House Ag Committee freshman Tim Huelskamp of Kansas has introduced the Freeing Agriculture to Reap More - or FARM - Act to prevent and prohibit overregulation of agriculture. Speaking on the House floor, Huelskamp called on Ag Committee leaders in the House and Senate writing the 2012 Farm Bill to add an anti-regulatory title:
“Farmers and ranchers, arguably, pay some of the largest costs of Washington’s crushing burden of over-regulation.”
Huelskamp proceeded to rattle off a list of possible and existing regulations the Farrm Act would address:
"Whether it is on youth involvement on family farms, pesticide application permits, greenhouse gases, farm dust, farm commercial vehicles, fuel hauling limitations for farm equipment, or livestock emissions taxes, the federal government continues to insist that it control the intricate day-to-day affairs of America's agriculture communities. The Farm Act prohibits this regulatory over reach."
The Bill would also delay implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform law, blocking funding for the newly established white house rural council. Huelskamp said it’s time to put an end to Washington’s distrust of farmers, ranchers and the rest of rural America.
Retail Sales Numbers Continue to be Positive
The latest report on retail sales is in, and it reflects continuing positive numbers. President of Retail Metrics, Ken Perkins, says sales in October were a little soft, but he says, overall, retails sales have been good this year.
“October sales came in somewhat solid this month, it looks like they’re going to be up 3 to 3.5 percent, a little below expectations, but we think it sets up well going into the crucial November/December selling period.”
New Budgetary Agreement Suggested
Former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles has warned members of the Supercommittee they will fail the country if they do not break the impasse over taxes that is blocking a far-reaching budgetary agreement. Bowles has offered an alternative plan that would split the difference between the competing debt-reduction proposals each side offered last week. He challenged Democrats to accept deeper cuts to federal health programs and Republicans to embrace 800 billion dollars in new taxes.
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