[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hYPQETfoQA&feature=player_embedded#[/youtube]
Michele Bachmann has become well known for her anti-government tea-bagger antics, protesting health care reform and every other government “handout†as socialism. What her followers probably don’t know is that Rep. Bachmann is, to use that anti-government slur, something of a welfare queen. That’s right, the anti-government insurrectionist has taken more than a quarter-million dollars in government handouts thanks to corrupt farming subsidies she has been collecting for at least a decade.
And she’s not the only one who has been padding her bank account with taxpayer money.
Bachmann, of Minnesota, has spent much of this year agitating against health care reform, whipping up the so-called tea-baggers with stories of death panels and rationed health care. She has called for a revolution against what she sees as Barack Obama’s attempted socialist takeover of America, saying presidential policy is “reaching down the throat and ripping the guts out of freedom.â€
But data compiled from federal records by Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit watchdog that tracks the recipients of agricultural subsidies in the United States, shows that Bachmann has an inner Marxist that is perfectly at ease with profiting from taxpayer largesse. According to the organization’s records, Bachmann’s family farm received $251,973 in federal subsidies between 1995 and 2006. The farm had been managed by Bachmann’s recently deceased father-in-law and took in roughly $20,000 in 2006 and $28,000 in 2005, with the bulk of the subsidies going to dairy and corn. Both dairy and corn are heavily subsidized—or “socializedâ€â€”businesses in America (in 2005 alone, Washington spent $4.8 billion propping up corn prices) and are subject to strict government price controls. These subsidies are at the heart of America’s bizarre planned agricultural economy and as far away from Michele Bachmann’s free-market dream world as Cuba’s free medical system. If American farms such as hers were forced to compete in the global free market, they would collapse.
However, Bachmann doesn’t think other Americans should benefit from such protection and assistance. She voted against every foreclosure relief bill aimed at helping average homeowners (despite the fact that her district had the highest foreclosure rate in Minnesota), saying that bailing out homeowners would be “rewarding the irresponsible while punishing those who have been playing by the rules.†That’s right, the subsidy queen wants the rest of us to be responsible.
Listen to the whole video, he mentions Princess Steffy’s family taking $800,000 in farm subsidies.
“away from Michele Bachmann’s free-market dream world as Cuba’s free medical system. If American farms such as hers were forced to compete in the global free market, they would collapse.”
This is a complete pile of crap. They got all of $25K a year and they want us to believe that’s the difference between success and failure?
and when did Cuba’s Health system ever achieve the same global status as our Agricultural community? It’s always sucked and it would actually collapse if the Govt. subsidies ended. If it did, you know who would suffer? Cubans, the question is whether they’d notice or not. If our Ag Economy collapsed the World would suffer and several regimes including China would be overrun by their starving citizens.
“They got all of $25K a year and they want us to believe that’s the difference between success and failure?”
Ironically the average yearly salary of about 50% of working South Dakotans. But hey, why work for it when you can fuck over the system?
As for farm subsidies, they are corrupt. First off most of them go towards big farmers and farm corps, and the little that does trickle down to the little man is usually based on what the farmer says and can prove, not what is truthful.
As usual, Sy has missed the point.
The point being: Michelle Bachmann as well as the rest of the ruling elite (think Princess Stephanie) has deemed it improper for poor people to have access to health care or food stamps because they deem it “socialism.”
And yet, when the wealthiest among us game the system in order to receive welfare to purchase new pickup trucks and build larger and larger homes every year they call it “capitalism” and “subsidies.”
In short, to them, it’s only “socialism” if it goes to those who need it.
Sy stumbles over his own conservative illogic: “…$25K a year and they want us to believe that’s the difference between success and failure?” (In other words, they don’t really need it.)
But then at the end of his confused argument, Sy says: “…If our Ag Economy collapsed…” (intimating that they DO need it or they’ll suffer catastrophic collapse.)
Which is it Sy? The Bachmanns and the Sandlins et. al. need that welfare – or they don’t?
How many families could have total health care with the “all of $25k a year” that Michelle doesn’t really need? Or the $80k a year that Steffi’s family got?
In short, to them, it’s only “socialism†if it goes to those who need it….
….Which is it Sy? The Bachmanns and the Sandlins et. al. need that welfare – or they don’t?
Randall
It would appear Randall has you by the shorthairs SY. So….which is it?
Oh no, I smell a Sy novel in the making.
This might be a classic case of – don’t hate the player… hate the game.
Sure it is hypocritical to whine about socialism while accepting a government handout I’ll give you that, but do you really expect anyone (Democrat or Republican) to turn down “free” money?
Heck – can any of us actually say with a straight face that we would refuse to accept subsidies if we qualified to have them? I dare say the answer is no.
Thus, I don’t really think it is a matter of needing it or not needing it – I think it is a matter of it being available and them being fools if they didn’t accept it. I don’t give a damn if someone makes $700k a year… if someone offers them $25k and they turn it down, they are simply being a moron.
Clearly we have issues with federal subsidies and I’ve argued for years that they should be phased out, but I don’t expect to see it in my lifetime.
I have learned a long time ago that people are more than willing to be hypocrites if it involves a benefit to their own pocketbook… it would seem in this case Bachmann is no different than anyone else. It is simply human nature, and to refuse such funds would be the exception – not the norm.
In the interest of full disclosure, and before anyone asks, I’m not the recipient of any federal agriculture subsidies – so this isn’t just a case of me trying to justify my own actions. I just don’t find this all that shocking and frankly would expect the same from anyone (regardless of their political leanings).
Oh, I agree, Costner, I got an EPA grant for my lead door in my house to replace it, I didn’t turn it down. But I don’t go around bitching about socialism, and I pay taxes. Certain things are ‘owed’ to tax payers, that is why we pay taxes. I pay a lot in income taxes for what I make, I expect a little jiggy back.
And Kristi Noem got $3mill?