Audit: Ag. Dept. Lax on Payment Limits

[Snazzy]

Audit: Ag. Dept. Lax on Payment Limits

Tue Jun 15,11:48 PM ET

By IRA DREYFUSS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - By not defining clearly who should get a share of the $15 billion the government doles out each year in farm payments, the Agriculture Department is sending money to recipients who may not deserve it, according to congressional auditors.

The General Accounting Office said the lack of a measurable standard is allowing people and businesses "who may have limited involvement with the farming operation to qualify for payments."

The 2002 farm bill, which set the current system for subsidies and loans, put a ceiling of $180,000 on payments a recipient can get for an individual farm. But ownership of interests in other farms could raise the payment total to $360,000.

...

By January 2004, the department had reviewed only 347 farm operation plans out of the almost 248,000 operations that had received payments in 2001, the GAO said. Of the 347, the department found 18 operations with members that did not comply with the farm management provisions.

....


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=542&ncid=718&e=9&u=/ap/20040616/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/farm_payments

($180K to 248K operations, Reviewed 347, nearly 5% frauds = roughly/at least $1.7 billion. A billion here, a billion there....)

[punpirate]

1. "A billion here, a billion there..."

... "and pretty soon it adds up to real money," said Everett Dirksen.

This is the same Reagan game--funnel money in, deregulate, and cut government funds for oversight. Same, same. The small farmers get the scrutiny while the corporate farmers get the subsidies.

Apparently, real estate speculators waiting for money or authority to subsidize former farm land are taking advantage of the latest subsidies.

It will only end when we have legislators in Congress and the state houses who say, "no more."

In the meantime, the populace is worried about who gets voted off on "Survivor."

Maybe they'd better watch their legislators before bread becomes a lot more expensive than circus....