Farm Bill Questions for The Next Debate

Cover your wallets and lock up your daughters; The Farm Bill is still making it's way through the Senate.

THOSE WHO pay any attention have long understood that the government's crop subsidy programs are not a safety net for the hard-pressed denizens of Farm Country but rather a tremendous waste of taxpayers' money, artificially raising grocery prices and transferring income from the poor to the rich. Still, as the Senate continues its debate of a five-year farm bill larded with tens of billions of dollars in subsidies, including a $5.1 billion trust fund for farmers who insist on plowing dry land in the Dakotas and Texas, it's worth reflecting on exactly how unreal the discussion of agricultural policy has become.
Farm Follies - washingtonpost.com

Will someone, somewhere, please get some questions about the farm bill into the debates? Something along the lines of "Why are we blocking cheaper imports?" "Why do we set quotas by nation on the imports we allow?" "Why are we giving additional millions to millionaires?" "Why are we insuring against guaranteed failure?" "Why is it possible to make more money on these failure than via success?" "Would Mutual of Omaha write these same policies?" "Why are we subsidizing ethanol?" "Why do we block cheaper Brazilian ethanol?"

Let's stop for a break, and then resume, having stretched our legs and gone to the rest room...."Why do we subsidize tobacco farms, tax the hell out of tobacco consumption, and then spend another small fortune getting out our anti-tobacco message?" "Why didn't Wulf Blitzer pull his head from his nether regions long enough to ask these questions?" "Why is no one talking about this, when the bill is sitting there in the Senate, like the invoice from an American Express card mistakenly mailed to a $20.00 crack whore?"

You can go here to see what happens when we mess around with Free Markets.
You can go here for an earlier rant about the farm bill.
And you can hit this link for a plea for additional support for The Farmers of Manhattan.

Ok, back to work...."Why do we have people who can't afford groceries, but block the cheaper imports from overseas?" "Why do we allow sugar producers to totally foul The Everglades with runoff, but block imported sugar?" "Why is corn syrup in my Coke, instead of sugar?" heh...heh...heh....research that one, if you aren't angry yet.... "Why don't we subsidize toothpick makers, chair manufacturers, and people who fix flat tires the way we subsidize farmers?" "Do campaign contributions have anything to do with it?"