| National
Grange President Highlights Legislative Successes
in Annual Convention Remarks
Carried Live on Radio Portland,
Ore. – National Grange President Kermit W. Richardson said in his annual
keynote address given at the 136th Annual National Grange Convention in Portland,
that the Grange remains a highly influential advocacy leader for rural America
today, as it did when it was founded in 1867. The
Grange’s legislative effectiveness on issues such as the 2002 Farm Bill,
tax reform, Medicare prescription drug benefits for senior and issues on telecommunications
shows the Grange—the oldest grassroots advocacy organization in the nation—is
still the grassroots organization rural Americans are joining. Richardson
cited the Grange’s recent victory in October when the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) voted to reject the proposed merger between Hughes Electronic
Corp. and EchoStar Communications, Inc. The merger would have created a single,
monopoly satellite television provider and had a detrimental impact on rural customers. While
Richardson and the National Grange supported the passage of the 2002 Farm Bill,
the Grange leader also noted it fails to address problems facing family farmers
and ranchers. “The farm bill will provide financial assistance for many
farmers in dire need, but it will also continue to facilitate the consolidation
of farm production assets into the hands of fewer and fewer individuals and families,”
said Richardson. “The
National Grange is much more than an advocacy group,” Richardson reminded
the delegates in the address carried live on radio station KBNP, “it is
also a community organization where individuals and families can participate in
community service activities and development personal and professional leadership
skills.” “The
Grange is still the best place for individuals in American communities to grow
in leadership and character,” added Richardson.
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