Let's talk about the USDA for a moment. There used to be a little box marked "
Rural Development"(I'm not even sure if it exists anymore) in USDA. The function was simple: to channel low-interest-rate loans and grants to towns with fewer than fifty thousand people in them. The department ran a $220 billion dollar bank that serviced the poorest of the poor with needed loans. Amazingly, they nearly always repaid their loans.
Half the job is vetting the rural America. The other half is one long unglamorous road trip. Not like they'd go to NYC. They'd go to Minco, Oklahoma. Everywhere, two flights minimum with two hours drive. On the other end was a town in dire need of a health center, or housing, or a smalll business. The USDA would give 40,000$ for the health clinic and most people are unknowingly like '
, this makes a difference'.
The USDA's loans are typically made through local banks. The people on recieving ends were often unaware of where the money was coming from. Many people were proud to have done it on there own. The USDA goes to introduce herself, and he says, "So who are you?". "I'm the USDA person." He asks, "What are you doing here?" They say, "Well, sir, we supplied the money you're announcing." Guess who was white as crap.
It gets that way when you blow up a check that says UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. But hey. That's where the money comes from. You either take it or you go broke. Let's be honest. Our government wants our people to succeed.
But I guess some people have...pride.