The Economist has a great article on US farm subsidies in the 9/9/06 issue. The federal government gave $20 billion last year to our poor starving farmers. Correction: to our rather wealthy farmers. 72% of the money is concentrated on 10% of the farmers, generally large commercial farms. These are sophisticated businesses that have huge tracts of land (note the Monty Python reference).
I’m all for ending corporate welfare. Getting rid of subsidies for large agribusinesses is a good step in that direction.
And for those who want their congressman to bring home the bacon to the district, you should recognize that this money is not coming to our district. Mike McNulty consistently votes to give our money to wealthy landowners in the midwest who happen to have farms on their land.
Thank God! At last a fiscally conservative politician (these days that’s a contradiction in terms)
Having been in the military for 14 years and on the outside for six, I have to agree with your views of ending farming, corporate and foreign welfare.
But its not just the wasted tax payer money, but also the horrendous debt which the feds keep mounting up. The majority of US debt is held by foreign countries (Japan and China mainly) I hate to think what happens to the dollar and our economy if they stop buying our IOUs and we can’t balance a budget.
If I figure right, the average taxpayer spends $1500 a year just paying interest on the US debt. Talk about wasted money!
I live in the 20th district here in NY. Any chance of getting you to move here and oust the current politicos who are so free and easy with tax payer money?
Thanks for the compliment, but I’m not moving anywhere anytime soon. I grew up in Guilderland and we love our neighborhood here. The politicos in the 21st district are just as bad with taxpayer money anyway.
While I agree with your concerns about the amount of our debt, I don’t think it matters who holds the debt. As my brother puts it, they give us stuff and we give them paper.