I have to disagree with Steven Den Beste. I got most of the way through his article on farm subsidies, nodding my head, saying "yes"... "yes"... "yes".... Then I got to where he said that it would not be wise to terminate subsidies and quotas immediately. We should immediately abolish subsidies and quotas for the very same reason that you should stop hitting yourself with a hammer. The pain doesn't go away immediately, but the healing starts right away, and you stop doing damage to yourself.
Subsidies always go to the politically powerful, and occur at the expense of everybody else. Does your legislator always do what you want him to do? If not, then you are not politically powerful, and you are one of the victims of subsidies, tariffs, and quotas. Demand that they be ceased immediately.
Ken Markley comments. Whether it's more or less desirable to eliminate subsidies, it just ain't gonna happen quickly.
posted at: 19:53 | path: /economics | permanent link to this entry