Subsidies Grow Bigger Down on the Farm

OUR COUNTRY IS IN BIG TROUBLE!
ONLY HILLARY HAS BETTER PLAN TO TAKE US OUT FROM THIS BIG MASS.
IF LOVE YOUR COUNTRY VOTE FOR HILLARY!!!

I tried to post before, so if this double-posts, I apologize in advance.

I find it interesting that the election articles that allow all sides to call each other names get pages of comments, but for something like this that actually effects every American, there's hardly any. Our political parties and media have used the Great and Powerful Oz trick on us so that we pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

I'm not a fan of Bush, to put it mildly, but I agree with him in that he should veto this farm bill. It doesn't help so-called family farms - it helps huge corporate farms. They grow commodities, not food that directly feeds us - it has to go through giant feed lots and be processed into high fructose corn syrup. We're subsidizing the government to kill us off slowly. This bill is getting thru congress because Big Agra has a powerful lobby that spends a lot of money (which they get from us as subsidies - the wheel goes round in circles).

WILL OBAMA REALLY TELL MILLIONS OF AMERICANS THEY DON’T COUNT?

MICHIGAN HAS ANOTHER ELECTION IN AUGUST --- THE DNC NEEDS TO PUT OBAMA AND CLINTON ON THE MICHIGAN TICKET!

IF OBAMA DOES NOT AGREE TO THIS --- HE WILL BE TELL ING MILLIONS OF AMERICANS THAT THEY DON’T COUNT!

OBAMA ONLY CARES ABOUT WHAT HE WANTS.

HE WAS ON THE FLORIDA BALLOT. COUNT FLORIDA’S VOTES.

IF OBAMA DOES NOT AGREE TO THIS --- THEN HE IS NOT AN AMERICAN.

WE HAVE 50 STATES. LET ALL OF AMERICAN'S VOTES COUNT.

COME NOVEMBER, WE'LL SEE A NEW SET OF RULES --- THE BIASED MEDIA AND THE DNCCAN'T PROTECT THE GOLDEN BOY FOREVER!

IF OUR DELEGATES IGNORE OUR “VOICES” AND DON'T SPEAK FOR US --- VOTE THEM OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. CLEAN OUT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO DON’T DO THEIR JOB!

VOTE COUNTRY --- NOT PARTY --- WE ARE AMERICANS FIRST!

IF THE DNC HAD VETTED OBAMA, HE WOULDN'T BE IN THIS RACE --- EDWARDS WOULD BE.

I hear the Swift Boat bells a-ringing! It's music to my ears!

THINK ABOUT IT! Obama does have a lot of terrorist friends. DON'T FORGET 9/11, WRIGHT, AYERS, REZKO, HAMAS, FARRAKHAN AND MANY OTHERS!

We really don’t need a “former” Muslim, so-called “Christian” (ho attends an anti-American church, which spews "God Damn America" to its congregation), in the White House. OBAMA DENOUNCES WRIGHT AFTER HIS POLL NUMBERS DROP.

Obama's anti-American wife doesn’t qualify as a first lady.

Obama can’t make up his mind who he is --- and we don’t need him pushing the “button”! He is not a uniter. He does not have a political track record. He couldn’t answer tough questions in the debate, so now he’s making false promises.

COME NOVEMBER, WE'LL SEE A NEW SET OF RULES --- THE BIASED MEDIA CAN'T PROTECT THE GOLDEN BOY FOREVER!

It is interesting that this is the one time that we've seen the current administration even mildly suggest that our system of government has become ridiculously tilted towards the wealthy. Everything else they do seems to suggest that they somewhat want to emulate the mainland Chinese system of government that centers around having an elite political party that maintains control over the masses by keeping them estranged from that societies wealth benefits. Insiders get all the goodies, outsiders can go pound sand. One wonders just what the real agenda is here as it is so utterly alien for the Republicans to suggest that corporate welfare not be continued? Maybe it's just an election year ploy to make the party seem remotely interested in the common citizen.

OBAMA/SEBELIUS TICKET! YOU BETCHA

Top ten Obama Vice Presidential picks
http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2008/05/whos-going-to-f.html
So it's Obama. But who's going to fill the second slot on the
Democratic ticket?

1) Hillary Clinton

Many believe Obama will have to offer the VP slot to Clinton. Andrew
Sullivan called it the hate-filled dream ticket. But will she accept
it? If Obama loses, she may see a 2012 race opening up before her.

Al_for_vp 2) Al Gore

He's certainly got the experience. But the eco-warrior probably has
no desire to return to Pennsylvania Avenue. Winning his endorsement
would have set Obama up for the nomination. Does he need Gore any
more?

3) John Edwards

A serious contender. The North Carolina Senator ran with John Kerry
in 2004 and would bring the Southern link currently missing in
Obama's campaign. But would he want to do it again? And would Obama
feel Edwards should have been with him earlier?

Kathleen_sebelius4) Kathleen Sebelius

Sebelius's name has been cropping up more and more frequently. The
two-term Governor of Kansas fills in many of the gaps in Obama's
support base. She may not have much foreign policy experience but
she'll bring a red state with her. And a female Vice-President might
help soothe Clinton's supporters. One to watch.

5) Bill Richardson

Also extremely likely. Pundits state that he's been running for VP
since the beginning. He brings foreign policy experience and the
Hispanic vote with him.

Wesley_clark_2 6) Wesley Clark

A former four-star general, Wes Clark served in Kosovo and studied
PPE at Oxford. He would lend Obama military clout and cross
party-lines in his appeal.

7) Jim Webb

The junior Virginia senator since 2006. He could provide the machismo
that Obama needs. A military man with a son in Iraq, he's regarded as
one of the most authorative Democratic voices on the conflict. Known
to carry a loaded pistol on occasion. As a former Reagan man he
would add to Obama's cross party appeal and make it slightly harder
to paint the candidate as an unrepentant liberal.

8) Robert Casey

The Pennsylvania senator has already endorsed Obama. As VP, he would
help out in the white working-class states. And his Catholic faith
would reach out to an important voting bloc.

Oprah_and_obama9) Oprah Winfrey

She's already one of America's most powerful women. Could DC be next
on her world-domination agenda? Just a thought.

10) Joe Biden

Might he be the first Biden in a thousand generations to run for
President? A senator since 1972, his presidential runs have never
taken off. But his international experience might make him a good
choice and he'd appeal to the white male vote. His description of
Obama as 'clean' didn't do him any favours though. And some think he
is more likely to be Secretary of State.


OBAMA/SEBELIUS TICKET! YOU BETCHA



Kathleen Gilligan Sebelius (born May 15, 1948) is currently serving
as the 44th Governor of Kansas.[1] She is the second female governor
of Kansas, the 2008 respondent to the State of the Union address,[2]
and chair-emeritus of the Democratic Governors Association.

Early life and family

Sebelius was born and raised in a Catholic family in Cincinnati,
Ohio. She attended the Summit Country Day School, a Roman Catholic
secondary school, followed by Trinity Washington University, a Roman
Catholic university in Washington, D.C., and later earned a Master of
Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas. She moved
to Kansas in 1974 at the age of 26, where she served for eight years
as a representative in the Kansas Legislature and eight years as
Insurance Commissioner before being elected governor.

Sebelius is the daughter of former Ohio governor John J. Gilligan,
and thus they became the first father/daughter governor pair in the
United States after her election.[3] Her husband K. Gary Sebelius[4]
is a federal magistrate judge and the son of former U.S.
Representative Keith Sebelius, a Republican. They have two sons. She
also visits her childhood and current vacation home, located in
Leland, Michigan, north of Traverse City, Michigan.

Early political career

She was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1986.
In 1994 she left the House to run for state insurance commissioner and
stunned political forecasters by winning — the first time a Democrat
had won in more than 100 years. She is credited with bringing the
agency out from under the influence of the insurance industry. She
refused to take campaign contributions from insurers and blocked the
proposed merger of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the state's
largest health insurer, with an Indiana-based company. The decision
by Sebelius marked the first time the corporation had been rebuffed
in its acquisition attempts."[5]

Governorship
Kathleen Sebelius (second to left) with Mississippi Governor Haley
Barbour (first left), United States Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice (center), Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (fourth), and
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue (right).
Kathleen Sebelius (second to left) with Mississippi Governor Haley
Barbour (first left), United States Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice (center), Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (fourth), and
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue (right).

First term

2002 election

Sebelius defeated Republican Tim Shallenburger in the 2002 election
by a vote of 53%-45%.[6] Her victory was partially the result of a
bitter divide between conservatives and moderates within the Kansas
Republican Party.[7] This divide is touched upon in Thomas Frank's
bestseller What's the Matter with Kansas?. Since winning the
election, Sebelius has successfully built upon her popularity and as
of January 2006 was one of the most popular governors in the
country.[8]

Gun laws

Sebelius vetoed, like her Republican predecessor Bill Graves, a
concealed-carry law that would have allowed citizens to carry
concealed weapons after obtaining a state permit and passing an FBI
background check.[9] The veto left Kansas as one of only four states
without any form of a conceal-carry law.

Sebelius said she supports Kansans' right to own firearms, but does
not believe a broad concealed-carry law would make them safer: "I
don't believe allowing people to carry concealed handguns into
sporting events, shopping malls, grocery stores, or the workplace
would be good public policy. And to me the likelihood of exposing
children to loaded handguns in their parents' purses, pockets and
automobiles is simply unacceptable."[10]

On March 21, 2006 she vetoed Senate Bill 418, a similar
concealed-carry bill. On March 25, Sebelius's veto was overturned
after the Kansas House of Representatives voted 91-33 to override it.
This followed the Kansas Senate's 30-10 override vote, which occurred
the day after her veto.[11]

On April 21, 2008, Sebelius signed Senate Bill 46 into law, which
repealed a 1933 state law prohibiting civilian ownership of machine
guns and other firearms restricted by the National Firearms Act of
1934 provided that any prospective owner successfully meets the
requirements of the NFA. The law was passed in part to address legal
issues that could have prevented dealers from delivering firearms to
law enforcement agencies in Kansas. The law takes effect on July
1.[12]

Other actions and issues

After the Kansas economy reached its lowest point in over a decade
early in her first term,[citation needed] the economy experienced
nearly two years of continuous job growth, although the majority of
the job growth came from the creation of local government
jobs.[citation needed] No tax increases were enacted and no cutbacks
in essential services were imposed.[citation needed]

Sebelius did not support an April 2005 amendment to the Kansas
Constitution that made same-sex marriage in the state
unconstitutional. Sebelius said she supported the existing state law
outlawing same-sex marriage, viewed it as sufficient,[13] and
therefore opposed the constitutional amendment. The amendment passed
with 70 percent voter approval.

Sebelius is an opponent of capital punishment. During her first term,
the Kansas capital punishment laws were declared unconstitutional by
the Kansas Supreme Court. However, on appeal by then-Kansas Attorney
General Phill Kline, the ruling was again overturned and the current
law reinstated by the United States Supreme Court.

Early in the term, Governor Sebelius made education funding her top
priority. Education funding reached a breaking point in the summer of
2005 when the Kansas Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to increase
K–12 funding.[citation needed] Sebelius offered one education
funding plan early in her first term which consisted of property,
sales, and income tax increases. Sebelius has since deferred to the
Kansas legislature on education funding issues, resulting in 2006 in
the largest K–12 education funding increase in the history of the
state. The three-year plan aimed to increase education funding by
nearly $1 billion over three years but did not give a funding source
for the second and third years. Current state projections show the
state in debt by millions of dollars halfway into the second year of
the plan.

Second term

2006 re-election

Main article: Kansas gubernatorial election, 2006

On May 26, 2006 Sebelius formally announced her candidacy for
re-election. Four days later, Mark Parkinson, former Kansas state GOP
Party Chair, switched his party affiliation to Democratic; the
following day Sebelius announced that Parkinson would be her running
mate for Lieutenant Governor. Parkinson had previously served in the
state House during 1991–1992 and the Senate during 1993–1997.
Parkinson was a popular and successful GOP Party Chair. He was viewed
as a pro-business moderate who strongly supported public education.
This was somewhat reminiscent of the fact that John Moore had also
been a Republican, before switching just days prior to joining
Sebelius as her running mate.[14]

She was challenged by Republican Kansas State Senator Jim Barnett. A
September 1 Rasmussen poll showed Sebelius with an 11-percent lead
over Barnett. [15] Other polls gave Sebelius as much as a 20-percent
lead. As of 2004 50 percent of Kansas voters were registered
Republicans, compared to 27 percent as registered Democrats.[16]
Sebelius, nevertheless, won a landslide re-election with 57.8 percent
of the vote to Barnett's 40.5 percent. Because of Kansas' term limit
law, her second term as Governor is her last.

Speculation on political future

During the 2004 election Sebelius was named as a potential running
mate for John Kerry.[17] In the aftermath of Kerry's defeat in the
2004 presidential election, some pundits named Sebelius as a
potential candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in
2008. Some of Sebelius's political leanings, including support for
abortion rights and opposition to capital punishment, are unusual for
a governor of Kansas; yet many contend that her appeal would be broad
among her fellow Midwesterners.[citation needed] As of 2008,
speculation remains that she would be a contender for the
vice-presidential slot on a ticket headed by either Barack Obama or
Hillary Clinton.[18]Speculation that the Vice Presidential nomination
lies in her future was heightened by the fact that she was chosen by
the Democratic Party's congressional leaders to give their party's
official response to Republican President George W. Bush's 2008 State
of the Union Address.[19] The next day, she endorsed Obama's campaign,
one week before the Kansas caucus on Super Tuesday [20]. Obama won the
caucus easily, with 74% support.[21]

Also, due to Sebelius being term-limited in 2010 and owing to her
being a popular Democrat who has achieved election to statewide
office in the heavily Republican state, Sebelius is also speculated
as a possible Democratic candidate for the US Senate seat currently
held by Republican Sam Brownback in 2010, who has said he will not
seek reelection. Michael Moore also speculated on his website
MichaelMoore.com that she may run for President in 2016.[22]

Sebelius is a former chair of the Democratic Governors Association, a
popular launchpad for those with national political ambitions.[23]

Electoral history
Kansas Gubernatorial Election 2002
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kathleen Sebelius 435,462 52.9
Republican Tim Shallenburger 371,325 45.3
Kansas Gubernatorial Election 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kathleen Sebelius (Incumbent) 480,532 57.8 +4.9
Republican Jim Barnett 336,583 40.5

Recognition

In 2001 Sebelius was named as one of Governing Magazine's Public
Officials of the Year while she was serving as Kansas Insurance
Commissioner.[24]

In November 2005 Time named Sebelius as one of the five best
governors in America, praising her for eliminating a $1.1 billion
debt she inherited, ferreting out waste in state government, and
strongly supporting public education — all without raising taxes.
Also praised was her bipartisan approach to governing, a useful trait
in a state where Republicans have usually controlled the
Legislature.[25]

In February 2006, the White House Project named Sebelius one of its
"8 in '08", a group of eight female politicians who could possibly
run and/or be elected president in 2008.[26]