U.S. Senator Tom Coburn: 'On Reforming the Crop Insurance Subsidy, Amendment to the Farm Bill'

Source:U.S. Senator Tom Coburn- Republican, Oklahoma) one of the true fiscal conservatives left in the U.S. Congress, in either party or chamber.

"(Tuesday, June 12 2012) - Dr. Coburn talking about his amendment with Senator Durbin (D-IL) to 3240, a bill to reauthorize agriculture programs through 2017. The Coburn and Durbin amendment would reduce the level of federal premium support for crop insurance participants with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) over $750,000 by 15 percentage points for all buy-up policies beyond catastrophic coverage. CBO has estimated this amendment would save more than $1.2 billion dollars over 10 years."

From Senator Tom Coburn

What Senator Tom Coburn is arguing here is that American taxpayers shouldn't be forced to subsidize farmers who are already doing well and simply don't need that taxpayer funded government welfare, in order to not just survive, but to live well. Sounds like basic commonsense to anyone who lives outside of the Washington area, which is most of the country. 

But if you serve in Congress and you represent a lot of agriculture workers, commonsense doesn't always, actually in many cases, doesn't work for you politically. And if one of your top priorities, or your top priority, perhaps your only priority, is getting reelected or moving on to a higher office and if it's welfare and pork that you need to get reelected or to move on to your next political office, you are probably going to take it, even if its's a complete waste of tax dollars.