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I s'pose it's fruitless to hope a Magat would care about correcting the things that are really wrong about the standard farm bills: the subsidies for corn syrup in every processed food item in the grocery store, and no support at all for small, local farmers growing real food and the farmers' markets where they sell.
Maybe Bobby Jr. could talk her into something better, that is, if he really does give a whit about cleaning up the American mainstream diet.
It will take a brave person to take on interests entrenched to protect subsidies to milk, meat, and corn. Kennedy sounds as though he does not support maintaining the Great American Diet, but when push comes to shove the public will not benefit from promises to reform. The European agricultural support system has produced mountains of excess butter and cheese, but no one dares reduce the subsidies to the farmers. American agriculture could certainly furnish healthy food to everyone, but the problem is doing something about a state like Iowa where hogs outnumber people. Come to think of it, if an Electoral College reform were seriously debated, maybe a 3/5 compromise, counting hogs as three fifths of a person, would carry the day. (Disregard the rant if you’ve read this far.)
I'd settle for Bobby Jr. just getting started on trying to reduce corn subsidies, on the chance that over a few administrations, something might happen. Yeah, I know it's a long shot that anything will ever change, no argument there. But there are farmers, even in the "heartland," who are trying to change the dead soil-just add nitrogen paradigm, and quite a few ranchers bypassing the commodity deadend to sell beef (and bison) directly to consumers or through Co-ops like the one a few blocks from where I live. So there's at least a little progress on the farm that should be somewhat encouraging.
The fed-managed public lands are still under the thumb of the 1872 mining law, but there's a substantial pro-reform constituency now, after prior runs at changing it under D administrations. It could happen if we ever have two or three decent administrations in a row again. I'd look at farm bill reform the same way.
A 3/5 compromise in my state could apply both to cattle and praririe dogs. I wouldn't want the wacky pols in power now in this state to hear that idea; they would absolutely take it seriously.
Comments
I s'pose it's fruitless to hope a Magat would care about correcting the things that are really wrong about the standard farm bills: the subsidies for corn syrup in every processed food item in the grocery store, and no support at all for small, local farmers growing real food and the farmers' markets where they sell.
Maybe Bobby Jr. could talk her into something better, that is, if he really does give a whit about cleaning up the American mainstream diet.
Going to be interesting to hear what the new Secretary of Health thinks about that, h'mmm?
The fed-managed public lands are still under the thumb of the 1872 mining law, but there's a substantial pro-reform constituency now, after prior runs at changing it under D administrations. It could happen if we ever have two or three decent administrations in a row again. I'd look at farm bill reform the same way.
A 3/5 compromise in my state could apply both to cattle and praririe dogs. I wouldn't want the wacky pols in power now in this state to hear that idea; they would absolutely take it seriously.