Classic Stossel: Fake Farmers

Lawyers, and others who have never farmed in their lives, got rich off of taxpayer money - all through a lawsuit against the USDA that was supposed to compensate black farmers for past discrimination.
One black farmer tells me, lawyers said "if you had a potted plant… you're a farmer. And if you have a yard and you fertilize it, you're a farmer."
That's why 90,000 people got money from the government -- even though the USDA and the Black Farmers' Association say there were only 18,000 black farmers in the country.
A Classic Stossel from 2011.

[@johndaugherty4127]

I am a farmer, and all we need is for the "government" to stop setting prices on crops.

[@RaptureDragon1]

Farmers better stop farming then and put some pressure on these psychos, or start a freaking civil war. Cuz otherwise nothing gonna ever change.

[@big.g.fromohio3546]

My grandad was a farmer and he told me when I was a young boy, the worst thing to happen to farmers is when the government showed up to “help”.

[@scallywag1716]

Yes! 100%

[@ZoneBTD]

Why. I thought minium crop prices help farmers

[@dragonhold4]

@John Daugherty They're still doing that? I thought this died with the facsist sympathizer Frankin Roosevelt.

[@stevekunde123]

Lawyers are always the winner in class action lawsuits

[@lvrtstrh2335]

Hey being a lawyer is a good gig. Ya win a big case, you get money. Ya lose a big case, you get money! Good gig.

[@mrow7598]

The one class action i've been apart of, 2000 people, 20 million pay out and I got a whooping $150. What happened to the other 10k per person?

[@DirtyPlumbus]

As is the government.

[@terry-fn9dj]

Defend lawyers 🤣

[@Nlang1969]

Scummy attorneys

[@KimmyTexas]

"How do you know they're farmers?" Lawyer - "They fill out the forms and you hope they're telling the truth."

[@linjay5230]

a scam lawyer

[@anthonyplayground1402]

And hes telling them "how" to fill it out for success.

[@PaulMarostica]

They fill out the forms. You test to determine if they're telling the truth.

[@DugrozReports]

Bingo

[@johnmcnatty1710]

The more people fill out forms the more we collect

[@rlwpac96]

Imagine how much less taxes we could pay if government cared about our tax dollars

[@killercuddles2956]

The congresswoman cynthia mckinney is a badass bitch. She was the only one who called out congress back in 2004 for the missing trillions of dollars(mostly due to DOD)

[@lukequigley121]

AGREE, Get rid of theft , pay-ola , overspending , overcharging, the US could run on a billion dollars ,not trillions

[@rogerelzenga4465]

if they cared about taxes you would pay twice the amount...

[@DrCruel]

The socialist problem is that turning farmers into serfs is profitable but unpopular. This sort of change has to be done very carefully and in stages to minimize resistance.

[@rogueyun9613]

When a lawyer says "most people are very honest" you know something is off.

[@stevebradnam803]

Don't need prisons

[@SaintGerbilUK]

"most people are very honest" except the lawyers.

[@rixille]

He's a parasite, lawyers like him deserve to lose it all.

[@kdrapertrucker]

If most people were honest, we wouldn't need lawyers.

[@BuckeyeFan-ty4vr]

Hell you show me a honest lawyer

[@robertgreen4050]

This is a prime example of what is wrong with government

[@shawnpatton3795]

Why is the problem with government instead of people making fraudulent claims? If no, or little fraud was committed, what would the cons of this reimbursement be?

[@mayankgoyal5264]

@@shawnpatton3795 Because people will make fraudulent claims if they can. The scheme was not well designed in the first place.

[@chrisearle7886]

The government AND the people in on our society.

[@Tony-Plinkett]

@@shawnpatton3795 Both are the problem... However, I would put more emphasis on those politicians, who sponsored with this legislation in the first place...

[@americansfirst1095]

​@@Tony-Plinkett.....exactly. Pee losey being number one.

[@melovemusic69]

Thanks John once again for exposing our corrupt government.

[@RoseNZieg]

I love how the lawyers didn't do their diligence and represented fraudsters.

[@killercuddles2956]

Most farmers are "Fake" ... all they care about is growing whatever the governments will pay them for growing. This is why most farmers in Indiana grow GMO poison corn for unsustainable ethanol, and the next year they grow crap soy so the boys will grow titties and pretend they are female. Soy acts as estrogen in the male body.

[@lakojake4215]

They get paid either way.

[@my3dviews]

"The lawyers made out very well". Wow, big surprise there. Who could have guessed it. 🤔

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

Professional Parasites?

[@maryfries2147]

The rich got richer

[@gblargg]

For all you know they also "attempted" to farm.

[@aedryk]

whoa cool it with the antisemitism, bud.

[@lloydkinnear6649]

Here's a simple idea to make it equitable for everyone: No more handouts/subsidies for anyone! That also means less bureaucrats staffing these programs. I am a Livestock Farmer and I know Bull$hit.

[@LibLibertyLibertarian]

We need to stamp out the word equity which is the opposite of equality.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

Good start. Then lets totally eliminate ALL Federal Taxes on everything and implement a fixed percentage Federal Sales tax on EVERYTHING so that the public will finally know exactly how much money this government is siphoning from our economy. Every day, with every purchase, every American will feel the TRUE impact of our Federal government mismanagement. No exemptions, no "Progressive" punishment for successful producers. Just a FLAT sales tax to both annoy and inform every taxpayer.

[@Disenfranchised-lu1zv]

Unfortunately, once the government gets to a certain size, it becomes a self perpetuating bureaucratic monster that no one can stop. It would seem that it's about to reach critical mass. Throughout history, the only remedy for this has been total collapse.

[@mikhailhunter5277]

We also need to get the government out of many things. I guarantee you that the government has many unnecessary laws that make it hard for farmers in the first place. Which is why they are seeking loans.

[@gloatsmitty4253]

They need done with the IRS too. I would much rather give the little $I have to my community than have some out of touch government send my $ to other countries against my wishes

[@RobertSmith-om8lw]

It's kind of funny My mother was a fourth generation dairy farmer we had a farm I've tried to get a farm the cost is so high it's unreal The same farm I was trying to buy a minority got the funding and grants to buy it and I was turned down for it

[@DreamingDarlin]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Maybe in future you could have a trusted minority friend apply and you could be partners. I hate all this racial insanity that's going on today!

[@Tiger-fv3nl]

I started my farm from scratch 5 years ago. My wife and I both live off the income full-time now plus we employ another three to five people. We built our strong business without any help from the government. Real Farmers don't need checks from the government. There is great money in farming. It's just like with other businesses you have to capitalize on opportunities and set yourself apart from others. That is where the real money is and that is what we have been able to do. Regardless of skin color, if you can't make great money farming then you ain't doing it right.

[@oscarinacan]

What area of the country do you live in? What do you grow? Where do you sell it?

[@stevenschnepp576]

How'd you get started?

[@circledot-kc8il]

Same here. I started from scratch with no help from the government.

[@Tiger-fv3nl]

@@oscarinacan I'm in the southeast and we grow 6+ acres of vegetables and cut over 100 acres of high quality hay. We sell at 4 local farmers markets and to many restaurants and retail establishments. I started 6 years ago with a 20x20 garden spot and no hay operation. Now I manage around 150 acres of land. Anything is possible.

[@Tiger-fv3nl]

@@stevenschnepp576 I started 6 years ago with a 20x20 garden spot. We have grown from there and now I grow 6+ acres of vegetables and cut over 100 acres of high quality hay. It's a great business that we built one day at a time.

[@benji9465]

"Most people are honest" Only a lawyer could say that with a straight face

[@scottweisel3640]

He should have finished his thought. “That’s why its so easy for evil men like us lawyers to take advantage of them.”

[@mikehenderson229]

Thats why he gets paid the big bucks

[@DugrozReports]

"That's why we've set up this lawsuit to attract that portion of the populace that isn't!!!"

[@bigviewsmallwindow8335]

And with that hair!😂

[@brianrajala7671]

I think old silver hair is exactly the individual that gives the law profession a bad name!

[@paulbrungardt9823]

I remember at time when attorneys were respected. Now, they are mostly a bunch of scam artists.

[@shawnpatton3795]

I don’t think that they are required to investigate that their clients are telling the truth, especially criminal defense attorneys.

[@RoyCyberPunk]

​@Shawn Patton These are not defense attorneys though. They are lawyers making class action lawsuits based on fraudulent claims.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

America's #1 dishonest and #1 despicable professionals are lawyers and I can prove it. Even if they manage to be appointed to the USSC supreme court, they give us endless streams of 5-4 or 6-3 decisions on a very short document, which is centuries old, and even came with an Owner's Manual known as the Federalist papers. There only 2 possible explanations for this. Our most foundational laws, the Constitution and our Bill of Rights are way too complex for even the alleged best and brightest minds to figure out or these a treasonous political hacks who use their BIAS and not OUR rule book in their decisions. If is is the former, then no American should be obligated to follow the law as it is too complex. If these were good honest people of character then why on earth, all they teeth gnashing and hyperbole when an appointment is made? Why would it even matter one iota who occupied the WH or held the majority in the US Senate when an appointment was made. It matters because these are America's most dishonest professionals who spend a lifetime twisting the law and turning the right to a FAIR trial, into a right to Win no matter how far the law must be twisted. Then I also ask, WTF are American voters doing by electing so many of these despicable professionals into power over us. How fricken stupid are you?

[@bobthemagicmoose]

Nah, they've never been respected, even in biblical times: Luke 11:46

[@shawnpatton3795]

@@RoyCyberPunk what are their legal, moral and ethical responsibilities for verifying their clients claims?

[@ChosenPlaysYT]

4:03 “well they fill out the forms and we hope they tell the truth” LOL

[@TheCharleseye]

"People are afraid to cheat." Yeah...no. Growing up, almost everyone in my neighborhood had utilities in their kids' names, due to outstanding bills in their own names getting things turned off. People stole cable...all the way up until they could just get someone's Netflix password to use. Those on the downs and the outs know they're gonna have to cheat sometimes. If someone came to my neighborhood and said "Hey, if you've ever owned a potted plant or fertilized your yard, you can get $50,000 as a farmer!"...they would have lied about having potted plants and fertilizing their yards to get that money.

[@zg-it]

"I bought an ant farm once, those fuckers didn't grow shit". -Mitch Hedberg

[@timothyvincent3436]

Nice.

[@imlurkn5291]

Mitch was different fo sure

[@shawnpatton3795]

Hilarious!😂

[@lachlanmc2335]

Should have gotten leaf cutter ants lol because they are farmers

[@SimonASNG]

They were probably black ants, so the government wouldn't let them succeed.

[@markwilde2391]

They fill out the forms, and we hope they are telling the truth........what a stupid plan.

[@shawnpatton3795]

The expectation shouldn’t be that people are telling the truth?

[@mayankgoyal5264]

@@shawnpatton3795 No. Because people can lie too.

[@mattdillon4398]

@@shawnpatton3795 Correct! Humans are NOT basically good. They are basically bad. California alone lost 20 billion dollars in covid relief scams! "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9

[@Roger-mw9el]

People as a whole tend to only be out for themselves. This never should have been given out. What a crazy and lazy world we live in

[@shawnpatton3795]

@@mayankgoyal5264 then what controls need implemented? Or do we do nothing because people can lie?

[@cronoschild]

Stossel: "How do you know they're farmers? Pires: "Well th-...they fill out the forms and w- w- we hope they were telling the truth" This cracks me up every single time i rewatch 🤣. I dont blame the lawyers for this, but these politicians who allows them to make these claims writing ambiguous laws.

[@charliehay1520]

Our ENTIRE government needs a complete overhaul!!

[@kscape100]

In Jesus name; and God bless America! Amen.

[@watchdealer11]

Taking advantage of the government is like taking candy from a baby but the baby forcibly took that candy from innocent individuals with the force of military.

[@johncremeans969]

That makes me feel really dumb cause I haven't figured it out

[@watchdealer11]

@@johncremeans969 The government uses military forces to take "candy" (taxes) from citizens and because it has no incentive to be a good steward of the money and every advantage to hand out it out to big companies that will just have to kick some money back, taking money from the government is taking candy from a baby.

[@DamnMyNickIsTaken]

The American military is responsible for collecting taxes?

[@joleaneshmoleane8358]

Or just printed it out of thin air and caused inflation which robs from everyone, especially savers.

[@vonsch9793]

Keep the government small and lean and it won't have the resources for this sort of BS.

[@molokoplus0612]

How is this lawyer not in jail for fraud? Enraging!

[@JasRaymond1]

He is probably a Democrat , different rules apply to them.

[@rudyschwab7709]

@@JasRaymond1 A Democrat wearing a Ben Franklin disguise.

[@paulsawczyc5019]

@@rudyschwab7709 Yes, some lawyers sport the "founding fathers" look - I see that it's common among constitutional lawyers.

[@JasRaymond1]

@@rudyschwab7709 I looked him up, he was first appointed by Jimmy Carter. He later ran for the senate and only got 3 percent of the vote. He then started a bank after he got millions from the government in these law suits and has assets of over 300 million dollars.

[@chrismay2298]

They're all in with the main fraudsters, the ones all the sheople think "represent" them. 😂

[@rxtexan1]

The thieving and lying is disgusting and I would love to come across that lawyer who is a sorry excuse for a human being

[@tomquinn5437]

Thanks for who you are and what you do. Keep up the good work.

[@tobybigham4196]

A lawyer telling us that most people are honest and should be trusted. That is code for saying, "Their check cleared, so I believe them!"

[@ossoduro7794]

The fact that so many of them have no shame in being freeloaders is just afrocious.

[@reedwright301]

That's the way of the black man.

[@calvinmcneil9824]

That is because the Democrat party encourages victimhood mentality

[@charleszp938]

Muh reparations yo!

[@stevebabiak6997]

I noticed the typo of having a letter F in place of the letter T - makes me wonder if that was an intentional or inadvertent misspelling ;)

[@kevinmeserole7345]

​@@stevebabiak6997 Obamian slip.

[@bobbobson4607]

that lawyer is a shining example of why people hate lawyers

[@WanieB]

Real journalism, you been reporting on these discrepancies your whole career.

[@jeramyneeley3351]

I'd love to see Stossel interview Luis Rossman and make a video about the current state of Right to Repair.

[@dreamshooter90]

I second this.

[@haraldjohansen1867]

Yes!

[@Stupid_you_so_stoopid_UHF]

I'm not a farmer but that's bs.

[@timwalsh6283]

Let's make it happen!

[@timwalsh6283]

​@@dreamshooter90 I third!

[@MrNorker77]

And people wonder why lawyers have such a bad reputation.

[@jackson5116]

they haven't had good reputations in my entire life, which goes back to the early-70's!

[@gillcal]

Fantastic! Reporting is always!

[@BradKandyCroftFamily]

This is why I am against class action lawsuits. They aren't about justice, they are about a huge payday for the lawyers.

[@mtamech535]

Tired of this corruption and I'm tired of the handouts.

[@jackson5116]

get used to it, you won't ever see this end until a 3rd political party rises to challenge the other two, and that's not happening anytime soon...

[@cleverwitticismhere6922]

@@jackson5116 I don't know. I hopeful for the future. I think change might really be possible with the introduction of ranked choice voting (RCV). Usually, people won't vote for a third party because they feel they are "wasting" their vote, but with RCV you can vote for who you really want without fear of wasting your vote. I pretty sure Alaska has adopted it, but I'm not sure if any other states have done so. Everyone, push to institute RCV in your state and we can start making sure each vote really counts.

[@trjb1767]

Note the actual people who make the approval and denial decisions. They have a hand out as a related party.

[@justing6594]

You can have 38 political party's. There still going to be corruption. You need to get rid of lobbyists. And government grants. Should be equal rights for everybody. Special privileges for no body.

[@stevenschnepp576]

​@@justing6594 Eliminate taxation in its entirety and replace it with voluntary contributions. It's harder to give away other people's money when you have to convince them to give it to you, first.

[@donm5354]

LAWYERS are always the biggest winners in any Class Action Lawsuit. People actually harmed get crumbs after the scammers get most of what he lawyers dont. Even with personal lawsuits - lawyers usually get at least 40% of any settlement.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

Lawyers are professional parasites who thanks to our stupidity of electing so many into public office, make our laws so complex that only lawyers can make sense of them. So complex that even if the alleged best and brightest make it to the USSC they seem incapable of deciphering a very short, centuries old rule book any better than 5-4, or 6-3.

[@frankconley6321]

At least 33%

[@John14-6...]

When the lawyer said that most people are honest I literally burst out laughing

[@losemaama3387]

Thank you for your service.

[@tyfode224]

The level of corruption in government is mind numbing, and that's just a small bit we even know about! Just waiting for this whole house of cards to fall, because that's right where this pathetic country is headed! 😡

[@2wheelman]

yeah i hear ya we all live in this piper dream.. so have it so good and others are screwed by the rich people that top.. scam lawyers and judges too.

[@chrismay2298]

It's always been that why when one small group insist they rule over the rest.

[@alaskansummertime]

I run a small Alaska nursery and all the Alaska Department of Natural Resources has ever done is screw with me. I had a strain of hemp that could grow this far North. They called me up acting like they were gonna help me after hemp was federally legalized. Instead they got info on my set up and passed legislation specifically targeting me. Years later Alaska still has no commercial hemp. I started my entire nursery business with 12 dollars and have gotten bigger every year. The government has not only never helped me they have actively stood in my way.

[@JK360noscope]

Sounds about government to me

[@Cynthia-sm5uj]

i have had questioners in the mail requesting info about my farm from the fed. i shred. my farm is non ya biz boys! community supported Ag needs to step up another level. and it will!!

[@alaskansummertime]

@@Cynthia-sm5uj The growth of small farms is inevitable with the way the world is going. I'm getting to a point I don't trust supermarket food and plan on growing literally everything I put in my mouth. Every day another video about some fool spitting in food at a fast food joint, every day another food poisoning scare. Every day the government trying to step on small business at the behest of giant soul less corporations.

[@rixille]

@@alaskansummertime I think humans were stronger and healthier back then because their food was higher quality due to better soil and they had less exposure to all these nasty chemicals that our bodies were never made to handle properly. It's no coincidence that autism and gender confusion is on the rise. They say stuff like "it's just that our screening got better and we became more conscious of others"; but damn I think that's only half the truth.

[@alaskansummertime]

@@rixille They spray wheat with roundup prior to harvest (autism) and water is contaminated with atrizine (gender dysphoria).

[@kilburn1313]

The fellow Mr Dismuke sounds like Howlin' Wolf & I would love to hear him sing, g'day & best of luck from rural South Australia

[@billyruben116]

Now that I think of it, I am a farmer too.

[@twc9000]

Not all lawyers are bad. It's just the 99% of them that give the rest a bad name.

[@rogierb5945]

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. -Frederic Bastiat.

[@shawnpatton3795]

So is the problem government instead of its citizens or culture?

[@reasonablespeculation3893]

@@shawnpatton3795 Yes, it's Govmnt. If free money is made available, people are going to take it. Even conscientious people will eventually say "I'm tired of being the righteous fool"

[@reedwright301]

@@shawnpatton3795 Good question, to answer it, take a normal average person, give them some kind of official government badge and a jacket with some acronym on it. Then sit back and watch the ego inflation and the wielding of power. The world is full of little corporals pining to become dictators. You are probably one yourself

[@glynnetolar4423]

See ads on KZbin all the time about "free money" from the government.

[@tyfode224]

​@@shawnpatton3795 yep, big out of control gobberment, and more lazy ass people wanting free shit than hard working folks! Not gonna end well!!!!!

[@davidwright873]

I can't watch this.....Its heart wrenching...

[@alansterling3481]

The lawyers are ALWAYS the ones that benefit the most.

[@SeraphsWitness]

"Most people are very very honest." LOL

[@locklear308]

LOL oh man, what a joke.

[@DugrozReports]

How much were you paid? "It was very modest." What I wanted to hear: "Give me a number." Modest for who's standard?

[@mudcreekpottery]

This reminds me of the time FEMA came to our town, Athens Alabama, after a bad tornado to help the “victims.” Any person on public assistance received money. It was disgusting. My friend, who’s house was heavily damaged, got nothing because she received no public assistance. They had to live in a camper for many months while their house was repaired. This is why people on assistance keep voting democrat. They get much more than just food assistance.

[@grotesquehead322]

Yes, and this is why Democrats - and even some "moderate" Republicans - defend their precious "social safety net"; it creates and maintains a permanent underclass of citizens dependent on government wealth redistribution. It isn't much different from the tactic sex traffickers use to keep their victims from escaping; get them hooked on drugs to keep them dependent.

[@tomster7574]

they get free stuff. let me buy your votes, is all it is. always has been. bribing the people who dont care about anyone other than themselves. just as bad as the politicians.

[@Ja2808R]

I couldn’t imagine being 100 dependent on something that could turn its back or just stop payments at anytime for any reason.

[@dalpz205]

There's public assistance and private assistance. Both entail various ease of access but I've never heard of there being a distinction between those on public assistance or not and it's not listed as any acceptable or declining reason for FEMA. Did your friend have homeowners insurance? Fema might not pay out until after homeowners is done and I know that can take a while. That's just one example. My neighbor got a new roof last year through Fema after Harvey in 2017. Also, not a lot of people on public assistance own property either so it probably seems way faster when they receive up to $500 from public assistance vs. individual assistance which pays more but takes longer.

[@user-io6pj8bz8h]

Same thing happens in Canada

[@nolimitarcade2865]

This is exactly why every single lawyer needs to be a tree decoration.

[@outinthesticks1035]

I recall a " ag assistance program" in Canada . 4 billion dollars . Application was so complicated that it was necessary to get a accountant to do it , pay up front and no guarantee that what was received would be enough to pay for the accountant . 1 billion went to farmers , 1.5 went to accountants, and 1.5 to the government administration to process the program . And the largest payout to a " farmer " went to Cargill

[@johnhill9583]

I would say "incredible" or "unbelievable" but in today's world it is, sadly, business as usual. Great reporting John!

[@blessedwithchallenges9917]

I'm 52, male, and white. Not complaining...but I've gone in to get business loans at banks since I was in my early 20's, probably 5-6 times. Not once did I walk out with a loan. I lived in an rv for about 5yrs total, working 3 jobs and saving all of the money possible. That's how i got a down-payment on a house. I bought a huge dump that was old church offices...spent 4yrs fixing that up while working full time. Finally sold that and got a real house once I got married. After 14yrs of marriage she got pregnant from another man and left me, taking the house and almost everything I had. Back in the rv for another 2yrs and bought another property. NONE of this was from assistance or loans. I tried, they always said since I'm self-employed they wouldn't give me a loan. But now I know it's because I'm Black - I guess. Even though I'm white. Because, apparently, if anything difficult happens in life it must be because you're Black.

[@JK360noscope]

The government is a scam, all of us gonna go color our skin with Sharpie for a week of being an attempted black farmer and receive a $50,000 pittance...

[@w8what575]

Same thing happened every time my dad went in to get a loan..he was self employed and had been..,had tax returns to show his income and length in business and still no one would give him a loan…he has very little credit..it’s good credit but he was never allowed to utilize his borrowing ability because he was “self employed”

[@blessedwithchallenges9917]

@@w8what575 must be because he's white...

[@jasonmorgan27]

They are a race built on no accomplishments, what do you expect.

[@ripvanrevs]

@@w8what575 Government HATES self employed people. Much harder to have control over us.

[@TristanSoldier]

That's fraud! They should all be in prison!

[@ferebeefamily]

Thanks John.

[@wethepeople1981]

I've never seen 50k in my life. You know what I could do with such a thing? And they say I'm privileged. I'd slap the fool who ever said it to my face, I swear

[@jwenting]

I have, after my dad died I got my inheritance. Used it to pay off half of what was left of my 200k mortgage...

[@thedude7319]

throughtout the years you would expect to become more jaded watching stossel, but he does bring it with a lovely smile which lessens the sting of bureacracy

[@stacyrethman9532]

I grew up on a farm that didn't take a government hand out, my father was proud of that fact and i am proud of him. The small family farm is gone and now big operations or cooperate operations tear up as much dirt as they can get their hands on because there are government programs that will hand them money to (so called )improve the land. Several of the big operations in my area have people hired full time to hunt down government programs to get the handouts when they don't need it. My opinion is, government needs to tight the belt on the farm bill and programs available.

[@dan32one44]

Lawyers are like mechanics you hate them till you need one ☝️

[@franksnyder1038]

How can you tell when a lawyer is lying? When their lips move.

[@vanesslifeygo]

Slur your speech a little and lawyer itself sounds like liar.

[@Fomoco365]

I identify as a black farmer. Where's my money?

[@overallgreatidea6433]

Regretfully it is not a mail-in ballot. You must proactively fill out a form to request your money. The fact that this form, this obstacle, is placed between you and the money is proof of discrimination.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

I see what you did there. KUDOs.

[@jerryp8263]

@@overallgreatidea6433 Winner winner, chicken dinner.

[@bonedigger666]

I have an acre of land with 16 raised beds and 5 apple trees... that make me a farmer? Only if I was black.

[@ripvanrevs]

You're a little late. You need to also identify as a non-binary birthing person with a wife suffering from 4th stage testicular cancer to qualify for a loan.

[@itsjustme.7059]

We need to protect our farmers and appreciate what they do. I live in a city with a small yard. I can’t grow much other than flowers here in Alaska. We need farmers.

[@caeserromero3013]

Reminds me of the BP oil spill, where the local govts in the affected states were encouraging EVERYONE (especially the unemployed) to register as a 'Fisherman' so they could claim compensation (and get them off the welfare bill).

[@tobybigham4196]

So a few years back I worked in a 550 unit section 8 housing project. I noticed the oddest thing. One of the women that was always behind on rent but somehow got by constantly, suddenly showed up in a newer SUV which surprised a few people. At least a week later I witnessed her selling peanuts a block from the projects. She claimed she got her farmer money, and was now a peanut farmer with no land. Apparently she found a supplier that sells her the raw peanuts and she applied, and Poof. Her rent wasn't late for over a year.

[@vanesslifeygo]

I read too fast and assumed that this women was on Section 8 and yet had an SUV. However, what I've just assumed happens a damn lot. It's like these people lose their empathy and want to do mental gymnastics to show they are good people and deserve it.

[@redrustyhill2]

Its nothing new. 80% or more of farm subsidies goes to people who have never farmed. And much of that to politicians and billionaires who buy up farmland just to get the subsidies. They develop that land but its still clasified as farmland..

[@ripvanrevs]

That's a great story. I've owned rental properties for 25 years. I should write a book!

[@tobybigham4196]

@@redrustyhill2 The requirements to get the money from this class action lawsuit, is you have to be black, have a few potted plants, and you have to apply. Land ownership in these cases is not necessary. But you are right about the land buying. Bill Gates portfolio includes subsidized farms, and leased farms. But that actually is a smart investment if you are trying to raise capital while maintaining assets you can use as collateral. And the kicker is many of these leased farms have a guaranteed yield of 70% thanks to the farm bill, so they can't fail.

[@yuk-erkmckirk9277]

​@@tobybigham4196 it's funny how Australian farmers can compete on the world agriculture market without any subsidies. Either American farmers are lazy and inefficient and can't compete on the international market or they are simply ripping off the taxpayer. Obviosly your farmers are just bad at what they do,full stop.

[@zbigniewbucaw3342]

I respect you mr. Stossel back from Poland. same like Tom Sowell and Prager thank you.

[@supremelordoftheuniverse5449]

Smart lawyer. Don’t hate the player, hate the game

[@ban80]

This is amazing

[@botanicalbecca8443]

As someone who just completed a beginner farmer course last year, and has been trying to start a farm for years, I really appreciate you covering this. So many of us are very serious about the hard work and commitment it takes to farm, and we need help to make it happen. I would much rather help come from the community than the government, but government programs are the only way many of us can get started. Sad how hard it is just to steward the land in America.

[@BlazRa]

I got my garden going with no money invested I got a wood chipping service to drop a load of wood mulch I traded some guy for a bunch of fruit trees and I make my own fertilizer by fermenting weeds.

[@JosEPh-zy3yr]

@@BlazRa Because you have a garden you think you are a farmer? Wife and I have gardened for 40+ years and Never considered ourselves as a farmer. But rather we are gardeners. So according to your statement are you applying for a $50K settlement too?

[@botanicalbecca8443]

I definitely think people need to take advantage of free resources in their areas, but my garden here at the house is nothing like the farm I'm attempting to start. We're looking to do sheep, chickens, medicinal and culinary herbs, as I'm an herbalist, and also bees. I've done two work share programs where I worked the land however they wanted for the growing season, and the farm gave me a CSA in return. Bartering is what I'd always prefer, but it just isn't realistic to make a farm happen that way where I am. Most farms here are GMO subsidized corn, soy or canola. Not my thing! I'm doing my best to utilize permaculture principles which makes it even more challenging.

[@botanicalbecca8443]

@@JosEPh-zy3yr You're so rught. The amount of fertilizer I need in a garden plot and the amount of input needed for farming row crops are very different. Haha Respect to you and your wife for so many years stewarding your spot on the planet, no matter how small. 🙌🏼

[@BlazRa]

@@JosEPh-zy3yr I would never call myself a farmer I would never give myself any label that identify with I'm also building my own boat so that I can catch shrimp smart@ss HALF DONE!

[@rodneyferguson446]

I've got a Younger Friend (I'm 66 and he is around 50) I worked with and he has hundreds of acres of land. He also has 2 brand new vehicles, Tractors, Farm Equipment, Cattle, etc. Just recently, his Wife also inherited another 100 acres and he had someone come in and Bulldoze the Fences out so he could build New Fences around the place. I was still working after he retired and I happened to see him one day when I drove by his House (a VERY Nice 2 story Brick home), so I stopped to talk to him. He told me what was going on with the land and all of the work being done. I told him "It's none of my Business but I'm gonna ask anyway, How in the World can you afford to have someone come in and do the work FOR you?". I figured with him being as good of a Heavy Equipment Operator as he is, he'd rent a Dozer and do the job himself. His Response was "Shoot Rodney, I'm a Black Man. There's no trouble at all for me to get Money, The Banks are just dying to hand it out to Black Farmers!".

[@edmondgreen7970]

and to hear them talk they're soooo opressed. fucking bullshit.

[@w8what575]

In the meantime my little sister is covering for the farm hand that didn’t want to work that day and my sister ended up getting trampled by a cow…she’s ok but bruised from head to toe and they get very little help from any gov or loan officer …good planning with money

[@jimbrown9817]

“They fill out the forms… and we hope…”

[@delprice3007]

Outrageous!

[@tiffinyharrington9307]

The lawyer saying “most people are very honest…”🤣😂🤣

[@rixille]

That smug face of his...

[@stevematthews684]

"The Lawyers were the winners in the whole law suit." Yep

[@georgewagner7787]

This is the problem. These people in control believe that most people are honest and that human nature is good. Just because they have good intentions they think everyone else does too

[@ronintje7647]

When i see that lawyer, "honest" definatly isn't the first word that comes to my mind...🤔

[@jeffreyrediel]

they fill out the forms and we hope they are telling the truth. America is wild

[@TheGuruStud]

He just admitted to being an accomplice of fraud. But nothing will be done.

[@jeffreyrediel]

@@TheGuruStud Of course nothing will be done, the scheme was approved from above

[@AttitudeforQA]

@@TheGuruStud Also confessed to be being an illogical race sympathizer.

[@neovenom7187]

@@TheGuruStud you know a lot of that money goes back as lobby money to politicians, so they can take even more money from the tax payer next time.

[@aquamanGR]

This is crazy! Why did they not check tax forms, business activity, receipts, something! They're just giving away taxpayer money....

[@randomstuffwithnofluff7472]

Lawyers should get sued and serve prison time for fraud.

[@stang8135]

Great journalism! Infuriating!

[@HlpOfc]

The saying goes, “the only winners in court are the lawyers “

[@Floundman1]

Love your videos... Keep up the good work

[@williamfeliciano713]

For every action there's a reaction

[@roberthyder4023]

Can you do a freedom of information act request for people whom received money from the government for farming assistance

[@BobanVagene]

This is why the government needs to be cut in half. Too many taxes, too much spending, too many regulations and way too much bureaucracy to hide the corruption and incompetence.

[@shawnpatton3795]

What about lying, fraudulent citizens?

[@BobanVagene]

@@shawnpatton3795 There will always be lying, fraudulent citizens. Making it easy for them to steal hard earned taxpayer money, shouldn’t be a case of just filling out a bullshit form with the help of a corrupt lawyer, then replenishing the slush fund with more taxpayer money.

[@shawnpatton3795]

@@BobanVagene what are your possible solutions? Why do you suspect that the lawyer(s) are corrupt?

[@BobanVagene]

@@shawnpatton3795 Cut out a lot of these govt programs. There are WAY too many of them and are rife with abuse and waste. The government’s primary purpose is to protect its citizens, not be one big social program. Unfortunately, it’s really good at handing out money and horrible at securing the country.

[@shawnpatton3795]

@@BobanVagene so there are no actual needs for this program or others? How do these programs not protect the people then? Why punish those that are honest and have actual needs because of thieves? It would be similar to dissolving the police force and military because there are officers and sailors/soldiers that murder, rape and steal.

[@big.g.fromohio3546]

THE LAWYERS ARE ALWAYS THE WINNERS! That’s why they do this, they don’t care about black farmers or anyone else but their bank account. $10 million is modest SMMFH

[@thomasheer825]

The last thing I ever want to hear is "I'm from the Government and am here to Help you".

[@WallyTony]

Nothing better than seeing a bunch of fired people speak. You can't believe a word these fools say.

[@blakekurtz4073]

This is exactly how checks were given for covid relief.

[@Marthastewart209.]

Exactly, rewarded people for quiting their jobs. And encouraged them to sit at home for 1.5 years collecting tax payer checks

[@bhough410]

@@Marthastewart209. In all fairness it wasn't tax payer checks. Trump admin had the money printed...so it was future tax payer checks plus interest.

[@ripvanrevs]

@@bhough410 And then Biden printed another 9 Trillion dollars and caused 20% inflation. (In all fairness)

[@williambrandondavis6897]

Same for the Minnesota food relief program that was recently defrauded of billions.

[@Yophillips3272]

​@Marthastewart209 I didn't quit I was laid off, and yes I took the extra $600 a week, the amount of taxes I pay and how little I get to keep about time the government gave back. Best time of my life just to be lower middle class. Now I'm back to being in poverty and paying a crapload of taxes. 🤷‍♂️

[@h0ck3yphreak]

Interesting, I remember hearing something like this regarding PPP loans during the pandemic....

[@bhough410]

Year 2022 Trump admin managed to print 80% of all US currency in existence...to "help us" navigate the "pandemic"

[@lewis2553]

That just proves lawyers are liars! I had a friend in Cartagena, Colombia, who asked me once if I was going to get a lawyer to handle something for me, but I thought he mispronounced the word as "liar". Now, I think he was correct, even if by accident.😂 I'm white/native American and grew up farming with old, worn out junk for equipment. My dad was more native American than I am. Now in my mid - 60s, I still farm with my Mexican wife and our 5 - year - old daughter. The government never handed us anything because our ancestors had their land taken away and were marched (some to death) on the Trail of Tears. Nor have we asked for anything, certainly not $50,000! This just shows you how low some people will go for a dollar. I dare say, a prostitute would probably have more dignity than the people described in this video! How does the government know who had slave ancestors and who's a Johnny-come-lately that just arrived from Africa and never had ANY ancestors who were slaves - or worse yet, had ancestors who were kidnappers of the people sold as slaves? And is there a subrogation of slave descendants' reparation benefits between the US government and their home government in whatever country their ancestors were from? You know, it was black people over there who originally kidnapped them and sold them to the slave traders. Since their government allowed that, they should pick up the tab for half their reparations. My family and I have already paid our share through Affirmative Action over the years. I wonder, do they have that over there? I doubt it!

[@JustMe-xz2bz]

Lawyers are the winners in every lawsuit.

[@timobatana6705]

This is why our system is failing. The victim mentality is allowed them to justify any deed. No matter how much It ultimately hurts society

[@tadecker82]

1. What percentage of farmers, in America, are Black? White? Hispanic? 2. What constitutes a farm? 3. Why are we subsidizing farms, whatsoever? 4. Why does the government have the authority to tell farmers when they can farm, what they can farm, and who can farm?

[@jwenting]

you subsidise farmers to ensure a stable food supply in a market where due to government regulations it's become impossible for those same farmers to sell their production at a profit... Because that's the reality of farming, most farmers without their farm subsidies would be forced to quit, sell the land to real estate speculators, and seek a factory job.

[@overallgreatidea6433]

I agree, though with some caveats concerning BMP erosion control

[@bhough410]

@@jwenting Impossible to sell crops for a profit???

[@jwenting]

@@bhough410 yup. Without subsidies and price control laws farmers wouldn't be able to make a living, especially smaller ones (remember overhead per ton produced goes down as your operation gets larger). The big food manufacturers have a stranglehold on farmers, reduce prices they pay constantly while the cost of fuel, fertiliser, labour, and seed stock go up. That's why so many small farmers are selling their land to the big operations and calling it quits.

[@litoaykiu]

@@jwenting Only small farmers do not have lobbyists who get them subsidies. Kill the subsidies and price regulations and farms will be back business! Farming is the most independent profession that is why Soviets would execute farmers but the millions.

[@lakojake4215]

That lawyer is a conman and should be in jail.

[@ravenmouth]

Great stuff

[@James_Hough]

Lawyers are always the real winners in class actions and mass litigation. Always. I say this as a lawyer.

[@TorMax9]

Wow! A lawyer being honest... Well, I never... LOL... I hope you're enjoying your lifestyle...

[@mikmik9034]

I have a memory from the last century of Congress subsidizing the NOT Planting crops, to keep prices up. I also remember many Congress people becoming Absentee Farmers, to collect subsidizes for NOT Planting crops.

[@armyjeep4]

Local bubba's keep asking me if they can lease my land,I always tell them sure,in fact you can lease it for free. 3 conditions,NO corn,NO soy beans and especially NO hay

[@name3698]

I'm from Iowa, and I feel like there is a misconception that people have with farmers in other areas of the country. People seem to assume they are dumb and they are poor. This is far from the case the wealthiest people in my community were farmers, and they are all very knowledgeable on how to get what they get can get from the government; in fact they seem to grew specifically for subsidies. I believe the farm subsidies have a lot to do with presidential candidates campaigning in iowa for a longer period than they do anywhere else in combination to the lobbying done by very powerful companies in the agricultural and energy industries such du Pont and Monsanto. I am unfamiliar with the program that stossel is discussing in this segment, but I will say what constitutes a farmer is a very gray area. I've seen definitions that would include my family as farmers, but we'd never consider ourselves ones. I also don't know what criteria the government uses or how they formulate a farmer's "entitlements," so I'm kinda talking out of my ass.

[@bhough410]

Who thinks farmers are dumb or poor?

[@erinlikesacornishpasty4703]

@@bhough410 everyone who lives in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, L.A., and New York City. Oh and Washington DC. I've literally heard folks in Seattle say "oh, those dumb apple growers in Eastern Washington should TRY to secede, then they'd all die from starvation and poverty, because WE have all the money here in Seattle". They're actually arrogant enough to believe our agricultural industry doesn't matter at all.

[@fffrrraannkk]

While guilt knows no bounds.

[@wisdomfox857]

White guilt you mean

[@MemeMan_MEMESQUAD]

That lawyer is not white

[@darcanx]

That's not white guilt, don't let him fool you 😄 There's a ton of money to be made. I predict he will file lawsuits for white farmers when it'l be found they've been discriminated by these measures 😂

[@JosEPh-zy3yr]

while guilt???

[@AttitudeforQA]

What does that even mean?

[@ClumsyCars]

I have a few plants here, where do i apply?

[@RitaMoore-um6dm]

It's stacked against everyone but the politicians.

[@AttitudeforQA]

As a Ghanaian, it baffles me how US government can easily dash out what is equivalent a 10th of our entire reserve without even considering the possibility of it being subject to fraud. No wonder our dollars have been losing value.

[@stevenschnepp576]

It gets worse. This whole program is small potatoes.