Bigfoot":3s301zy3 said:
The original bases were given out, but could be sold to other farmers and attached to their land and bases. Dark tobacco bases were especially valuable. I raised 15 to 16 acres of dark every year. I guess everybody feels entitled to something-----------I feel entitled to what I got. My earning potential, and the value of my land is forever lowered by the loss of the bases. I could have easily made more money than I have been "given" by continuing to raise even half of my 16 acre base.
I take exception to people that get phase II money that never raised tobacco. Ive got useless barns and rusting equipment that will never hit the field again. All purchased or built in good faith that the base system was there to protect me.
You are right and please don't misunderstand what I'm saying because I'm actually FOR these programs when they are in place to protect the family farm from things that are out of the farmers control. Just think back to the grain embargo where US farmers could not sell their products due to international politics. It wouldn't be right to ask the farmer to brunt the burden due to US policy.
Bigfoot, please don't take what I am saying as negative toward you because its not meant to be. If you remember your history you will remember it was the IRS that set a value on these allotments and began taxing them as part of the land so they are the one's who set the value on them and you were merely recouping what you most likely were forced to pay taxes on. Isn't it amazing what a tangled web the government weaves?
The government got fat on the tax revenues from tobacco yet they want to demonize Big Tobacco. There was no such thing as Big Tobacco until they made it that way. There used to be small tobacco and cigar manufactures all over the place. Hundreds of brands behind the counters. Not now. Now we have Big Tobacco and the government walked away with $15,834,746,000 in 2007 alone. Don't you think its only right that they give back some of their money too?