achieve the efficiency and conservation purposes of these programs without taxpayer dollars. Not only that, but these programs also pay farmers and companies that have adjusted gross incomes, AGI, of $1 million or more. Special rules allow the USDA to waive income limitations for certain programs, which it does on a regular basis. The result is millions paid to otherwise ineligible millionaires each year. In fact, over the past 2 years, USDA waived the $1 million AGI cap for the programs discussed below and paid a total of $89,032,263 to individuals or entities with an AGI of $1 million or more.…”