Counterpunch: Trump's Farm Bailout: a $12 Billion PR Stunt

[erpowers]

Despite strong continued support for President Trump in rural America, farmers fear they will bear the brunt of the retaliatory tariffs from the President’s trade war.

Farm country can ill afford it: in February, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicted 2018 crop profits would hit a 12-year low. Dairy farmers’ prices have fallen 30% in two years, while pork producers have seen a price drop of roughly $20 per head. Overall farm incomes are down nearly 50% from 2013. Long before the trade war began, I and many other farmers feared we were in a farm crisis as bad as that of the 1980s. Now we know it will be even worse.

While the President has said he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and not lose support, he also knows who butters his bread. And so, we have a new $12 billion emergency aid package for farmers to ease the sting of the tariffs, clearly designed to keep his rural base firmly behind him. But will it actually solve farmers’ problems? I doubt it.

Snip

Trump’s trade war will cause irreparable damage to the farm sector, but we were bleeding long before he took to Twitter. If the President really wants to help farmers – and consumers, the environment, and taxpayers – he would lobby for a US supply management program, not a $12 billion PR stunt.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/08/03/trumps-farm-bailout-a-12-billion-pr-stunt/

I am not sure a supply management program will go over well in the United States. Maybe the farmers will accept it, but I doubt Republican politicians will support the policy. Still, it might be interesting to see how such a policy would play out.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. Farmers should know they are being CONNED.....

By Trump to pay for their own bailout for the mess HE created. How dumb can they be to believe such snake oil?

[no_hypocrisy]

2. What about this?

The farmers lose their profits for lack of sales, $12 billion or not. They owe money to the bank(s) for seed, fertilizer, equipment, maintenance of the equipment, transport fees. They can't pay their debts.

They are forced from the properties that their grandfathers (maybe further back) developed and handed down to them. Fire sales for huge swaths of land. And Agri-Business waiting to snatch it up for a bargain.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. On Top Of That. . .

. . .the $12 billion thing is not going to work for just one year. The trade war isn't going to evaporate, so if the US digs in its heels and these things go on for a long while, the $12 billion becomes an annual expenditure.

That's even stupider than where we are already at.

[Swede]

6. Not to mention permanently lost markets.

Customers will not look at the US as a reliable supplier and move on.

[AwakeAtLast]

7. Oh yeah, it's a land grab

And the farmers I grew up with are still bowing down to Herr Drumpf.

Pre-depression flags is what I see.

[duforsure]

4. For those that still believe him

I got a bridge t sell you. He's conning them again. He has excuses for everything , and will continue feeding them promises, propaganda , and BS. That's how he does , and has been doing his whole career to especially working people.

[RestoreAmerica2020]

5. And, they'll still vote for odious traitor--as Pres. Johnson said

... "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."

[oberliner]

8. Counterpunch?

Seriously?