Welfare Farming

80 percent of subsidies go to the richest 20 percent of farm businesses. As always, government handouts primarily benefit those with the largest and most insistent hands.

Chrysler, and The Most Acclaimed Super Bowl Ad Of All Time? Here's the Rest of the Story - Forbes: "Thanks to the 2006 Agricultural Risk Protection Act, taxpayers are paying for most of the farmer’s crop insurance, kicking in roughly $11 billion a year to cover those bills over the next half decade, up from about $1.6 billion a year from 1996 to 2000. You’re also on the hook for about $4.5 billion in price-support subsidies. That makes about as much sense as Walmart persuading the government that it is entitled to a guaranteed minimum price for sneakers, and if the market won’t bear it taxpayers should pick up the difference. Except farm subsidies help the little guy, right? Wrong. About 80 percent of subsidies go to the richest 20 percent of farm businesses. As always, government handouts primarily benefit those with the largest and most insistent hands."

Next rich farmer you meet, ask him how much welfare he gets from the Feds.


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