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May 9, 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Last week, I talked about the farm bill and prospects for passage. This week, I want to focus on a series of current issues. These are my thoughts:
Immigration Reform – We desperately need to get it done. If we don’t, who’s going to milk the cows? Who’s going to butcher the hogs? Agriculture is pushing to pass the legislation. Even president Obama is behind a bill. It’s certainly not done yet, but I am still optimistic.
Spending and Budgets – We don’t have any consensus here. The House budget,
according to Paul Ryan, if it passed, would bring us into balance in 10 years. The Senate budget relies much more on new taxes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do anything to deal with the run-away entitlement programs of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. President Obama’s budget takes a small step toward reducing the entitlement programs, but still projects deficits as far as the eye can see. There is one item in the President’s plan that has gone almost unnoticed. In order to raise more money, he wants to take away the relief that small businesses and farmers got with estate tax changes passed at the end of last year. He wants to raise the tax rate from 40% to 45% and lower the exemption from $5 million to $3.5 million – also eliminate the inflation index. After the improvement in the law that we just got, he wants to take it away. I don’t expect that will happen. I don’t think any of the three budgets will be enacted. Will we get a compromise bill? Even that is doubtful. A side note is that Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, has announced his plan to retire at the end of this term. He has been a champion for ag interest – a supporter of immigration reform and a defender of reducing the burden of the death tax. I worked with Max Baucus when I was Secretary of Agriculture. He will be missed.
Syria – there is no easy solution. Do we arm the opposition? Do we establish a “no fly” zone? President Obama is being criticized for not doing enough. I think he is right to hold back. The thing we don’t need is another war. Let the Middle East boil in their own oil. They don’t want us to help them anyway.
In closing, I would encourage you to access my website which archives my radio commentaries dating back 10 years and will go back 20 years when complete. Check on what I said back then. Go to http://www.johnblockreports.com.
Next week, I will be down on the farm. Let’s get that planter in the field. I am John Block, reporting from Washington.
Previous Weeks
More Cliffs Ahead
January 10 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
It’s a new year with some new challenges, but many of the old challenges are still with us.
We have a farm bill extension to carry us through this year. Milk prices won’t double. It looks like all…
Merry Christmas
December 27 2012
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
I hope you had a Merry Christmas this week. This is a joyous time of year as we celebrate the birth of Christ. Friends and family all come together to give thanks for our blessings. We know everything is…
Food Stamps for a Week
December 20 2012
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
So, the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker, went on food stamps for a week. Big deal! He has been on TV and interviewed by countless newspapers. Well, just for the record, I went on food stamps…
Cabinet Secretaries Lunch
December 13 2012
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Last Friday, I hosted the Cabinet Secretaries Lunch at the famous Blair House. The Blair House is right across the street from the White House and provides overnight lodging for foreign leaders visiting…
The Debt
December 6 2012
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
I am still fuming over Secretary of the Treasury Geithner’s remarks on CBS Face The Nation last weekend. Of course, he stated again that the way to attack our debt problem is to tax the rich. That’s…
Food Waste
November 29 2012
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Every time I pick up a paper, I read about hungry people. Just to keep pace, we will have to double food production by 2050. If we don’t raise more food, millions will starve. What are we going to…
Thanksgiving
November 22 2012
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
We just celebrated Thanksgiving. I know some of our citizens might have wondered if the good outweighs the bad. We have 8% unemployment. We suffered the worst drought in decades. Our economy is…
Denmark
November 15 2012
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
We have an organization called the Agribusiness Club that meets monthly for lunch. This year, I am serving as Chairman of the group. I invited Kansas Senator Pat Roberts to speak to us this week.
…Farm Broadcasters Annual Convention
November 8 2012
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
I’m talking to you by phone from Kansas City where the Farm Broadcasters Annual Convention is in progress. Yesterday, I was privileged to have been part of their featured Newsmaker Session with…