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| JANUARY 2005 |
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National
Grange Reveals Its "Blueprint for Rural America 2005"
The
National Grange presents the "Blueprint for Rural America 2005" as an outline
for the legislative priorities of the National Grange for the year ahead. Every
year, the National Grange re-evaluates the 10-point plan laid out in the "Blueprint" to make it relevant to rural citizen's anticipated legislative concerns. Revised
to take into account grassroots Grange delegates' voices in the 138th National
Convention in November 2004, it incorporates most current Grange's viewpoints
of public policies.
1. Extend Prosperity in U.S. Agriculture to Family Farmers
and Ranchers - America's family farmers and ranchers face critical challenges
to extend their prosperity. Federal farm programs should foster increased participation
in the agricultural sector by encouraging the broadest practical distribution
of agricultural production. Farm programs should reward innovative practices such
as part-time, new uses, organic and direct-to-consumer farming; protect farmers
who rely on commodity markets or contract production and restrict agri-business
mergers that reduce competition or farm prices. Biotechnology is beneficial but
farmers lack legal ownership of the seeds they save. Country of origin labeling
and animal identification regulations are important but may impose undue costs
on farmers. The U.S. faces increasingly hostile multilateral trade negotiations.
Dairy farmers and consumers benefit from regional dairy programs and financial
assistance for moderate-sized dairy farms.
2.
Expand Telecommunications Services in Rural Areas
- Universal access to telecommunications technologies such as telephone, cellular,
wireless, television, radio, Internet, satellite, and cable must be available
to rural communities at affordable costs. The Internet delivers services and products
efficiently, irrespective of geographic location. Telecommuters enjoy rewarding
careers and rural lifestyles. Global position satellites improve productivity
on America's farms. Even with these benefits, we must protect children from inappropriate
materials and prevent conglomerates from controlling multiple media venues. Furthermore,
incidents of spam, Internet fraud and loss of privacy from these technologies,
must be reduced. 3.
Improve the Quality of Rural Education - In rural areas, public schools
are a community focal point. Additional federal funding for rural public education,
for special needs students, for Internet access and for Headstart programs is
needed. Career and technical educational programs, including agricultural career
education, must be reauthorized and funded. Federal payments for school districts
in counties with federal landholdings must be preserved. Teachers and administrators
must have the authority to deal with violence and inappropriate expression that
disrupts the learning process in rural schools. Basic civic values, including
recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, should be part of every school curriculum.
New methods should be used to involve parents in their children's education. 4.
Protect Private Property Rights in All Environmental Programs - Private property rights are often disregarded in the administration of our nation's
environmental laws. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that species preservation
take priority over all other federal policy goals. Other federal programs that
restrict normal, traditional and customary activities on private and public lands
in rural areas and expand federal jurisdiction without regard for states' rights,
private property, sound science, local economic impact or community safety include:
Federal Clean Water Act "wetlands" regulations, forestland management regulations,
regulations on siting and licensing of hydroelectric facilities, regulations governing
animal grazing and regulations controlling irrigation contracts. The consequences
of these programs have been heavy handed federal regulations to direct natural
resource uses in rural communities that create unnecessary animosity, fail to
meet their goals, threaten vital economic infrastructures and increase risks of
catastrophic wildfires in populated areas.
5. Achieve Energy Security for Rural America - Imported
energy and high energy prices threaten the rural economy. Renewable energy from
our nation's farms is underutilized. Proven reserves of domestic energy cannot
be developed for environmental reasons while environmentally marginal "global
warming" policies increase energy costs on agriculture and industry. Voluntary
energy conservation programs for rural areas are under funded. Rural consumers,
especially those served by rural electric cooperatives and public power utilities,
must benefit from electricity restructuring and reliability programs along with
all other consumers. 6.
Enhance Homeland Security and Public Safety in Rural Areas
- Homeland security and public safety are national priorities. The importation
of invasive pests and diseases threatens our food security and our prosperity.
This is true whether the pest or disease comes inadvertently as a consequence
of lax security in normal commerce or deliberately as a means of economic bioterrorism.
Rural Americans face additional threats of violence and intimidation from extremist
environmental and animal rights groups. Criminals increasingly use rural locations
to manufacture and distribute dangerous drugs, leaving landowners with toxic wastes
sites. Laws regarding the use of firearms during the commission of a crime are
not adequately enforced. The rights of rural victims of crime are also not adequately
respected.
7.
Strengthen Civic Participation in Our Society - The
challenges of September 11 test the durability of our liberties and our duties
of civic participation. Common frames of reference, such as language, expressions
of faith and patriotism are fundamental prerequisites for individual liberties
and vibrant civic participation. These shared references reinforce our traditions
of religious and social tolerance. Modern technology also facilitates civic participation.
Strengthening civic participation in our society by acknowledging the roles of
language, faith, patriotism and technology is the most effective means to guarantee
our liberties and maintain our way of life. 8.
Improve the Quality and Availability of Rural Health Care
- Rural citizens need 100% tax deductions for all health and long-term care insurance,
medical savings accounts, medical flexible spending accounts and competitive health
insurance choices. Rural seniors require Medicare programs with affordable prescription
drug benefits. Yet, health insurance has no value if there are no health care
providers in rural areas. Rural health care providers face regulatory barriers
when they seek equitable reimbursement for treatments provided under Medicare
and Medicaid. Rural healthcare providers also bear a disproportionate financial
burden from medical malpractice litigation. We must preserve access to modern
pharmaceutical technologies for all rural families.
9. Reform the Federal Tax Code to Preserve Family Farms
and Rural Businesses - The self-employed comprise more than 22% of today's
rural workforce. For farmers and small business owners, their farms and businesses
are their largest asset. Federal tax reform must assure that today's family farmers
and rural business owners can retire with dignity and that their productive resources
are transferred to a new generation of rural entrepreneurs. Current tax laws penalize
rural businesses and farmers for selling their property to other families, for
passing it on to their heirs or selling development or water rights to preserve
the future use of their property in agriculture. Prior tax reform efforts increased
the complexity and the burden of tax compliance for rural small business owners
and farmers.
10.
Support Transportation Improvements that Protect Rural Freedom of Mobility
- Freedom of mobility is vital to rural life. Transportation is our nation's economic
circulatory system. Federal investments promote healthy economic growth. However,
our highways, railroads, airports and waterways are deteriorating from failure
to deal with transportation issues. Since 1970, Americans have increased the miles
they drive by 148%, while new roads have increased by just 6%. Gridlock costs
$67.5 billion a year and wastes 3.6 billion hours. Grain literally rots on the
ground waiting to be transported. The number of grain railroad cars has fallen
by 24% in just five years and 68% of the remaining railcars are at least 20 years
old. Our nation's commercial waterways are threatened by environmental regulations
and deteriorating infrastructure. Airports in rural communities continue to close
while service at urban airports declines due to overcrowding. A
copy of the "2005 Blueprint for Rural America" is now available at www.nationalgrange.org
and will be included in the upcoming "2005 National Grange Legislative Policy
Book and Grassroots Training Manual."
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Grange Calls On FCC to Lower Broadband Regulation
On December 10, 2004,
the National Grange sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman, Michael Powell to thank
the FCC's drive for broadband deployment in 2004 and ask the agency to continue
to work on setting a clear and consistent regulatory standard regarding the unbundling
of telecommunications services. "The National Grange believes that less broadband
regulation will yield more investment, more jobs, more competition, and more consumer
choice, especially in rural communities," the letter told Mr. Powell. With
outdated regulation and no competition guaranteed, telephone companies have had
no incentive to build new broadband networks in sparsely populated rural communities. "The National Grange strongly believes that family farmers and rural Americans
are entitled to share in the benefits of new technologies as much as urban and
suburban consumers," the letter said. At
the 138th Annual Convention of the National Grange held Nov 9-13, 2004 in Rochester,
NY, grassroots Grange delegates from across the nation adopted the following policy
statement on deployment of broadband technologies in rural America: "The National
Grange supports a national broadband policy that removes the regulatory uncertainty
that has deterred broadband investment in rural America. A national broadband
policy will provide the incentive for companies to invest in rural broadband deployment
and stimulate broadband competition. A national broadband policy will spark the
creation of new service providers and new innovations that will assist a host
of new technologies become more affordable, including cutting-edge wireless technologies
that promise to deliver broadband to even the most remote parts of our country."
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Exemption Legislation Signed into Law
The National Grange celebrates another
legislative triumph - H.R. 5419. On December 23, 2004, President Bush singed into
law a bill that exempts the Universal Service Fund (USF), which is designed in
part to ensure rural telephone service, from the Anti-Deficiency Act (ADA) for
one year. Due
to the change of government accounting rules earlier in 2004 rural consumers were
in jeopardy of losing the Universal Service program funding. However, the USF
is now saved with the H.R. 5419, which contains "Universal Service Antideficiency
Temporary Suspension Act" that exempts the USF from the strict government accounting
rules. The Grange worked with many other groups to help pass this important piece
of legislation and joined a coalition
letter to the Senate leadership urging the Senate to pass H.R. 5419.
top National
Grange Questions the HHS Drug Importation Report
A controversial study
on drug importation conducted by the HHS Task Force was released on December 21,
2004. After the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 was enacted it required the
HHS to complete a comprehensive study of drug importation to determine drug importation's
safety before making such importation legal. The report assumed that limited wholesale
importation of prescription drugs might be done safely without any detailed explanation
on the potential impact of those imported drugs. "It is contradictory to other
recommendations in the Task Force report that commercial importation generally
should not be allowed," said Leroy Watson, National Grange Legislative Director. The Grange considers
consumer safety as the number one priority. At the 138th National Convention,
the Grange confirmed once again that drug importation should be allowed only when
it is dealt with full responsibility of importers and exporters and all process
is under the control of U.S. law. The Grange released its press
release right after the HHS report was made public to urge the strongest safety
precautions on drug importation. "The Grange would insist that every possible
safety precaution be taken so that unsuspecting Americans and especially rural
Americans, who disproportionately rely on phone, internet and mail order pharmacies
to fill their prescriptions, will not be lured to unregulated web sites or other
vendors that falsely purport to have access to the new supply of prescription
drugs," the press release said. Click
Here to Review the HHS Drug Importation Report
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Senate
Ag Committee Approves Gov. Johanns as Agriculture Secretary
Nebraska
Governor Mike Johanns was unanimously recommended to the Senate
for confirmation as USDA Secretary on January 6, 2005. As successor of Ann Veneman,
who announced her resignation last November, President Bush nominated him as his
second agriculture chief last December. Mr. Johanns, 54, who grew up on an Iowa
dairy farm, has served as Governor of Nebraska since 1999. "He will
bring to this position a lifetime of involvement in agriculture, and a long record
of a faithful friend to America's farmers and ranchers. He will lead an important
agency with the executive skill he has learnedas
mayor and as a two-term governor of Nebraska," said President Bush during his
nomination announcement. "He's been a leader on drought relief in Nebraska and
throughout the Midwest. He's a strong proponent of alternative energy sources,
such as ethanol and biodiesel. He's traveled the world to promote American farm
exports." Before
the Senate Ag Committee Mr. Johanns said his number one priority as Secretary
will be to restore the Japanese market for U.S. beef. He also pointed that he
would take a cautious position about the administration's decision to reopen US
borders to Canadian cattle. Mr. Johanns still needs confirmation by the full Senate
to become the nation's next Agriculture Secretary.
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Post
Cards Sent to the Senate for the Broadcast Decency Legislation
The National
Grange state leaders expressed their support for the broadcast decency legislation
by sending 486 post cards to 54 separate U.S. Senators during the 138th National
Convention in November, 2004. They urged the Senate to support the Defense Authorization
legislation, S. 2400, which contains the Broadcast Enforcement Act of 2004 Amendment
to increase the penalties from $27,500 to $275,000 for violations by television
and radio broadcasters of the prohibitions against transmission of obscene, indecent,
and profane language. The post card says:
"The
Grange is deeply concerned about the spread of obscene, indecent and profane materials
on our nation's public airways, especially during times when children may be watching
or listening. I urge you to support S.2400, legislation that will increase fines
and other penalties for broadcasters and licensed performers who violate current
regulations that prohibit over-the-air broadcasts of obscene, indecent and profane
materials between 6a.m. and 10p.m."
Unfortunately, the broadcast decency language never reached the president but
it is very likely to be reintroduced in the 109th Congress. Sen. Sam Brownback
(R-KS) who introduced this legislation is planning on reintroducing it shortly
according to his spokesperson.
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Fly-In, March 2005
Don't forget to register for the National Grange's
Legislative Fly-In, March 14-15, 2005. Open to all interested members, the Legislative
Fly-In allows participants to experience the best Washington, DC has to offer,
both culturally and educationally. The Potomac Grange #1 will also be offering
a scholarship providing a reimbursable grant towards food and lodging. The deadline
for Fly-In registration is February 11, 2004. For the scholarship program, the
deadline is January 31, 2004.
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