The Absurdity of U.S. Farm Subsidies

Matthew Yglesias clips this image from NRO's Corner. This is a map of Manhattan, with the red dots representing a recipient of federal farm subsidies. The larger dots represent a recipient of more than $250,000/year. As Yglesias drily notes, "Given that this is clearly a map of Manhattan, one can safely assume that that these people are not struggling family farmers. It's a neat illustration of an out-of-whack system."

The Republicans and Democrats are equally complicit in this, which amounts to a transfer -- through taxation -- from the poorer to the richer. Even worse, this policy kills the U.S.'s credibility in trade negotiations with emerging countries, especially those in South America and Africa. The double standard the U.S. insists on maintaining has derailed Doha, costs Americans billions of dollars a year, condemns millions of people in developing countries to extreme poverty, and allows the U.S. agriculture industries to take rents by eliminating competition from foreign countries. It's a horrible policy, and should be eliminated.