Letter to the Editor – Rural America
As Election Day approaches, we’re seeing the rhetoric get more vitriolic. There’ve been times when I’ve admittedly embraced this ugliness. I’ve decided to follow Obama’s lead and make the remainder of this campaign about plans and policies.
I want to start with Obama’s plan to improve lives in rural America, including many of the families in Ellis County. That begins with leveling the playing field for family farms struggling to compete with the huge corporate mega-farms to get their crops and livestock to market. Obama will implement a $250,000 payment limit and close loopholes so corporate agribusinesses aren’t abusing the subsidies and tax breaks intended for individual and family farms. Obama will also implement and enforce country of origin labeling. Obama understands the need to cultivate a new generation of farmers and ranchers, particularly organic, and proposes a new program partnering with land grant universities and programs such as 4-H and FFA to provide education and training to young farmers, halting the depletion of family farming. Obama’s a supporter of the Farm Bill and attended Farm Aid at the personal request of Willie Nelson.
Farming is not the only aspect of rural life. Obama’s plan also includes incentives for medical professionals, teachers, and businesses to move to rural areas; expanded rural broadband; increased rural infrastructure; protections of sportsmen’s rights; and a crackdown on methamphetamine manufacturing, a plague on rural life.
I planned a complete comparison with McCain’s plan for rural America, but there’s really not one. The rural section of his website shows his standard rhetoric, “Establishing a comprehensive energy strategy”, “Controlling taxation and regulation”, “Eliminating wasteful government spending”, interchangeable under any number of topics. He opposed the Farm Bill and endorses Brazilian ethanol over American ethanol. It appears McCain’s opposition of “Buy American” initiatives extends past manufacturing into agriculture.
Rodney A Hopper II
