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YOU CAN NOW COMMENT ON STORIES AND POLLS<br />
LET US KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ISSUES.<br />
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NEW POLL OVERVIEW:<br />
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Many corn and soybean farmers will make more money in this catastrophic drought year than they would have if their crops had received normal rainfall.<br />
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The winners will be the grain farmers and the insurance companies, and the losers will be the taxpayers, according to Craig Cox of Ames, a vice president of the Environmental Working Group, a leading crop insurance critic.<br />
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Much of the risk inherent in federal crop insuranceis borne by the federal government.<br />
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Taxpayers pay more than 60 percent of the cost of insurance premiums.<br />
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Taxpayers also pay about $1.3 billion a year to defray administrative and operating expenses of the approved insurance providers. <br />
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The government also pays a substantial portion of the indemnity payments -- a portion that increases dramatically as losses mount.<br />
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The total cost to the government of crop insurance was $11.3 billion last year, and it will be substantially more than that this year.<br />
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In the worst case scenario claims could total $30 billion and the federal government would be responsible for $23 billion.<br />
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Crop insurance has provided a windfall for corn and soybean producers.<br />
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Farmers who lost much of their corn crop to the drought will actually make more money than they would have under normal rainfall conditions.<br />
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The revenue guarantee formula is fairly simple: The farmer's average production history (measured in bushels per acre) is multiplied by the price of the crop and by the coverage level, which can range from 50 to 85 percent, with 80 percent the standard in the grain belt.<br />
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The formula uses the higher of the projected price, which protects farmers from falling prices during the growing season, or the harvest price, which enables them to reap the benefits of rising prices during the growing season -- the situation that prevailed this year.<br />
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NEW POLL QUESTION:<br />
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Should the federal government provide crop insurance to farmers or should it be private sector insurance only?<br />
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Keep the insurance the same (Combined Public &amp; Private)<br />
Make it private sector insurance only (No government involvement)<br />
Undecided<br />
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TO VOTE IN THIS POLL CLICK ON THIS LINK<br />
http://www.clinton-countygop.org/content/should-federal-government-provide-crop-insurance-farmers-or-should-it-be-private-sector-insu<br />
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(To enter your comments click on &quot;Add new comment</span><span style="font-size: larger;">&quot;</span><span style="font-size: larger;"> after you vote.)<br />
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PREVIOUS POLL QUESTION:<br />
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Are you in favor of the State REQUIRING local units of government to enter into </span><span style="font-size: larger;">&quot;</span><span style="font-size: larger;">energy performance contracts</span><span style="font-size: larger;">&quot;</span><span style="font-size: larger;">?<br />
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Yes . . . . . . . . . . 21%<br />
No . . . . . . . . . . . 79%<br />
Undecided . . . . . . 0%<br />
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ONE COMMENT WAS MADE ON THIS POLL QUESTION:<br />
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ALL government should be focused on high citizen service at the very least taxpayer cost, but a mandate is not needed, leadership in cost reduction is needed. L. Meyer.<br />
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