Editorial

There's an old saying in politics: Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.

In the case of the so-called "Christmas tree tax," don't believe anything you've heard or seen.

Last week conservative bloggers and others shifted into hyperdrive to try to hang a new Christmas tree "tax" on President Barack Obama.

There's only one problem: It ain't so.

For the record, we've not been a fan of many of the Obama administration's "accomplishments." Its handling of the economic crisis has been inept, the health care plan is still a mystery to most Americans and last summer's budget disaster -- during which the nation's credit rating was downgraded for the first time in history -- provide ample opportunities for valid criticism.

You could even blame Obama for the slap-dash farm bill being lashed together behind closed doors in Congress. He helped set up the "super committee" -- there's a misnomer, if there ever was one -- that will set the federal budget. Included in that budget will be a new farm bill.

But a Christmas tree "tax?" Not hardly. It's got nothing to do with Obama. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch.

Tree growers sought the assessment two years ago. The proceeds will be used to market real Christmas trees against the Chinese-made phonies overflowing the shelves at big-box stores.

It should be noted that this is not something Christmas tree growers took lightly. They are on the ropes economically, as the chintzy metal-and-plastic Christmas trees from overseas continue to flood the market.

Growers asked the USDA to initiate a 15-cent-a-tree self-assessment so they could market and promote their crop. After three years, growers will vote on whether to retain the assessment.

That's some "tax," isn't it? In fact, the beef, pork and dozens of other similar agricultural checkoff programs have been around for years without so much as a whimper from the anti-tax crusaders.

When they talk about some onerous new "tax," they don't know what they are saying. It's that simple.

But here's the kicker. Not only was the criticism of the assessment unfounded, so was USDA's response. Instead of patiently explaining why these self-appointed crusaders were off-base, USDA suspended the assessment.

That only added credence to an argument that initially had none. What remains is a total lack of understanding about checkoffs and how important they can be to commodity groups to market their crops and underwrite research.

So, dear bloggers and other deep thinkers, take a deep breath. The Christmas tree "tax" really is much ado about nothing.

The only people they helped are the Chinese manufacturers cranking out fake Christmas trees -- and it was at the expense of American farmers.