Washington, Thursday, July 26, 2007
Floor Speech
WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2007 -- (House of Representatives - July 26, 2007)
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Mr. LUCAS. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Kind amendment.
This amendment, I believe, is a threat to producers, consumers and rural America. We must do everything we can to defeat this amendment. The amendment destroys the commodity title, in essence, as we know it.
I know it's not as strong as the language they started out with a few days ago, but it starts us down that trail. By cutting the direct payments by 42 percent, by completely revealing, in effect, the counter-cyclical program, this is completely unacceptable and would do more harm to production agriculture than anything I can think of.
We in agriculture understand that the commodity title is much more than just producers. It's about providing the American consumer with the highest quality, the safest supply of food and fiber in the history of the world.
We have done that. In fact, we in the United States have the most affordable food supply in the world. We Americans spend 10 percent of our disposable income on food, while other countries spend as much as 51 percent on their food.
This is no accident. This is because we have created sound agricultural policy over the last 75 years. We have had 10 good years of agriculture policy in particular. We need to continue to build on that. If we can't, well, if we gut the foundation that we have created in past farm bills, then ultimately not only will rural America suffer for this, the American consumer will suffer for this, with higher prices, instability in supply, and that role that we have occupied for a century as the grainery, the reserve food stock for the world, will be gone.
I think, I believe, my colleagues are sincere in what they do. But sometimes sincerity does not generate clear, thoughtful, practical policy. Reject their version of sincerity. Let's focus on the policy that has delivered so much to the American consumer and rural America.
Reject this amendment.
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