An Itta Bena nonprofit is coming under fire for criticizing the tea party and Republicans in a newsletter promoting a federally funded project to assist socially disadvantaged Delta farmers.
The Valley Community Development Corp. recently published the first issue of Learning Agriculture + Neighborhood Development (L.A.N.D.)” The front page touts it as a “USDA farm project.”
Inside, a summary of a radio program hosted by Roosevelt Sanders, the CDC’s executive director and editor-in-chief of the newsletter, said the majority of the tea party is made up of “rich land owners, large corporate giants, and the rich establishment.”
“The ‘Tea Party Folks’ have convinced themselves only ‘They’ count! They pay the least taxes, live in the best communities, drive the best cars, eat the best food, and own the most in the USA. Could there be more to it than meets the eye?” the newsletter said.
It later takes a veiled shot at Republicans and “trickle down” economics, saying the policy didn’t help the poor or the country during its eight years in place. That’s ostensibly a reference to the George W. Bush administration.
The Valley CDC USDA Farm Project is funded by the USDA to provide technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers in the Delta, according to its website. The goal is to teach between 30 and 50 new and experienced farmers in nine Delta counties about the farm business.
It’s funded by a $100,000 USDA grant that runs through Oct. 31. A grand opening for an ag assistance center was scheduled for this morning in Itta Bena.
Sanders said today he knows better than to use federal dollars to promote political views and did not spend USDA money on the newsletter.
“I’m not crazy,” he said.
He said the Valley CDC has non-federal funding sources, including fees from its security guard and other training programs and rent from the non-federal Elite Concepts apartment complex.
Sanders said he’s also protected by the First Amendment.
“Freedom of speech kicks in by whatever stretch of the imagination,” he said.
Cindy Saulter, president of the Leflore-Carroll Tea Party, said she’d like for Sanders to prove no government funds were spent on the newsletter.
“I believe the USDA needs to take a look at what is being done, and something needs to be done,” Saulter said. “Our government money — our tax money — is paying for his rhetoric.”
She said she knows most of the tea party leaders in Mississippi and that they’re not wealthy or large land owners.
“I do not know where (Sanders) gathers his views from, but we would love for him to come to one of our meetings,” Saulter said.
She said the tea party is considering contacting the U.S. Office of Inspector General but would like to speak with Sanders first.
“The Human Factor” radio program, described in the newsletter as a no-holds-barred commentary of current events, is broadcast weekly on WGRM 93.9 FM and 1240 AM and Mississippi Valley State University’s WVSD 91.7 FM.
The newsletter also includes a poem, written by Contributing Writer Lord Hester and named “Over Excited,” that includes an ode of sorts to government funding.
“We are not in this for the money
Though we need it for the cause
Our mission is higher than the dollar
Even though without it, we are sometimes lost.”
• Contact Charlie Smith at csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
