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Tag Archives: subsidies

What color is the sky in Mark’s (r) world?

03 Wednesday Dec 2025

Posted by Michael Bersin in Congress, Mark Alford, social media

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

4th Congressional District, ACA, faux populism, former newsreader, healthcare, Mark Alford, missouri, Obamacare, right wingnut, social media, subsidies, sycophant, that ridiculous hat, Trump sycophant

Mark Alford (r) [2025 file photo]

Today:

Congressman Mark Alford
[December 3, 2025]

We’re cleaning up the mess Democrats made with Obamacare. It’s time to put YOU back in control of your healthcare — not the insurance companies. [….]

They ain’t buying it – in the responses:

Headed for another shut down.
Pass a budget. Talk and negotiate.
Health Care / health insurance has to be covered.
Reimpose taxes on the 1%.
Cut funding for forever wars. Stop arresting gardners and dishwashers

Uh, no. Insurance companies will still be in control.

So what is the plan for Americans to have medical coverage starting Jan. 1st?

they have none. That’s the problem. All they thought about was destroying everything and not about how to rebuild it. See how well we are winning and making merica great again

there is none he’s just running his mouth

Wrong, ACA was because the free market had gone to Shit. Plus every time a bill to improve the ACA the republicans voted it down. All 70 times.

The plan? Or even a “concept”? Would LOVE to hear it!

As a small business owner I’ve been in charge of my own healthcare before and after the ACA. Please tell me how it was better before. After ACA at least I could get insurance even with pre-existing conditions.

Can I get a plan with coverage and cost equal to yours?

Congressman Mark Alford can we see the GOP replacement plan for Obamacare?
Because it has measurably improved major aspects of the U.S. health-care system. Far more Americans now have insurance, access to care is significantly improved, and many low and moderate income families are financially better off thanks to reduced medical cost burdens. In Medicare expansion states, some health outcomes, including mortality, have improved.
Republicans have had 15 years to improve upon this. What do you have to show us?

they’ve got absolutely NOTHING.

News flash: there isn’t one.

they have 𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 of a an excuse

Mark, I could get behind a change if Congress would just let everyone move to traditional Medicare.

“Medicare for All”

Medicare for All!

OR, we could just have universal health care like the rest of the 1st World nations upon this planet.

Where is your plan??

Easy to criticize, tougher to come up with a solution. What is your solution (besides blaming someone else)?

I want universal healthcare like they have in other countries.

it is clear they have no idea what actual work looks like. They think posting a meme or doing an interview full of half-truths or outright lies is working. Guess they didn’t learn what a hard day’s work actually entails or they are incompetent at their jobs. They have decided to shirk responsibilities in place of blame. They offer zero substance on matters that are most important to the people of this country. Furthermore, they care not if they are working for us, they are more concerned about loyalty to one person than behaving in a way that is reflective of the job they were hired to do.

Democrats didn’t make a mess with the ACA. Its flaws are almost entirely attributable to compromises with Republicans and their insurance company donors made in order to get it passed.

I don’t think you have a clue as to how for-profit insurance works.
We need universal healthcare like other civilized countries have. Even Republican studies prove it is more cost-effective and saves more lives.
An insurance ‘death panel’ caused the death of my little sister at age 45. It should never have happened. This is the real experience many American families have, no matter what they pay for insurance.
Without the ACA (better than anything you have initiated), many small businesses would never have been started.

As a small business owner and father of three, Obamacare was a godsend since its inception. I’m scared to death to see how the Republicans are going to “clean up the mess” if they can’t even acknowledge how much Obamacare helps tens of millions of people who don’t work for large employers that can get group rates and help pay for their employees’ health insurance! They keep talking about “putting consumers in charge”, but say NOTHING about lowering overall cost. I already get to pick my providers and pick my insurance plan, it’s the cost that is the issue.

Without insurance reforms…your “plan ” is smoke and mirrors

Putting us in charge instead of insurance companies…so you mean Medicare for all? Guaranteed healthcare for all Americans so people can stop choosing between life saving medications and paying bills? Putting an end to medical debt?
…that’s what you mean, right?

Wait a minute here. The tax cuts for the richest were also scheduled to expire this year, but, the heavens be damned, the Republicons rushed to put through their extension, but somehow tax breaks for working Americans are not of the same concern for Republicons.

Have you learned to distinguish between different brands of boot polish by the taste yet?

I keep hearing the words “mess”, “disaster”, “unaffordable” yet when pressed for examples or alternatives, I hear *crickets*

What is the plan????? Oh. You don’t have one

You realize, in order to put “us, not the health insurance companies” I charge of our healthcare, we would basically have to abolish health insurance/companies. I’m not against that, but I have a feeling you and your donors would think twice on that.

So what’s your plan Mark? Right. You don’t have one.

We can’t claim to be the richest greatest nation on earth and not have our people’s basic human right of healthcare met. Developed nation’s without universal healthcare well there is only 1 and that’s us. I don’t think that’s great at all

Wait. It’s almost 2026 and NOW you’re looking at ways to bring the cost down for Healthcare?

Been hearing that since Dear Leader was campaigning for his first term. He promised a better and more beautiful healthcare plan and we are still waiting…

Bad combover. Check. Too long red tie. Check. Orange spray tan. Check. Tiny hands. Check. Cluelessness. Check…

Can I have your healthcare plan? You haven’t present anything to us….

You have no plan to replace it. You just want to destroy what already exists.

Is this just your daily required “loyalty to the administration” post? You never have anything but finger pointing and half baked “concepts”.

Remember the good old days when insurance companies could reject you for a preexisting condition. Or cancel your policy if you got sick. Bury in the fine print a maximum coverage amount so if you got sick and needed the insurance it was not there. Or sell a policy that actually did not cover you when you got sick. Kick your teenage children off your policy. Or not cover preventative care to help you from getting sick.
It was so great.
But they an “idea” of a plan.

Without the ACA, insurance companies could deny insurance coverage for people with preexisting conditions. That was a big impetus for the ACA adoption. How will your plan of abandoning people to their own devices of obtaining insurance, even with the subsidies for those with more limited finances, assure those with cancer, diabetes,etc that they will be sold a plan? It did not happen before the ACA, so will Trump’s distain for all things Obama, throw these people back under the bus?

I’m sure you’ll have a healthcare plan right after infrastructure week.

And on and on…

About those agriculture subsidies

13 Monday Sep 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in social media

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

agriculture, Congress, missouri, social media, subsidies, Twitter, Unintentional irony, Vicky Hartzler

How much?

This afternoon:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler @RepHartzler
House Agriculture Democrats blindly voted on an unfinished plan without bipartisan input or any certainty of where at least $28 billion of their proposed spending would end up.

This is no way to function and causes Americans to lose faith in Congress.
[….]
2:07 PM · Sep 13, 2021

Bipartisan? Heh.

Will no one consider the fate of the subsidies?

Some of the responses:

#VickyHartzlerisaliar

Maybe they don’t trust your input. Farmer, are ya’? If not, give up your seat to Nunes of cow farming fame.

What is is jeopardizing your ag subsidies? #HandoutHartzler #welfarequeenHartzler

Is this screwing up your next subsidy? Why are you afraid to post this to Facebook? Too many followers there?

We know you have your hand out trying to scam some more farm subsidies for yourself.

Vicky. [….] NO ONE who voted to challenge the certified election results should be lecturing ANYONE about how to cause “Americans to lose faith in Congress.”

The GQP is the party of traitors and liars, losers and national embarrassments.

Domestic terrorist has concerns.
[….]

January 6th, 2021 you lost all faith with a number of us, if we really had any faith left after you eroded it over these last four years. No, you’re losing money and now you are trying to spin it as a bad thing. Cut the fat and cut the crap Vick.

Ouch.

Vicky Hartzler (r) [2021 file photo].

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): Market Facilitation Program – USDA

06 Tuesday Aug 2019

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

4th Congressional District, Hartzler Farms, Market Facilitation Program, missouri, subsidies, USDA, Vicky Hartzler

The Market Facilitation Program [pdf] (MFP) provides direct payments to help corn, cotton, sorghum, soybean, wheat, dairy, hog, shelled almonds and fresh sweet cherries producers who have been directly impacted by illegal retaliatory tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional exports. The MFP is established under the statutory authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and is under the administration of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA).

From the Environmental Working Group Farm Subsidy Database:

“…Total Market Facilitation Program payments in Missouri totaled $432 million from 2018-2019…”

USDA subsidy information for Hartzler Farms Inc, Harrisonville, MO 64701

Market Facilitation Program – Corn [2018] $800
Market Facilitation Program – Soybeans [2018] $104,794
Market Facilitation Program – Wheat [2018] $3,322

Total Market Facilitation Program [2018] $108,916

In August of 2018:

A Conversation with President Trump about Trade
August 3, 2018 Press Release

HARRISONVILLE, MO – Last week I had the opportunity to visit with the President about the challenges our farmers and ranchers are facing and the implications of increased tariffs. Although it is clear we must put a stop to China’s blatant violation of international trade laws, the current situation is precarious for rural America, and we need to open other markets to help offset our losses as soon as possible.

In my conversation with the President, I stressed that Missouri farmers are patriots who understand the need for better trade deals that are both free and fair. They love America and are willing to hang tough to help make our nation stronger. However, farm country is hurting. Over the past five years, we have seen a fifty percent decrease in net farm income stemming from persistently low commodity prices. The ag community can only handle so much. Farmers need to see substantial progress in bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations, new market access for their goods, and certainty that new trading patterns lead to long term growth.

[….]

Evidently, on a personal level for Representative Hartzler (r), $108,916.00 in 2018 Market Facilitation Program subsidies helps.

The application [pdf] (yes, you had to apply) for the 2018 Market Facilitation Program subsidy opened in September 2018.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) [2015 file photo].

Oh, SNAP!

19 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

4th Congressional District, agriculture, missouri, SNAP, subsidies, Twitter, Vicky Hartzler

Today, from Representative Vicky Hartzler (r), via Twitter:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler ‏@RepHartzler

Honored to receive the Agricultural Leader of the Year award from Agricultural Leadership of Tomorrow. [….] 12:43 PM – 18 Nov 13

And within eleven minutes, two responses:

curtis whitworth ‏@curtiswhitworth

@RepHartzler is this because of the subsidies your received? What a hypocrite. 12:48 PM – 18 Nov 13

carl klopfenstine ‏@Carl23b4

@RepHartzler Got your money I guess but cut SNAP.Hope you feel good. 12:54 PM – 18 Nov 13

“Who needs town halls anymore? That’s so twentieth century,” they said. “Everyone uses social media these days. It’ll be easier. You won’t have to respond to any hard questions…”

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): evidently math skills or facts aren't a strong suit

29 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

4th Congressional District, agriculture, fact challenged, math challenged, missouri, subsidies, Vicky Hartzler

In The Hill:

New Member of the Week: Rep. Hartzler sees God’s plan in politics

By Ramsey Cox – 05/16/11 06:19 AM ET

….According to the Environmental Working Group, Hartzler and her husband received around $775,000 in federal farm subsidies during the last 15 years.

“We do participate in the government programs, like probably 95 percent of farmers do,” Hartzler said. “People who aren’t familiar with the agriculture industry, you know, try and make that look like something exceptional….”

[emphasis added]

From the Environmental Working Group:

Farms Getting Government Payments, By State, according to the 2007 USDA Census of Agriculture

State/Number of Farms/Number of Farms Receiving Government Subsidies/Percent Receiving Government Subsidies

United States 2,204,792 838,391 38.0%

Missouri 107,825 45,102 41.8%

[emphasis added]

That’s some misunderestimate for someone familiar with the agriculture industry.

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