Politics-What's on your mind?

[Kätzchen]

How about that former Lt Gov Geoff Duncan calling out his political party to end their association with T——p???

Way to go, Geoff.

And how about Hillary??? I’ve got mad respect for her.

And…. How about that brilliant prosecutor Georgia DA Fani Willis???



Go Hillary! Go Fani!

Most likely it’s gonna get uglier than it has been the past 8 years, But American voters will not let a convict be elected again.

14th amendment will hopefully be self-executing and constitutional legal scholars and others from this discipline will help set the tone for the tone-deaf party base that needs to be put on notice, stat.

[Kätzchen]

I wonder …

A) how long it takes to coordinate a take down (arrest) when you-know-who is deliberately committing crime in full view of the public?

B) once that person is detained, will it cause major problems for those incarcerated alongside that person?

C) if the aforementioned law breaker will be picked up secretly before Monday?

D) how many hits (views) concerning these terribly worrisome times are occurring over on major news outlets like CNN or MSNBC?

E) when will the terrible toddler, who remains a clear and present danger to our society in America, be finally paying the price for damaging our country?

(….)

[Kätzchen]

Remember when T---p and Giuliani spent years attacking people of color (an infamous example of their egregious behaviors ruined the lives of the Central Park 5)??? And I quote Joy Reid from her op-ed:

"I still remember when Donald Trump wanted five teenagers with mug shots dead. That was the Central Park Five case, and they were later exonerated.

I was a teenager living in New York at the time. And I despised Trump, because he to me signified the rich white guy in Manhattan who absolutely hated and despised me. Who hated and despised my cousins, my friends — everyone we knew.

People like Giuliani and Trump persecuted Black and brown people in New York. It's what they did for fun. It's what they did for pleasure. They enjoyed it. They enjoyed lording over people who had nothing, who had no million-dollar lawyers, who couldn't change lawyers at the drop of a hat, who couldn't go out and make their case on Fox News or Newsmax, who had nothing." LINK

T---p, G----i, and the people who live like they do (racist hate filled cheating grifting tax-evading low-life's) have always done this stuff in public ways and have always gotten away with it.

But thanks to elected officials who take their oath of public service to heart and uphold the tenets expected of them. Especially Fani Willis.

Will the dirty GOP take strides to enforce their Jim Crow KKK law to remove the one person from office so the big orange cheating toddler will not be held accountable??? Will voters in Georgia let Kemp and others get away with their toxic plan???

Who else will do what is expected of them, besides Fani Willis and other prosecutors and judges holding T---p and their enablers accountable???

----------------------.


“In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate,” ― Isaac Asimov

[A. Spectre]

seeing trumps' mugshot all over the place?

Its creepiness is growing on me. His departure from normal is so obvious. What worried me more than him are his gullible cult who will still be here after he is gone.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Originally Posted by A. Spectre

seeing trumps' mugshot all over the place?

Its creepiness is growing on me. His departure from normal is so obvious. What worried me more than him are his gullible cult who will still be here after he is gone.

Margarine Taylor Greene made a fake Fulton County mugshot of herself and is using it for her website. She's encouraging all T---p followers to do the same.

"Cult" is exactly the right word!

[Kätzchen]

See, that is a critical piece to the Maga puzzle: all those people who support and defend racist, hateful agenda is what fuels the cancer among our entire country (in my mind).

Remember the forum thread post contributions made by BFP member Andrea (Is This What Makes America Great?)???

It is so fucking sad that people like this exist in a democratic society, such as America.

America is supposed to be the bulwark of democracy: a democracy built upon generations of people who support the free state of our brand of democracy that portends safety from all evil rather than the model brand of hate by the cancer stricken people who believe that racist KKK brand of hate fostered by the MAGA branch of the GOP is okay when it’s not okay (full stop).

———————————————.


Fingers crossed that our country and its SANE members of our society can enforce a code of expected behavior that exemplifies the best of our country and not the opposite (deranged members of the MAGA cult of t——p aka inmate number PO1135809).

[A. Spectre]

DeSantis tells Biden: Keep your IRA money
President Joe Biden is offering one of his White House challengers hundreds of millions of dollars to spend in his state. The only problem: that opponent is refusing to take it.

The Inflation Reduction Act makes Florida eligible for some $350 million in energy efficiency incentives. But Gov. Ron DeSantis has rejected the funding and other measures, creating the most prominent blockade by any Republican governor against Biden’s economic agenda.

And there’s nothing the White House can do besides hope he changes his mind.

The rejection has the potential to create significant ripple effects, politically and economically, in the coming months. As the president and his Cabinet members go around the country boasting about the IRA, rebates for energy-efficient purchases — the majority of the funding that DeSantis has refused — have played a particularly prominent role. That’s not just because they underpin the administration’s climate agenda but because they provide direct rebates to consumers.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/climate-c...083000996.html
17


Who suffers? Not DeSatan but Floridians.

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by A. Spectre

DeSantis tells Biden: Keep your IRA money
President Joe Biden is offering one of his White House challengers hundreds of millions of dollars to spend in his state. The only problem: that opponent is refusing to take it.

The Inflation Reduction Act makes Florida eligible for some $350 million in energy efficiency incentives. But Gov. Ron DeSantis has rejected the funding and other measures, creating the most prominent blockade by any Republican governor against Biden’s economic agenda.

And there’s nothing the White House can do besides hope he changes his mind.

The rejection has the potential to create significant ripple effects, politically and economically, in the coming months. As the president and his Cabinet members go around the country boasting about the IRA, rebates for energy-efficient purchases — the majority of the funding that DeSantis has refused — have played a particularly prominent role. That’s not just because they underpin the administration’s climate agenda but because they provide direct rebates to consumers.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/climate-c...083000996.html
17


Who suffers? Not DeSatan but Floridians.

Let’s be sure, now that certain people in the public sphere could care less how they conduct themselves privately or publicly, that cousin De Satan’s stunningly stupid agenda gets him booted from office.

I’m guessing George Conway or Chris Christie or Retired Conservative Judge Luttig and others like them have some blistering criticism concerning that particular official in Florida.

———————————————.

In other news: I personally hate it that this never ending shit show is dominating the last few good years of what’s left of my life.

We need a massive change of heart politically or life will cease to be enjoyable, if it can be at all.

😔

[Kätzchen]

Well ……… I just listened to the audio recording of S.C. senator Lindsey Graham offering his explanation to why he has yet to be indicted for his role in helping that horrible person who is ruining our country.

Here’s the buzz kill, for me: Graham stated he was doing what he did as a “requirement” of his version of his so-called duties.

Ummmm. No. It’s your DUTY to uphold the law and the US Constitution as an elected official. I hate it when sly weasels like Graham want to not take responsibility for their lapse in judgement. Not only does he not understand English but he doesn’t truly understand the danger he has put himself and others in by not doing what he is supposed to do. You take an oath to protect our country, not the other way around.

Same for J. Jordan. Thank heavens Georgia DA Fani Willis used painstaking clear language about how that asshole has no real knowledge or experience in executing or interpreting the LAW.

Hello. Like I said before, it’s going to get real ugly this damaging fiasco is going cost American citizens more than they realize.

We’re just getting started with the orange puppet. Wait until the whole truth and nothing but the truth comes out about Kushner and Trump blending their brand of deceit with the “royal” Saudi’s. People think Putin is bad… but really, those Saudi princes who murdered Kashoggi??? Those people are more dangerous than Lex Luther or other villains we’ve watched at the movies.

There is enough buzz kill to last more than a lifetime, with this horseshit the Trump “kingdom” has foisted upon us as a nation.

Mark my words, from here on out, invoking the name of the Orange menace will be one lesson everyone will regret in the end.

[Kätzchen]

Anybody hear the proverbial calm before the storm, lately???

Somebody told me today the an extraordinary amount of land in Arizona is owned by the Saudi’s and they grow water intensive crops (wheat, etc) in Arizona.

Let’s seeeeee:

Orange menace + Son-in-law Kushner + Kushner’s Saudi Billion $$$ hedge fund + acts between all three party’s = one big a$$ problem that will exact a punishing consequence upon what’s left of a tax burdened nation who is already paying consequences for the Orange party and their supporters who basically have zero emotional and intellectual intelligence.



So terrifying.

—————————.

In other news: I sign up for Medicare soon. That is another whole shitshow entirely.


<<<<<<<<<———————. Scared. Hope I don’t make a mistake when I apply for medical insurance.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

Anybody hear the proverbial calm before the storm, lately???

Somebody told me today the an extraordinary amount of land in Arizona is owned by the Saudi’s and they grow water intensive crops (wheat, etc) in Arizona.

Let’s seeeeee:

Orange menace + Son-in-law Kushner + Kushner’s Saudi Billion $$$ hedge fund + acts between all three party’s = one big a$$ problem that will exact a punishing consequence upon what’s left of a tax burdened nation who is already paying consequences for the Orange party and their supporters who basically have zero emotional and intellectual intelligence.



So terrifying.

I heard a news story about this on NPR. The situation is even worse than it sounds. There are several other states who have put themselves in the same situation.

How it works: The Saudis buy the land for the water. Unfortunately, when it drains the water from the land, it lowers the water table for all of the land around it. So people with wells (and this happens in rural areas with lots of people who have wells) are running out of water. Their wells runs dry, and they have to dig deeper wells. Up to a certain point, this works, but as the personal wells get deeper and deeper, they become more expensive to drill. Eventually the homeowners are left with a home that has no value because they can't get water, and their retirement funds and other sources of income are depleted from drilling wells.

The people in the state who are doing the selling are the congress people and people who live in the cities. They have water systems, so the well situation doesn't affect (most) of them. They make a lot of money for the state with this arrangement, and most of the voting power in the state has no reason to make any changes.

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

In other news: I sign up for Medicare soon. That is another whole shitshow entirely.


<<<<<<<<<———————. Scared. Hope I don’t make a mistake when I apply for medical insurance.

My sister had to start handling this for our Mom when our Dad died. She said it was incredibly complicated. But apparently there is a free book you can get that is published by Medicare that helps a lot. https://www.medicare.gov/publications

[Soft*Silver]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaMa'am

My sister had to start handling this for our Mom when our Dad died. She said it was incredibly complicated. But apparently there is a free book you can get that is published by Medicare that helps a lot. https://www.medicare.gov/publications

I remember when I first got on Medicare. It was actually quite frightening and confusing. However, now that I work with the elderly and have had time to have personal experience with Medicare, I am familiar with the system and how it works. For anyone who is struggling with Medicare I would suggest that you see if your county has an area agency on aging or a counterpart to that, and call them. They should offer information on how to pick a Medicare provider and what if any supplements you might need

[ksrainbow]

Anybody hear the proverbial calm before the storm, lately???

Somebody told me today the an extraordinary amount of land in Arizona is owned by the Saudi’s and they grow water intensive crops (wheat, etc) in Arizona.

Let’s seeeeee:

Orange menace + Son-in-law Kushner + Kushner’s Saudi Billion $$$ hedge fund + acts between all three party’s = one big a$$ problem that will exact a punishing consequence upon what’s left of a tax burdened nation who is already paying consequences for the Orange party and their supporters who basically have zero emotional and intellectual intelligence.

https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/...enate-hearing/

*Foreign ownership of U.S. farmland probed at U.S. Senate hearing
BY: SAMANTHA DIETEL - SEPTEMBER 27, 2023 6:36 PM

Kevin Kirby operates a tractor on Sept. 20, 2013, to begin the sweet potato harvest process by plowing them up from the field on Kirby Farms in Mechanicsville, Virginia
Kevin Kirby operates a tractor on Sept. 20, 2013, to begin the sweet potato harvest process by plowing them up from the field on Kirby Farms in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Kirby is a fourth-generation farmer. A U.S. Senate hearing on Sept. 27, 2023, examined foreign ownership of U.S. farmland. (Lance Cheung/USDA)

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators said during a Wednesday hearing that foreign ownership of U.S. farmland is a national security threat that should be further examined.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry discussed foreign ownership of the nation’s agricultural lands, with testimony from experts and Senate colleagues who have been taking the lead on the issue.

“Food security is national security,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, who told the committee about his work to limit foreign ownership of farmland.

Tester said foreign adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea should not be allowed any claim to U.S. soil.

In 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that foreign investors held about 40 million acres of U.S. agricultural land. This is about 3% of the total amount.

“That’s more than the entire state of Iowa,” Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, said.

The USDA also reported Canada as the largest foreign investor in 2021 with 12.8 million acres, or 31% of foreign-held acres. The Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany, the other top foreign investors, collectively had 12.4 million acres, according to the report.

China had approximately 383,935 acres, or under 1% of foreign-held land in the U.S., according to the USDA report.

Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land has increased by 66% since 2010, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, said.



State restrictions on foreign ownership
Earlier this year there was growing bipartisan support in Congress for limiting foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land, but there are currently no federal restrictions. The issue is also widely discussed at the state level.

Foreign ownership of U.S. land is currently restricted in 24 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Eleven of these states enacted foreign ownership laws during the 2023 legislative session, according to the National Agricultural Law Center. Those states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.

Harrison Pittman, the National Agricultural Law Center director at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said there are “really not very many states left that haven’t had at least one or more proposals at the state level” to restrict foreign land ownership.

Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., James Lankford, R-Okla., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., joined Tester to speak about their efforts to improve farmland security when it comes to foreign investors.

In July, the Senate passed Rounds’ amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets defense policy. If enacted, his amendment would ban China, Russia, North Korea and Iran from purchasing U.S. farmland and agricultural businesses.



National security threat seen
In his testimony, Rounds referenced recent examples of China’s land ownership near military bases. In 2020, a Chinese company planned to build a wind energy farm project two miles from Laughlin Air Force base in Del Rio, Texas, Rounds said.

Rounds and other senators said they were concerned about the attempt of a Chinese company to build a corn milling plant on farmland near an Air Force base outside of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Senators also cited the purchase of Smithfield Foods by a Chinese company as a point of concern.

“Who controls our farmland is really important and honestly, my concern is also with who controls many other parts of our food system, including our seeds, meat processing and grocery stores,” said Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat. “This is all part of our national security.”

Stabenow said U.S. national security “depends on a food system that is safe, secure, affordable, abundant and resilient.”

“As foreign entities continue their acquisitions of U.S. food and agricultural assets, American farmers and families deserve to know that these transactions receive proper scrutiny,” Stabenow said.



Data gaps
David Ortega, as associate professor of agricultural, food and resource economics at Michigan State University, said foreign ownership of agricultural land potentially could increase land prices and push farmers out of the market.

However, Ortega said there is “no clear evidence” that foreign ownership is making U.S. farmland prices rise.

Baldwin said that foreign investors holding U.S. farmland can put domestic food supply and local communities at risk.

“And right now, we don’t know the full extent of the risk at hand,” Baldwin said.

She said outdated reporting systems and a lack of auditing at both state and federal levels need to be addressed.

Last year, Baldwin worked with Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican and member of the Agriculture panel, to pass the Farmland Security Act of 2022 as part of the fiscal 2023 omnibus appropriations bill.

This law requires the USDA to update its paper report system for filing foreign investments in agricultural land to an online, public database.

The USDA must also report to Congress on the impacts of foreign ownership of agricultural land on family farms, rural communities and the domestic food supply, Baldwin said.

Gloria Montaño Greene, USDA’s deputy under secretary for farm production and conservation, told senators that while Congress did direct the USDA to modernize its foreign investment reporting system within three years, the USDA “was not provided funding to implement these requirements.”

Instead, the USDA posted Excel data spreadsheets in June for each year from 2011 to 2021, Greene said.

Ernst said the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, which became law in 1978, must be modernized to “increase reporting, strengthen oversight and send a strong message to our adversaries that American farms are not their playground.”

“Enforcement of reporting requirements has been inconsistent and at times lax,” Ortega said. This is attributed to low staffing at the agency level, he said.

“While passing our legislation was a step in the right direction, Congress can and must do more,” Baldwin said.



Lack of progress on the farm bill
Baldwin and Grassley are teaming up again to pass a new version of their proposal, the Farmland Security Act of 2023, which Baldwin said “will go even further in addressing foreign activity in our domestic agriculture marketplace.”

Baldwin urged the committee to include this legislation in the next farm bill.

Ernst said she was frustrated that there has not been “meaningful progress” on the farm bill.

The current farm bill is set to expire at the end of the week.

“I really think this is a shame,” Ernst said.

She said she hears from farmers and ag leaders that there needs to be more “farm” in the farm bill, and that they are concerned about the increase in foreign investment in American farmland.



Possible consequences
Ortega said that implementing restrictions on U.S. agricultural land ownership could result in retaliation by other countries.

Trade relations could be affected, Ortega said, and used China as an example. He said China is the largest export market for the U.S. when it comes to agricultural and food products.

Specifically, China imports soybeans, corn and grains from the U.S., Ortega said, as well as other consumer-oriented products.

“In my view, it would be far easier for China to find new sources of these products than it would be for American farmers to find new export markets,” Ortega said. “So I think it’s important to also be aware of potential trade impacts.”*

On a personal note: my brother recently purchased a 1300 acre ranch in rural Oklahoma. Self contained property that he at the age of 70, can claim as his own. From those acres are massive hay fields that he donates 80% to local non-profit organizations. No less than 6 months from his first donation, he was approached by 2 men with cash in hand to purchase his 1300 acres. He now has a gait and alarm system to his home and hay fields. He does not live in fear, but does fear those who are predators-

Ks-

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

Anybody hear the proverbial calm before the storm, lately???

Somebody told me today the an extraordinary amount of land in Arizona is owned by the Saudi’s and they grow water intensive crops (wheat, etc) in Arizona.

Let’s seeeeee:

Orange menace + Son-in-law Kushner + Kushner’s Saudi Billion $$$ hedge fund + acts between all three party’s = one big a$$ problem that will exact a punishing consequence upon what’s left of a tax burdened nation who is already paying consequences for the Orange party and their supporters who basically have zero emotional and intellectual intelligence.

Originally Posted by ksrainbow

https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/...enate-hearing/

*Foreign ownership of U.S. farmland probed at U.S. Senate hearing
BY: SAMANTHA DIETEL - SEPTEMBER 27, 2023 6:36 PM

Kevin Kirby operates a tractor on Sept. 20, 2013, to begin the sweet potato harvest process by plowing them up from the field on Kirby Farms in Mechanicsville, Virginia
Kevin Kirby operates a tractor on Sept. 20, 2013, to begin the sweet potato harvest process by plowing them up from the field on Kirby Farms in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Kirby is a fourth-generation farmer. A U.S. Senate hearing on Sept. 27, 2023, examined foreign ownership of U.S. farmland. (Lance Cheung/USDA)

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators said during a Wednesday hearing that foreign ownership of U.S. farmland is a national security threat that should be further examined.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry discussed foreign ownership of the nation’s agricultural lands, with testimony from experts and Senate colleagues who have been taking the lead on the issue.

“Food security is national security,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, who told the committee about his work to limit foreign ownership of farmland.

Tester said foreign adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea should not be allowed any claim to U.S. soil.

In 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that foreign investors held about 40 million acres of U.S. agricultural land. This is about 3% of the total amount.

“That’s more than the entire state of Iowa,” Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, said.

The USDA also reported Canada as the largest foreign investor in 2021 with 12.8 million acres, or 31% of foreign-held acres. The Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany, the other top foreign investors, collectively had 12.4 million acres, according to the report.

China had approximately 383,935 acres, or under 1% of foreign-held land in the U.S., according to the USDA report.

Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land has increased by 66% since 2010, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, said.



State restrictions on foreign ownership
Earlier this year there was growing bipartisan support in Congress for limiting foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land, but there are currently no federal restrictions. The issue is also widely discussed at the state level.

Foreign ownership of U.S. land is currently restricted in 24 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Eleven of these states enacted foreign ownership laws during the 2023 legislative session, according to the National Agricultural Law Center. Those states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.

Harrison Pittman, the National Agricultural Law Center director at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said there are “really not very many states left that haven’t had at least one or more proposals at the state level” to restrict foreign land ownership.

Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., James Lankford, R-Okla., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., joined Tester to speak about their efforts to improve farmland security when it comes to foreign investors.

In July, the Senate passed Rounds’ amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets defense policy. If enacted, his amendment would ban China, Russia, North Korea and Iran from purchasing U.S. farmland and agricultural businesses.



National security threat seen
In his testimony, Rounds referenced recent examples of China’s land ownership near military bases. In 2020, a Chinese company planned to build a wind energy farm project two miles from Laughlin Air Force base in Del Rio, Texas, Rounds said.

Rounds and other senators said they were concerned about the attempt of a Chinese company to build a corn milling plant on farmland near an Air Force base outside of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Senators also cited the purchase of Smithfield Foods by a Chinese company as a point of concern.

“Who controls our farmland is really important and honestly, my concern is also with who controls many other parts of our food system, including our seeds, meat processing and grocery stores,” said Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat. “This is all part of our national security.”

Stabenow said U.S. national security “depends on a food system that is safe, secure, affordable, abundant and resilient.”

“As foreign entities continue their acquisitions of U.S. food and agricultural assets, American farmers and families deserve to know that these transactions receive proper scrutiny,” Stabenow said.



Data gaps
David Ortega, as associate professor of agricultural, food and resource economics at Michigan State University, said foreign ownership of agricultural land potentially could increase land prices and push farmers out of the market.

However, Ortega said there is “no clear evidence” that foreign ownership is making U.S. farmland prices rise.

Baldwin said that foreign investors holding U.S. farmland can put domestic food supply and local communities at risk.

“And right now, we don’t know the full extent of the risk at hand,” Baldwin said.

She said outdated reporting systems and a lack of auditing at both state and federal levels need to be addressed.

Last year, Baldwin worked with Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican and member of the Agriculture panel, to pass the Farmland Security Act of 2022 as part of the fiscal 2023 omnibus appropriations bill.

This law requires the USDA to update its paper report system for filing foreign investments in agricultural land to an online, public database.

The USDA must also report to Congress on the impacts of foreign ownership of agricultural land on family farms, rural communities and the domestic food supply, Baldwin said.

Gloria Montaño Greene, USDA’s deputy under secretary for farm production and conservation, told senators that while Congress did direct the USDA to modernize its foreign investment reporting system within three years, the USDA “was not provided funding to implement these requirements.”

Instead, the USDA posted Excel data spreadsheets in June for each year from 2011 to 2021, Greene said.

Ernst said the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, which became law in 1978, must be modernized to “increase reporting, strengthen oversight and send a strong message to our adversaries that American farms are not their playground.”

“Enforcement of reporting requirements has been inconsistent and at times lax,” Ortega said. This is attributed to low staffing at the agency level, he said.

“While passing our legislation was a step in the right direction, Congress can and must do more,” Baldwin said.



Lack of progress on the farm bill
Baldwin and Grassley are teaming up again to pass a new version of their proposal, the Farmland Security Act of 2023, which Baldwin said “will go even further in addressing foreign activity in our domestic agriculture marketplace.”

Baldwin urged the committee to include this legislation in the next farm bill.

Ernst said she was frustrated that there has not been “meaningful progress” on the farm bill.

The current farm bill is set to expire at the end of the week.

“I really think this is a shame,” Ernst said.

She said she hears from farmers and ag leaders that there needs to be more “farm” in the farm bill, and that they are concerned about the increase in foreign investment in American farmland.



Possible consequences
Ortega said that implementing restrictions on U.S. agricultural land ownership could result in retaliation by other countries.

Trade relations could be affected, Ortega said, and used China as an example. He said China is the largest export market for the U.S. when it comes to agricultural and food products.

Specifically, China imports soybeans, corn and grains from the U.S., Ortega said, as well as other consumer-oriented products.

“In my view, it would be far easier for China to find new sources of these products than it would be for American farmers to find new export markets,” Ortega said. “So I think it’s important to also be aware of potential trade impacts.”*

On a personal note: my brother recently purchased a 1300 acre ranch in rural Oklahoma. Self contained property that he at the age of 70, can claim as his own. From those acres are massive hay fields that he donates 80% to local non-profit organizations. No less than 6 months from his first donation, he was approached by 2 men with cash in hand to purchase his 1300 acres. He now has a gait and alarm system to his home and hay fields. He does not live in fear, but does fear those who are predators-

Ks-

Hey and Hi KansasRainbow,

That is an interesting news article from your local news agency. And thanks for sharing about your brother who purchased property then was approached by two suspect buyers with cash in hand.

Here is the buzzkill for me, concerning this issue: Republican senators (Grassley is the best example and men like him) serving on the agricultural committee is deeply concerning. Why? Republican's like to hand out dis- and mis- information as positively the whole entire 'truth'; when what they do and say is the most convoluted pack of lies, they foist upon American voters today.

I don't trust anything a Republican senator says because they've proven to me, over the vast part of my adult life, that they only care about how they line their own pockets with cash -- and they don't care who it comes from, as long as they look out for themselves. The GOP Republican Party of current day is NOT the same as it was back in the days of Dwight D
Eisenhower. Even Reagan, or Bush no.1, is not worthy of Identifying as the standard bearer of traditional Republican politics.

What is at stake? Water and Land rights being owned by Foreign Interests -- of which the worst foreign ownership country is the Saudi's and other foreign interests whose countries are being depleted by greedy Authoritarian Dictators who only want to enrich themselves, just the Orange Menace.


It's the Republican Party (and being dominated by authoritarian personalities from within their own ranks), that is the scariest obstacle that will be the ruination of our democracy. Stopping the GOP is of utmost importance.

Again, thanks for your article of news. I sure hope people are paying attention to the way the GOP is causing the most damage to our country.

[Kätzchen]

I was just thinking to myself the other day about Liz Cheney…. And she finally surfaces to spill the goods on Jacka$$ Jordan.


I don’t agree with some of her politics, but she’s got it exactly right about the Orange snake and his followers. Thank heavens she has a conscience.

Thanks for setting the record straight about people who keep jeopardizing our democracy. Super proud of you, Mz. Cheney.

[Kätzchen]

Well … I find it interesting that there are some members of the Republican Party who have not let Jacka$$ Jordan assume speakership. Thank heavens because, literally, there is nobody on their side of the political spectrum that deserves to be speaker. I keep hoping that Hakeem Jeffries will be speaker one day as he seems to be cut from the same cloth as House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.


I also think it is simply amazing that Judge Chutkan & Judge Engoron are staying the course and are not intimidated by the charlatan known as the trumpedo who keep right on torpedoing himself with his cataclysmic arsenal of lies and criminal behavior.

Looks like the winter holidays might remain untarnished by the giant orange narcissist. Hopefully, by spring, no more will this person dominate news feeds. Can hardly wait until he is stripped of every stripe that has hurt every person since his porn shop dad thought he could cleverly reinvent the “rules” of how to be rich and never pay taxes.

———————————————.

Looking forward to hearing news of any type which talks about people helping people and not people at war with other people.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

Looking forward to hearing news of any type which talks about people helping people and not people at war with other people.

From the BBC podcast "Happy News", Oct. 16, 2023

Several women won the Nobel Prize this year. In Economics, it was the first time a woman alone won the prize; Claudia Goldin of Harvard University studied the gender pay gap around the world. She has also studied the effects of contraception on women in the labor force. Katalin Kariko shared the prize for Physiology and Medicine for developments with the Covid vaccine. Anne L'Huillier shared the prize in Physics. The Nobel Peace Prize was won by a Muslim woman, Narges Mohammadi, who has fought for equality for women in Iran.

* * *

Bill Gates stays optimistic in the face of tough circumstances. Although he has seen first hand the results of climate change, he says, "The human condition has improved a lot. We started the century with over 10 million children dying under the age of 5 every year. Now we have that below 5 million. And so that kind of progress, where it's better now than it was back in the year 2000, that's going to continue." He sees this kind of progress as similar to what's going on with climate solutions. Tech solutions have produced drought-resistant seeds, cement that doesn't contribute to climate change, and AI that better predicts climate change fueled weather.

[A. Spectre]

Mike blames mass shootings on 60's revolution. He blames mass shootings on feminism, no fault divorce and schools embracing evolution.

And worse....

trumpism is here. Please vote, for your best interest.

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by A. Spectre

Mike blames mass shootings on 60's revolution. He blames mass shootings on feminism, no fault divorce and schools embracing evolution.

And worse....

trumpism is here. Please vote, for your best interest.

I sure do enjoy your perspective, my friend.

I totally agree with your assessment concerning the new GOP House Speaker.

— nobody in the GOP, well — most all of them, do not care or cherish the presiding notion that it is because of our devotion to Democracy that affords people in our country to **choose** peaceful relations with others, rather than blowing up the world and killing innocent people over the incessant need to dominate and control others as if they’re expendable.

We have literally got to oust people from congress and other governing agencies who don’t care about doing what is best for our country.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate you.

[Kätzchen]

Thank heavens for former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Did ya see how he incinerated his GOP debaters??? LMAO, or not, I’m glad he is putting up a good fight against the biggest liar of all time (well, outside the purview of Lucifer aka Satan) — the person who probably never paid for his orange spray painted tan, like ever.

Thank heavens for Liz Cheney exposing the current speaker of the house.

—————————.

I don’t know about anybody else but I’m super proud of our POTUS and his vice president. Joe Biden has been in the halls of Congress longer than most. He’s honest. He doesn’t lie. He has scrupulous behaviors and makes the best choice, each time a choice can be made. People might state perjorative bullshit ideas about executive democrat elected officials but their ill formed ideas and opinions don’t make what they say, true.

We are on an extended, borrowed time both personally and collectively — both the planet and human beings.

Let’s make it count.

<<<<<—— Voting strictly an up and down ballot as a Democrat for Democrats. For the People , by the People. Not for kings or queens: we don’t have time for those types of terrifying choices.