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Tough decisionsBy Holly Martin If you have turned on the television or picked up a newspaper recently, you are well aware that the presidential election is just over a month away. It has been an interesting few weeks as the race has tightened. Changes in the economy, challenges of our allies overseas, and high energy prices have all played a role in how the candidates are perceived. But where does agriculture fall into the candidates' positions? Not much time is devoted to agriculture on the Sunday morning talk shows. Recently, the American Farm Bureau Federation asked John McCain and Barack Obama to answer a few questions that are important to America's farmers and ranchers. The questions touch on the farm bill, trade, energy, transportation, and estate taxes. In the coming weeks, we will print those questions and the candidates' answers in their entirety. There are differences and similarities in nearly all of the questions. Both candidates propose to reduce estate taxes for some, but the taxation levels are different. McCain said, "I will lower the estate tax to 15 percent and raise the exemption to estates valued at $10 million." Obama said, "For the remaining 0.3 percent of estates that have more than $7 million per couple, I will retain a rate of 45 percent." The candidates were asked what policies they propose to keep U.S. agriculture a profitable and viable industry. Both candidates talked of a safety net but propose to accomplish it in different ways. McCain said, "I will bring the agriculture community together to develop a market-driven risk management system for farmers and ranchers to sustain them during natural disasters." Obama said, "I support a robust safety net that targets assistance appropriately and provides farmers and ranchers with risk mitigation tools that protect them from weather and market conditions that are beyond their control." We are all aware to how important the rural vote was during the last presidential campaign. And we also know that you want to make informed decisions before you cast your ballot. Read their responses, think about their answers and then decide which candidate is best for the future of our industry. Editor's note: To see all of the questions and answers immediately, go to www.hpj.com and click on Presidential Forum. 9/29/08 Date: 9/24/08
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