And the spending orgy continues … at least the prior orgies were funding American profligacy …
What could be more outrageous than the hefty subsidies the U.S. government lavishes on rich American cotton farmers?
How about the hefty subsidies the U.S. government is about to start lavishing on rich Brazilian cotton farmers? (See the top 10 green ideas of 2009.)
If that sounds implausible or insane, well, welcome to U.S. agricultural policy, where the implausible and the insane are the routine. Our perplexing $147.3 million–a-year handout to Brazilian agribusiness, part of a last-minute deal to head off an arcane trade dispute, barely even qualified as news; on Tuesday, April 6, it was buried in the 11th paragraph of this Reuters story
This is more spending that the Commander in Thief promised to cut from his Cabinet last year when he was “getting serious” about fiscal discipline. This is bad politics. This is bad economics. This is bad for the environment. And is sucks pretty bad for cotton farmers in poor countries too. Is this the hope part of hope and change, or the change part? I am a little confused.
How about abolishing the U.S. Department of Agriculture?
OK, they give out food stamps. Couldn’t the Treasury just mint them too, along with the rest of the funny money? Distribute them with the $8000 tax credit for first -time home buyers along with the subsidy to buy affordable health insurance to anyone who qualifies, who earns less than $200,000 filing singly?
The Brazilians need the money to buy uranium and centrifuges, which is ample reason for us to ship them $143 million. Hey, Ed Rendell needs more than that, so if we send him, say, 30 billion, what’s the matter with sending our Brazilian cotton pickers a little change. As Keynes would say, it all trickles down, and don’t forget the multiplier!
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