Of course not. They are statist Democrats, after all. Got to keep the federal gravy train of subsidies going.
What whould farmers do if we stopped paying them for not growing anything? Why, they might just be forced to actually adapt modern business practices!
Imagine if Uncle Sam no longer cuts checks for artists so they could spend their time tossing cow dung at a painting of the Virgin Mary? They might be forced to go out and find real jobs, or at least a patron who wants them to produce commercially viable art.
No, and damn that bumbling moron Bush for not creating any for them.
3.
Gareth
Republicans are the biggest supporters of farm subsidies, at least for large, corporate (“modern”?) agro-industry. At least this guy says from the outset that he’s ill informed.
Maybe not. Ditto for 2.5 million+ of their fellow citizens.
5.
Gregory Litchfield
If by “that guy” you mean me, Gareth, I beg to differ. I happen to be quite peeved at the GOP’s continuing efforts to prop up a failed and outdated system of agriculture by throwing money at it.
But I think much of the Dems. are every bit as responsible. There seem to be few voices, on either side of the political divide, calling for a serious look at our farm subsidies. Hundreds of millions in the 3rd world go hunrgy every year, and the American taxpayer is funding a system that pays farmers in one of the most fertile and agriculturally productive nations on Earth not to grow anything so that they can inflate their prices.
Furthermore, the system of agriculture subsidies artificially increases the proces of foreign agricultural goods, which are often the only real exports 3rd world nations have to offer. We keep the world’s poor…well…poor.
Who else loses? The American taxpayer, that’s who. We pay higher prices for food than we should have to. The market forces that other sections of American commerce have been forced to adapt to are entirely absent when it comes to agriculture.
And what does the Democratic party have to offer? Not much. The same pathetic system of propping up inefficient family farms, for reasons which appear can be reduced to simple nostalgia.
I am fairly well-versed on the ins and outs and whathaveyous of agricultural subsidies, Gareth. I’ve look at them, and found that the Dems have about as much to offers as the Repubs. Nothing.
Nope. Almost seven years of Bush presidencies and we’re down over 2 million jobs (remember that the economy needs to create new jobs, just to keep unemployement levels the same).
interesting trollxor, that appears to be a digit for everyone who lost their jobs in the last hour of the Bush economy, leaving them nothing else to do but ride amtrak (talk about subsidies some more) to iowa and caucus for the good doctor :)
9.
Andrew J. Lazarus
I just have this weird feeling that if they were going door-to-door for Bush, Balloon Juice would celebrate their commitment, even to the extent of using their vacation days. (With the caucus on a long weekend, my wife doesn’t even need to do that.)
10.
Bruce
There are over five million more jobs in the US today than there were when Bush took office. No jobs have been lost. Tons of Jobs have been created. But the population growth is outpacing job growth.
More evidence that those on the left make stuff up just like Dean. Only to have to retract it when the truth comes out to bite you!
Bruce writes that there are 5 million more jobs today then when Bush took office.
This, of course, is a lie. Why did you lie to the people, Bruce?
Looking at the BLS employment numbers, Dec 2003 (seas. adj) Full-Time employement was 114,597,000. Bush took office in late Jan 2001, so I’ll give him the feb 2001 number which was 114,011,000. The difference is obviously less than 5 million.
In fact, to get to a point when the difference was actually 5 million less jobs than today, we would have to go back to April 1999. Who was it that created all of those jobs between April 1999 and Feb 2001?
Gregory Litchfield
Of course not. They are statist Democrats, after all. Got to keep the federal gravy train of subsidies going.
What whould farmers do if we stopped paying them for not growing anything? Why, they might just be forced to actually adapt modern business practices!
Imagine if Uncle Sam no longer cuts checks for artists so they could spend their time tossing cow dung at a painting of the Virgin Mary? They might be forced to go out and find real jobs, or at least a patron who wants them to produce commercially viable art.
Slartibartfast
“Don’t these people have jobs?”
No, and damn that bumbling moron Bush for not creating any for them.
Gareth
Republicans are the biggest supporters of farm subsidies, at least for large, corporate (“modern”?) agro-industry. At least this guy says from the outset that he’s ill informed.
Oliver
Maybe not. Ditto for 2.5 million+ of their fellow citizens.
Gregory Litchfield
If by “that guy” you mean me, Gareth, I beg to differ. I happen to be quite peeved at the GOP’s continuing efforts to prop up a failed and outdated system of agriculture by throwing money at it.
But I think much of the Dems. are every bit as responsible. There seem to be few voices, on either side of the political divide, calling for a serious look at our farm subsidies. Hundreds of millions in the 3rd world go hunrgy every year, and the American taxpayer is funding a system that pays farmers in one of the most fertile and agriculturally productive nations on Earth not to grow anything so that they can inflate their prices.
Furthermore, the system of agriculture subsidies artificially increases the proces of foreign agricultural goods, which are often the only real exports 3rd world nations have to offer. We keep the world’s poor…well…poor.
Who else loses? The American taxpayer, that’s who. We pay higher prices for food than we should have to. The market forces that other sections of American commerce have been forced to adapt to are entirely absent when it comes to agriculture.
And what does the Democratic party have to offer? Not much. The same pathetic system of propping up inefficient family farms, for reasons which appear can be reduced to simple nostalgia.
I am fairly well-versed on the ins and outs and whathaveyous of agricultural subsidies, Gareth. I’ve look at them, and found that the Dems have about as much to offers as the Repubs. Nothing.
Zach
Nope. Almost seven years of Bush presidencies and we’re down over 2 million jobs (remember that the economy needs to create new jobs, just to keep unemployement levels the same).
tr0llx0r
I, for one, wolcome 1000 digits of pi.
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Sean
interesting trollxor, that appears to be a digit for everyone who lost their jobs in the last hour of the Bush economy, leaving them nothing else to do but ride amtrak (talk about subsidies some more) to iowa and caucus for the good doctor :)
Andrew J. Lazarus
I just have this weird feeling that if they were going door-to-door for Bush, Balloon Juice would celebrate their commitment, even to the extent of using their vacation days. (With the caucus on a long weekend, my wife doesn’t even need to do that.)
Bruce
There are over five million more jobs in the US today than there were when Bush took office. No jobs have been lost. Tons of Jobs have been created. But the population growth is outpacing job growth.
More evidence that those on the left make stuff up just like Dean. Only to have to retract it when the truth comes out to bite you!
mike the analyst
Most of you are wrong! They DO have jobs – see:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/01/15/MNGQA4AEUL1.DTL
for profiles on some of these people….
(Hattip to Polipundit)
Hipocrite
Bruce writes that there are 5 million more jobs today then when Bush took office.
This, of course, is a lie. Why did you lie to the people, Bruce?
Looking at the BLS employment numbers, Dec 2003 (seas. adj) Full-Time employement was 114,597,000. Bush took office in late Jan 2001, so I’ll give him the feb 2001 number which was 114,011,000. The difference is obviously less than 5 million.
In fact, to get to a point when the difference was actually 5 million less jobs than today, we would have to go back to April 1999. Who was it that created all of those jobs between April 1999 and Feb 2001?
Slartibartfast
Apparently, it’s not a jobless recovery after all.