What I can't understand is why a "family farm" is such a protected business, but a "family grocery store" is left to the whims of the Wall Marts of the world?
Seems to me the same macroeconomic conditions which effect farming, have already effected family owned hardware stores, grocery stores, gas stations and many other small businesses. Yet, we're supposed to save a special tear for the family farm, create a massive welfare subsidy system, and do everything in our power as a nation to save the small family farm. Why?
Some will say it's because other nations subsidize their farmers, and in order to provide a level playing field we need to do the same thing.
I don't doubt this is a part of the problem. And our trade negotiators should push hard to end government subsidies. We should tie our tariffs toward meeting farm subsidy reductions.
They subsidize their farmers, so we subsidize ours. This has been going on for so long that our farmers are now seriously dependent on farm subsidies as a way of life. In other words, they've become dependent on government welfare checks.
I doubt this is a very healthy situation. Yet, like Social Security, it will take real political courage to take on the "farm industrial complex". |
