“This is my fifth farm bill, and this is the weirdest,” said one expert who requested anonymity.
And so, the drama continues. Drama mostly for wonks, of course, what with the Olympics and the Presidential campaigns and whatnot. For the most part, people are not aware that production taking place on Capitol Hill makes Danny Boyle’s Bizarro World on Glastonbury Tor look like Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood. (Perhaps that should be “Neighbourhood.” I’ll have to ask Anthony Kennedy.) For the first time since I don’t know when, the political battle is breaking down much more along sectional lines than party affiliation. Members of Congress from both parties who represent farm states are extremely eager to get a bill passed before Election Day. Some hard-line fiscally conservative Republicans are vowing not to vote for any Farm Bill, while some hard-line liberal Democrats are vowing not to vote for anything that cuts food stamps.
Speaker Boehner has introduced a bill that would extend the current Farm Bill for a year past its September 30 expiration date. Not surprisingly, no one trusts the Speaker, least of all members of his own party. In his defense, Boehner has had to make a lot of people unhappy in order to keep the lights on in the Rayburn Building, but it’s this kind of distrust that makes Standard and Poor’s throw your credit rating in the crapper. Worst of all, if it doesn’t rain soon, trying to pass a Farm Bill next summer will be no easier than this. Grain prices are fixin’ to push the cost of corn, wheat, and soybeans and everything that is made from corn, wheat, and soybeans (read “food”) through the roof.
There is some positive news. Kids are eating in Buncombe County. A lot of kids are eating this summer. The Buncombe County schools have opened the doors to their cafeterias, brought food to places kids congregate (like swimming pools) and really gone out of their way to get children involved in the “Super Summer” program. It’s not easy to do, and it is at best a break-even proposition based on federal reimbursement rates. Those federal reimbursements could go away under a new Farm Bill, so we need to let the people who put the programs on know how much we appreciate their work. If you want to say thanks to Buncombe County Schools for serving kids this summer, and encourage them to keep the demand up for federal support for this work, please go fill out this quick Thank You letter. I did it, and it was easy.