We all know that the Bush tax cuts are not meant to help the economy, but to bolster the fortunes of his wealthy pals. One of the cuts that he’s been pushing for years is the estate tax — which the right wing has cleverly dubbed “The Death Tax.” They use the family farm as their example, telling of the destruction the Death Tax has wrought on small, family farms. Well, this claim has been debunked over and over, but they still use it.
Now, as evidence of the Bush adminstration’s hypocrisy once again, comes the news that the Department of Agriculture is “redefining” the family farm:
The revered family farm would be redefined in strict dollar terms under a government loan proposal. Some farmers fear the change would make it harder for them to stay in business or for other to get into it.
A multibillion-dollar loan program in the Agriculture Department wants to define family farms as meeting one of two conditions: They either bring in less than $750,000 in gross annual income or they cannot be in the top 5 percent in their state in gross annual income.
That hard-dollar determination has many farmers worried about their ability to get financing. Some expect they will have to choose between expanding to remain successful or staying small to qualify for low-cost federal financing.
Tim Servais of Stoddard, Wis., used the loan program to buy machinery and consolidate other higher-interest loans for his dairy farm. He said he would not qualify if the changes go into effect.
“I wouldn’t be farming right now if it wasn’t for the loan,” said Servais, 40, who has 300 cows.
Servais fears the new rules will make it harder for him and others to improve, expand or start a family farm.
Smaller operations in his area “are falling to the wayside” and most family farms need to get bigger to stay afloat, he said.
The conservatives love to campaign talking about saving the small, family farm. It’s a great American image. So why are they making it difficult for those farmers?
