Due to the holiday weekend I am writing my column ahead of time. By the time it runs, two things probably will have happened: On the national level, the huge debt snowball that is the federal budget bill probably will have passed; and, on the local level, a couple of councilors will probably be weighing in on Geneva’s budget with a “plan.”

These two budgeting issues have something in common: They eschew data in favor of soundbites and wish lists.

Let’s look at Congresswoman Tenney’s “work” on the budget bill. She signed on very quickly to the original bill and faster still to the revisions, even when it was clear from her own statements that she had neither read it fully nor considered the impact on those she represents. In a district that struggles with poverty but has a large agricultural economy — she “worked” to cut food benefits which not only feed her voters, but are a stable revenue stream for local farmers.

Rural farmers pressured elected officials across the country to leave SNAP alone. Why? Maybe farmers have more compassion and common sense than the rest of us (that’s probably true!), but they also know that keeping people from buying food hits the pocketbook of people supplying........

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