MFP Commentary:
It blows my mind that the main reason to eliminate subsidies is not even touched upon in this article. All of the reasons presented are window dressing by comparison to the real reason.
The real reason to eliminate them is that “subsidies” are criminal. The highest law of the land (the US Constitution) clearly does not give this power to the Federal government. Too bad that most of the audience doesn’t give a damn about the Constitution and must be convinced using other arguments.
~MFP
Food is Freedom: How Washington’s Food Subsidies Have Helped Make Americans Fat and Sick
Farm subsidies are perhaps the ultimate, but secret, third rail of American politics. While entitlements are discussed out in the open, farm subsidies are rarely talked about – even though they are the most expensive subsidy Washington doles out.
All told, the U.S. government spends $20 billion annually on farm subsidies, with approximately 39 percent of all farms receiving some sort of subsidy. For comparison, the oil industry gets about $4.6 billion annually and annual housing subsidies total another $15 billion. A significant portion of this $20 billion goes not to your local family farm, but to Big Aggie.
(Note that this $20 billion annual farm subsidy figure doesn’t take into account the 30+ years of ethanol subsidies to the corn industry nor export subsidies to U.S. farmers issued by the USDA.)…..Read More