Why Pigford Matters

by Dan Riehl

As Barack Obama prepares to sign an alleged landmark settlement to right previous wrongs dealt black farmers by the USDA, it’s important to realize that this is less a story about race, or discrimination, than it is a textbook case of big government run amok with greed and a usual cast of characters only too happy to cash in at the expense of the American taxpayer.

Indeed, as Big Government has already pointed out, the legitimate concerns of many honest, hard working black farmers continue to go ignored, while high power law firms, in some cases linked to the Democrat Party, stand to cash in big. Only in the world of big money and high power politics can an individual like Mike Espy, a former head of the very same USDA he is now suing, now claim to speak for over 15,000 clients alleging discrimination by the same USDA Espy headed up. The mere thought of that is absurd and should function as a red flag for any good government watchdog.

As Big Government will continue to show over the next few weeks, Pigford is a universe of its own filled with crooked politicians, cover-ups, greedy attorneys, and crime rings. And one of the brightest stars in the Pigford universe is Mike Espy:

How many actual farmers with potentially legitimate complaints against the USDA will actually be compensated remains to be seen. But one thing seems abundantly clear, Espy will very likely profit to a degree that far exceeds any potential aggrieved party. That isn’t justice, it is corruption and cronyism writ large to be paraded about in what amounts to an outrageous signing ceremony at the White House today.

In fact, as also reported at Big Government, some of the lawyers now poised to make millions while any aggrieved parties receive a mere pittance, appear to have sabotaged what could have been an expeditious and efficient process to see that it was the genuine victims who were rewarded. That raises the question, what’s in it for them?

This is a copy of a three-page letter between Michael Sitcov, Chief of the DOJ Federal Programs Branch, who is defending the government against the Pigford suit, and class action Pigford lawyer Al Pires. This letter shows Sitcov’s obvious anger at the shenanigans of Pires, and the fact that a well-running mediation, that would have saved taxpayers billions, has been sabotaged.

Perhaps one look no further than a small sampling of Pigford applications to understand that.  Based upon the printing style of the handwritten narratives, it’s worth noting that under what is called the “disparate treatment” section, the documents appear to have been augmented in some manner. That raises an important question: Did the original applications meet the standard for a justifiable complaint, or have they, perhaps along with other complaints, been altered in some manner to ensure their approval?

To date, only Representatives Michelle Bachman and Steve King have been willing to step up and ask some hard questions that need to be asked as regards Pigford II. I would encourage conservatives and Republicans not to be cowed by the threat of charges of racism in this regard. This is not about race, except as it is too often used as a blunt political weapon by liberals and progressives to thwart the asking of legitimate questions when it comes to transparency, good government and integrity.

Something smells when it comes to the Pigford settlement. And it is not the manure hard working black farmers who were actually discriminated against might use, or have used, to fertilize their fields. The goal of Big Government’s reporting in this regard is not to deny legitimate claims by any black farmers who may have been discriminated against.

Our purpose is to put the blame for the stench surrounding Pigford precisely where it belongs, in a Washington, DC out of touch with the American people, including many black farmers. What Pigford suggests is that, to Washington, black farmers are, in reality, merely another a group of people an out of control, unaccountable government laced with greed, corruption, and a need for growth is only too willing to elevate and perhaps exploit as a political tool, without genuinely ensuring justice is served on their behalf, while at the same time protecting the interests of hard working taxpayers from the threat of rampant fraud and corruption Pigford very likely represents.


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Posted Dec 8th 2010 at 7:03 am in Obama, Politics, pigford | 55 Comments