Numbers don’t always tell the true story

The June 29 article “Iowa farmers received $1.3 billion in subsidies last year” is another example of how “liars figure and figures lie.”

First, none of the subsidies for 2011 are more than $300,000 because that is the maximum per recipient. What the figures don't reflect are the individual farmers who have more than one corporation for their operation. I am aware of many “farmers” who have multiple corporations, i.e. one farmer in the area farms 1,600 acres but has them under four separate corporations and receives four checks. If you should check on the “top 5,” they probably have several other corporations also receiving subsidies.

Then you suddenly go from annual subsidy to payments between 1995 and 2011 for the payments to Congress.

Is the $6.2 million per year or for the six or eight years (between or inclusive)? The figures for Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Tom Latham must be more than one year as they are more than $300,000. Then you have a different range for Rep. Leonard Boswell, 2001 to 2008 (7 years or 9).

The inconsistency of figures makes comparisons misleading.

William Ashby

Clermont