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‘Freeloaders’: John Stossel Reports on the Pigford Scandal


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Big Journalism:

John Stossel to Al Pires, lead attorney in the Pigford settlement: “How do you know they’re farmers?”
Answer: [long pause] “They fill out the forms… We HOPE they tell the truth.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6xQLS33z1c&feature=player_embedded




More at Stossel’s blog:

Want to get a check from the government for $50,000? If you’re black and willing to say you once “attempted to farm,” the money could be yours.
Why? In the 80’s and 90’s, some Black farmers were allegedly discriminated against by the Agriculture Department. Department loan officers supposedly did the opposite of what Shirley Sherrod was accused of: they granted government-subsidized farm loans to whites but not to blacks.
Government shouldn’t be giving out government subsidized loans to anyone. But that’s another story for another time.

When some black farmers sued, claiming discrimination, the USDA agreed to pay $50,000 to every black person who was discriminated against.snip
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clearvision

NCTexan!

 

It is clear you know your farm animals, so you must be a farmer. Double check you ancestry tree...

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pollyannaish

Stossel's report was excellent. It covered everything from this to Movie Stars and the countries biggest corporations.

 

Now I am pro business, but the idea that GE gets GIGANTIC subsidies from the government, makes huge profits and pays absolutely no income tax because they have the power to lobby themselves the perfect situation just makes me mad.

 

And the fact that guys like Ted Turner and Bruce Springsteen get millions of dollars to not farm land etc...and they have the gall to tell regular working people we're whiners for not wanting to help the poor by paying more taxes gets me livid.

 

It seems those who are loudest about regular people being upset about raising tax rates are the people benefitting the most from their own cushy deals.

 

And its BOTH parties that do this. There should be NO PRIVATE/PUBLIC partnerships--which is just insider code for "we're giving money to private business because they give money to my campaign." (Does this make me a libertarian?)

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I wonder how much longer the DoJ can continue to ignore the Pigford scandal?

Even the participants admit to the fraud.

 

Issa needs to get involved before all of the billions approved by Congress is spent, if not already spent.

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pollyannaish

I would like to add an addendum to my comment above: It is important to note that GE would NOT have made a profit without the government supporting them. Which suggests to me that they are investing in things that the free market is not interested in...and simply making a profit on the backs of US taxpayers.

 

That is not capitalism.

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pollyannaish

I think it's been described as "crony capitalism."

 

Yup. That is the polite name. I'd call it good old fashioned corruption...but that may be a little harsh.

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