Rep Neugebauer (TX) on Budget, Farm Bill, Innovation & Kids Research

Open email to Rep. Neugebauer (TX):

Dear Rep. Neugebauer,
I have read your latest newsletter and comment as follows on each of your items:

Budget
You report that the Budget Conference Committee is studying a plan, while you are for Congress debating and passing separate appropriations bills before the start of the fiscal year. You don't say that you are actually doing anything.

Farm Bill
The key point here is that you are taking no action on separating food stamps, which are welfare, from the Farm Bill. You do not mention any of the other aspects of free goodies to farmers or why we even have a farm bill in the first place. Farming is a business and should be regarded as such. It does not need separate federal government consideration, any more than cutting hair or selling groceries.

Innovation Act
This is a ridiculous operation! You talk about trolls, who are supposedly putting the heat on patent holders for some sort of settlement to not continue questioning the validity of patents.
I previously spent some years in technology transfer, which involves the buying and selling of patents. The basis of that business was that patents must be valid. Validity is initially determined by the Patent Office in the granting of the patent. Any subsequent question on patent validity is decided by a court. A plaintiff in a patent suit undergoes considerable cost for lawyers and court costs. In a questionable case, a plaintiff will not normally undertake the suit, if there is a probability that he will lose. Similarly, the holder of the patent will not settle with the plaintiff, if he is confident that his patent is valid. If he does settle, the patent is tainted and subsequently does not have good commercial value. Patent holders realize this and know that they must occasionally bear the cost of legal patent defense. Forget the idea of patent trolls. Threat of legal suits is common in all walks of life, including patent validity. Frivolous suits should be defended in court, which will automatically reduce the occurrence of those suits.

Kids First Research Act
You want to eliminate funding for the President Election Campaign Fund – a total of $126 million – and allocate those funds towards pediatric cancer research. Again, a ridiculous proposal!
If you want to eliminate funding for a Presidential Election Campaign, do so. There is a tremendous amount of private money going into presidential elections. It seems to me that there is no need for another $126 million of mandatory taxpayer money going into the same pot to enrich the media. The federal government should also not be spending money for cancer research. There's enough private money going into that operation.