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Carcasses in the Creek, Noem in a Box
Oct 16, 2013
I don't spend snowy spring nights shoulder-deep in cows' hindquarters trying to save balky calves. I'm not spending this October trying to get a tractor through a muddy, washed-out pasture to drag fifty rotting carcasses that used to be my mortgage payment out of a poisoned creek.
But I am being asked by Congresswoman Kristi Noem, as are you, to pay for a "safety net" to make sure blizzards and other bad fortune don't put West River ranchers out of business. That makes their business our business.
It's hard to read the numerous accounts of ranch hardship following the pummeling, freakish West River blizzard of the October 4 weekend and not want to leap to the aid of our neighbors who saw their livelihood turn to horrible scenes of animal suffering and death. The urge to help is all the greater because the people suffering fit the South Dakota self-image in which we all look like Ronald Reagan in Cattle Queen of Montana.
But why should we want to increase federal spending on (call it what it is) welfare when our Congresswoman has urged us to spend less on other needy Americans? She voted against federal assistance for people who lost homes and businesses in Hurricane Sandy last October. Silly New Jerseyans — they shouldn't have built so close to the ocean, right? Rep. Noem has stalled the Farm Bill because she wants to cut food stamps, a program she claims (erroneously) is rife with waste and fraud.
If we're really worried about waste and fraud, let's consider the case for the livestock indemnity program that Rep. Noem advocates. Suppose a thousand ranchers lost livestock in this month's blizzard and would apply for federal assistance. Would we not find among that thousand at least a few who find themselves in dire straits in part because of their own choices, say, a decision to leave their cattle out on fall grass a week longer or to switch to fall calving? Would we not find, say, 12 out of 1,000 ranchers (that's the SNAP overpayment rate due to recipient "error") who would take advantage of Rep. Noem's generosity and round their losses up from 95 head to 100, or 150 to 300?
Dare we expand the welfare state and risk rewarding a few bad actors and bad choices?
When we look at the carcasses in the creek, and the honest tears welling in a rancher's eyes, the answer is simple: heck yes! Help our neighbors; write the checks.
But if we try to take Congresswoman Kristi Noem's words and votes seriously, we end up in a Republican box, where we can't spend money we don't have on lazy takers who should have known better than to try to raise cattle in South Dakota.
Editor's Note: Cory Heidelberger is our political columnist from the left. For a right-wing perspective on politics, please look for columns by Dr. Ken Blanchard every other Monday on this site.
Cory Allen Heidelberger writes the Madville Times political blog. He grew up on the shores of Lake Herman. He studied math and history at SDSU and information systems at DSU, and has taught math, English, speech, and French at high schools East and West River.
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Comments
Distorting Noem's record only hinders a constructive discussion of how we, through our government, can best help those in need. South Dakota ranchers who were caught off guard and gravely damaged by this livestock-killing storm need help now, not snarky attacks on their representative.
There's no reason to doubt Noem's stated intention to push for legislation to help these folks. And, as she's been named to the conference committee for the farm bill, she's in a unique position to make the case for aid for the South Dakota ranchers who need help.
In this case, she has a clear understanding of the nature and scope of the problem and she's in the best position in the legislative process to help her constituents who need assistance.
Regardless one's political affiliation, that's good news for South Dakota.
The dirty not-so-secret truth is, he's an apologist for Noem, and everyone else in South Dakota's political elite. After all, he is a professional contract lobbyist for the SD State Legislature, which is why he's actually a professional apologist.
apol·o·gist noun \ə-ˈpä-lə-jist\
: a person who defends or supports something (such as a religion, cause, or organization) that is being criticized or attacked by other people
Kristi Noem did IN FACT vote AGAINST the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013. It's actually public record; you'll clearly see a 'NAY' next to the name of Rep. Noem.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/113-2013/h23
Unless Mr. Murphy wants to play the game of claiming that Noem actually did vote for it, before she voted against it. But I think people are too smart to buy that. And why did she vote against the Sandy relief bill? Because Tea Party groups like 'Freedom Works' demanded it, of course!
http://www.freedomworks.org/blog/mkibbe/key-vote-no-on-the-disaster-relief-act-of-2013
But when you're a professional lobbyist like Jeremiah Murphy, your job is to rub elbows with your cronies in South Dakota's establishment elite, and you don't believe leaders should be held accountable for their behavior, even when it includes rank hypocrisy. Murphy is even an apologist for Bishop Paul Swain, who refuses to join his fellow Catholic bishops in supporting expanded health care access for the poor.
http://millennialjournal.com/2013/09/12/all-catholic-bishops-must-act-on-medicaid-expansion/
Personally, I want to live in a country where we're allowed to hold our leaders accountable, don't you?
Regarding Hurricane Irene, in 2011 Representative Noem voted "aye" in support of H.R. 3672 which provided relief to victims of Hurricane Irene.
There were two bills to provide relief to Hurricane Sandy victims -
The first, H.R. 41, increased FEMA’s borrowing authority in order to provide $9.7 billion in loans directly to Sandy victims. Noem voted "aye" on final passage of that bill.
The second bill, H.R. 152 provided near-term and long-term relief for Hurricane Sandy victims but also included funding for unrelated activities such as funding for the Forest Service, the Smithsonian, the Commerce Department, and the Department of Defense (some of the Defense appropriation was to purchase ammo for the Army). Noem voted “nay” on the final version of 152 though she did support an earlier version of the bill that was solely targeted to storm victims.
In my comment above I was referring to HR 3672 and H.R. 41. Noem supported final passage of both of those bills.
But, as I note above, what matters to the ranchers who have suffered terrible losses is that their representative is in a great position to legislate on their behalf.
Had Noem been a Democrat I've the feeling that this article would have a 180 degree reversal. Congress should pony up for a few cows & calves, especially after bailing out cities, failed businesses, banks, and phony real estate tycoons who brought on their own demise. For Cory to tell ranchers how or how not they should run their program (time on grass, fall calving, etc.) is laughable......'specially from a French teacher.
But shall I assume your generosity toward recipients of federal assistance extends equally to ranchers, New Jersey homeowners, and urban single mothers struggling against misfortune?
I think I speak for a lot of Americans when I say that it is considered our duty to help those who cannot help themselves.........but not those who are able and lazy.
I would encourage you to Google "how to catch a wild pig". It goes a long way to explain the dependency problem we have.
Just sayin'...........putting things into perspective the cost of a few cows & calves seems pale against the big picture.