"I Know How To Work The System"

From the Sioux City Journal:

A state senator who referred to public workers as "bottom feeders with their hand out" for seeking better retirement benefits confirmed that he received $713,765 in taxpayer-financed farm subsidies over a nine-year stretch.

In addition, records show that Sen. Mark Zieman's wife, Jennifer, received $360,806 in federal farm subsidies over a four-year stretch.

"I readily admit I am one of those people who is using the system," said Zieman. "I don't like the system, but I know how to work the system."

What a dick.

Update: More Tuesday at Radio Iowa. Zieman actually had the balls to say this:

Zieman rented 5000 acres of farm ground in 1995. He's cut back to 2000 recently, but he does not dispute that he got nearly $714,000 in farm subsidies from 1995 to 2003. Zieman says he got the payments legally, and is just competing on the same playing field as every other farmer. Zieman does, though, support ending farm subsidies as he says subsidies bolster big farmers at the expense of smaller and start-up operations. And Zieman says it's not as if he's making a killing at farming.

Ha ha ha ha, that'll play real well to the folks in Postville. Oh yeah. I hope this idiot's political career is over by the next election