Marshall Sanford: “Mr. Chairman, I would say just prefacing my remarks that I have the utmost respect for the gentleman from New Mexico…”

“Mr. Chairman, I would say just prefacing my remarks that I have the utmost respect for the gentleman from New Mexico (Chairman Skeen) and the way he has consistently watched out for the interest of farmers and ranchers across the West. For that matter, I would say that I have got the utmost respect for the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) and how he watches out for the ranchers in his district, and the same of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla), who is not here right now but I suspect who will be walking down toward the floor. That having been said, I think what needs to be remembered is, in as good of a job as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) will do in watching out for ranchers in his district, the larger question always needs to be is, that may be good and he is doing the right job of a Congressman in protecting folk in his district, but is it the best in terms of national policy? When I look at wool and mohair subsidies over a long and fairly tortured past, I think the answer has to be no. In fact, if anything, I see this as more of a horror show, those horror shows where Freddie hops up out of the coffin with the chainsaw running; one thought he was dead, one thought he was in the coffin to stay, but he is back up and at it. That is how these wool and mohair subsidies have gone basically over 50 years.”