Written by Roberta Biros
I spend a considerable amount of my “spare time” reading other blogs. Please pardon my language, but I find it amazing how much crap is out there (polite enough?). Sure, there are plenty of us that take pride in our work and invest hours of time and effort into presenting intelligent, interesting, and compelling opinions. We may not be perfect, but at least we try. But then there are the “others” . . . which I strive to learn from.
I found one local Mercer County blogger that likes to portray himself as a “news outlet”. Unfortunately, the truth is that he is simply an illiterate hack who likes to spew vulgarities for the sake of gaining the attention of elected officials . . . AND it works. It seems that “the squeaky wheel does get the oil”. I, on the other hand, find that I don’t get “oiled” as much as I get “handled”. Elected officials “handle” me in one of two ways. They either ignore me (in hopes that I will disappear . . . forever) – or – they act friendly in an attempt to keep me at a safe and “manageable” distance (just in case they need me later). It is a disappointing glimpse at human nature but it is, sadly, “what politicians do” (please feel free to let me know if I’m wrong on this one).
In another example, there is a blogger here in Pennsylvania that likes to attack specific issues on a very rudimentary level. I appreciate the concept, but I’m disappointed with the lack of analysis. Recently he published a series of snippets regarding Farm Subsidies. Unfortunately, he simply makes grossly broad statements regarding the total payments received by each County in Pennsylvania, but he provides no further explanation regarding his findings. To just throw numbers around is pointless unless you can wrap up your findings with a purpose or complaint. It just muddies the water and tends to hide the real story.
In response, I decided to do my own investigation of Farm Subsidies as they relate to my fine rural County . . . Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
The process of digging up the details is a bit convoluted. The website that I used is http://www.ewg.org/. If you dig far enough, you will find two databases of Farm Subsidies. The first database summarizes Subsidies for 1995 through 2006, and the second includes only Subsidies for 2007 (2008 numbers are not yet available on-line). Allow me to summarize my findings.
Farm Subsidies are payments made by the Federal Government to farms and farming operations as either “commodity payments”, “payments for conservation practices”, or “disaster aid”. Ken Cook, president of EWG, stated:
“Over 60 percent of the subsidy was pocketed by 10 percent of the recipients-the largest and generally wealthiest subsized farming operations in the country.”
“Congress is about to be grotesquely generous to big, subsidized farms that are now enjoying unprecedented prosperity, including double-digit increases in farmland prices,” said Cook.
The first big issue is that a program that should be used to level the playing field for small farmers to compete with large commercial operations has become a boon for commercial operations. This is a problem nationwide, and not specific to Pennsylvania (or any County within Pennsylvania). It seems that this huge Federal giveaway is open to corruption by large commercial farming outfits. The “Big Guys” are getting all of the money.
This obvious “cash cow” (no pun intended . . . ok, maybe it is a “pun intended”) made me wonder, however, what other corruption is buried underneath. I decided to dig a little deeper to find out what dirty little secrets were hiding under the surface. This is where my investigation got FUN.
The ewg.org site database is very detailed, and I decided to read the details line by line. Specifically, I examined the list of recipients from Mercer County for the period from 1995 through 2006. There were 1,083 names listed that received a total of $24,609,000 in subsidies. I also examined the list of recipients from Mercer County for the period of 2007. There were 435 names for a total of $734,000 in subsidies. I read every single one of the 1,518 names. A quick perusal of the list provided me with the names of some prominent local leaders. Allow me to share my findings:
Donald Whiting, New Wilmington, PA
Who is He? :
Donald “Duke” Whiting was the 2008 Democratic candidate for State Representative in the 17th District (parts of Mercer, Lawrence, and Crawford Counties) against Republican incumbent Rep. Michele Brooks (R). He lost.
How Much Did He “Take”:
“Duke” Whiting, an auctioneer, was a recorded recipient of subsidies totaling $384 in 2007. Small potatoes? Perhaps. However, I have little respect for an individual that takes the time to apply for free money simply because it is available and they think they can get something for nothing.
Kenneth R. Ammann, Greenville, PA
Who is He?:
Kenneth Ammann is a current Mercer County Commissioner (a Democrat). He took office in January of 2008. What were Kenneth Ammann’s qualifications for the much sought-after position of County Commissioner? Ammann ran for public office three times previously (and lost), and he was County’s Chief Clerk for more than two years before he was fired from the position in 2005. Regardless of his past embarrassments, he was elected to the County Commissioner seat in 2007.
How Much Did He “Take”:
According to the ewg.org databases, Mr. Ammann received $6,431 in subsidies between 1995 and 2006, and an additional $286 in 2007. Still small potatoes? Not necessarily. It was a nice chunk of change to look forward to on an on-going basis. I’m anxious to see the published numbers for 2008 to see if our County Commissioner continued to rake in free money from the Federal Government while also pulling down a $56,315 salary from Mercer County for his “job” as County Commissioner.
Kenneth Seamans, New Wilmington, PA
Who is He?:
Kenneth Seamans (a Republican) was a Mercer County Commissioner from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2006 to 2007. He was named to the position in 2001 to replace Brian W. Shipley when he resigned under heated circumstances (related to a county credit card and an office computer). He was also named to the position in 2006 after Michele Brooks resigned her seat as Commissioner to take her elected position as State Representative. What was Kenneth Seamans’ most notable contribution to Mercer County? He was one of the three infamous County Commissioners who were responsible for signing onto the 2002 Bond Loan for Woodland Place (the three contributors were Ken Seamans, Gene Brenneman, and Olivia Lazor, to be exact).
How Much Did He “Take”:
According to the public record, Mr. Seamans received $22,040 in subsidies between 1995 and 2006, and an additional $1,052 in 2007. Small potatoes? Not in my opinion. A free grab of over $23,000 from the Federal Government makes Mr. Seamans the “biggest taker” in this group. It is worth noting that while Mr. Seamans was holding the office of County Commissioner he received payments of $2,161, $1,624, $1,407 for the years 2001, 2002, and 2003, and $2,338 and $1,052 for 2006 and 2007. Remember, this was in addition to his $50K+ County-paid salary.
Walter Richardson, Grove City, PA
Who is He?:
Walter Richardson is a PA GOP State Committeeperson representing Mercer County (an elected position). Walter Richardson is also the husband of Mercer County Treasurer, Ginny Richardson (also a Republican).
How Much Did He “Take”:
Farm Subsidy Database records show that Walter Richardson received a commodity subsidy in the amount of $436 in 2003. Small potatoes? Maybe. However, it again goes to show you what steps people will take to get free money when they think they can get away with it. I find it hard to believe that the Richardsons needed a “leg up” as a “poor and struggling farm”. You would think that the generous salary of the County Treasurer position ($50K+) should be sufficient for Walter and Ginny Richardson to make ends meet. Or, is this another example of taking advantage of a system because “they could”.
IN SUMMARY:
These were just four names that I picked out of 1,518 names listed from Mercer County. I didn’t need to look far to find obvious flaws in the system. It seems that the Farm Subsidy system is being exploited from the top-down by large commercial farming operations, and it is being further exploited from the bottom-up by greedy folks that are looking for any easy source of free money (the four names presented here are examples of that).
I’m certain that there are worthy recipients in the list . . . somewhere; however, I’m concerned that this Federal give-away is another example of public welfare run-amuck. The Farm Subsidy Program seems to be just another Bail-Out program that isn’t working.
As always, just my opinion.
~Roberta Biros, Mercer County Conservatives
Mercer County Conservatives 