John Hokana, Oakes, N.D., Published September 04 2012
Letter: Cramer’s words show his colorsAs a farmer/rancher, I know how important a strong farm bill is for North Dakota. We’ve been fortunate the past few years, but I remember the ’80s and ’90s, when we lost crops due to droughts and floods. And this year’s extreme drought has decimated many crops to the south of us, and may yet have an impact on crops in our state.
The farm bill passed by the Senate is a good, commonsense approach to providing farmers with support and a safety net while making solid cuts to reduce the deficit. That’s why it’s so frustrating to see that the House is incapable of passing a farm bill before the Sept. 30 deadline.
Rep. Rick Berg, R-N.D., hasn’t been able to do us much good in Congress. Now it looks like the job might be up to our next representative – Kevin Cramer or Pam Gulleson.
Gulleson has been traveling the state, talking about what steps we should take to actually get a farm bill passed. But Cramer spent a week in Washington and when he came back, he said, “I don’t pretend to know where they’re going to get the votes.”
What a disappointing statement from someone who claims he could make a difference for our state in Washington. Instead of contributing to the problem, he should explain to his fellow Republicans how important this legislation is for our state.
That’s why I’ll be voting for Gulleson in November – it’s time to send someone to Congress who will actually work to get consensus and get the job done.