Lawmakers, Farmers Call on Bush to Support Tobacco Buyout

Source from:  Associated Press  05/19/2004

President Bush's recent statement that the Depression-era tobacco quota system should remain in place prompted tobacco state lawmakers and farmers Monday to make a renewed push for the White House to support a buyout. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said he planned a direct appeal to Bush about the issue. "It's important to Tennessee and to the tobacco farmers in Tennessee," Alexander said. Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., have also lobbied White House officials in attempts to win a buyout worth millions of dollars to tobacco farmers. U.S. Rep. Richard Burr, R-N.C., a candidate to replace Dole's colleague Sen. John Edwards, has acknowledged that the White House needs additional "education" on the issue. Burr was in his hometown of Winston-Salem on Monday night for a fund-raiser headlined by Vice President Dick Cheney. Bush remarked to reporters during a campaign swing through Ohio two weeks ago that the tobacco quota didn't need to end. "They've got the quota system in place -- the allotment system -- and I don't think that needs to be changed," Bush said in remarks published in The Cincinnati Post. The quota is the amount of tobacco farmers are allowed to grow based on the purchasing intentions of tobacco companies and how much leaf is in reserve. Quota holders can grow their allotted share or transfer it to someone else. Some farmers complain the quota has driven up the cost of U.S. tobacco and say an end to the system will make their product more competitive with foreign-grown leaf. But they don't want to give up their stake in the system without being compensated for the money they've spent over the years. Keith Parrish, a Johnston County, N.C., farmer who is executive director of the National Tobacco Growers Association, said during a teleconference Monday that farmers are in a dire situation because of the existing quota system. "It's beyond repair without making drastic changes, and that's basically what we're after," Parrish said. Kay Fisher, a Nash County, N.C., grower since 1975, said Bush's stance has persuaded her to abandon the strong support she gave to Bush during the last election. "I truly felt that he was the person to lead the United States," she said. This statement "has truly changed my opinion. "How can he not see that something is wrong?" Enditem