Drought Aid – Thoughts From The Middle of Nowhere

<a href="http://www.brownfieldnetwork.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=E1F13B84-EB33-E04B-0E9341A02EF80B79" >Drought aid still dependent on President Bush</a> n n<blockquote>Drought aid may get through Congress by the first of the year, but only if President Bush goes along. That’s what South Dakota Democratic Senator Tim Johnson told the Women Involved in Farm Economics (WIFE) Annual Convention in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Saturday. n nAccording to Johnson, the new Democratic majority in Congress will have to work closely with President Bush if it wants to get anything meaningful done for agriculture including drought disaster aid. And Johnson said drought relief will have to be narrowly tailored if it's going to pass Congress during the upcoming lame-duck session. n n"We may have to tweak it here and there in term of better targeting, and I'm all for that anyway," Johnson told Brownfield. "And so there is some possibility that we could get a disaster package through the lame duck session," he added. "We're sure going to try."</blockquote> n nThere is still talk about drought aid around. I will have to see it to believe it. What I found interesting in this story was the final paragraph. n n<blockquote>Pothoff says WIFE supports inclusion of a permanent disaster aid title in the next farm bill. That's a provision also supported by incoming House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota and other farm state lawmakers.</blockquote> n nPermanent Disaster Aid!!!! How in the hell will that work! Are we going to start planning our disasters from year to year ahead of time so it can be supported by the Farm Bill? I wonder what they have planned in the way of disaster for this area next year. Drought, locusts, plague? Hope they let us know ahead of time. This sounds ludicrous to me. n nIn politics stupidity is not a handicap. Napoleon Bonaparte