Kasz216 said:
famousringo said:
outlawauron said:
Dear Lord I hope so. Nearly all of the subsidies that are in place are no longer needed. The biggest one that needs to go is corn. Unhealthy foods and drinks have benefited much because of it. |
That's just one of the problems with farm subsidies.
Why should the middle class and the rich get a discount on food? Let them pay the real price and save the financial assistance for those who can't. Increasing welfare benefits for higher food prices will cost less than subsidizing food for everybody.
Another problem is international. Farmers in poorer countries can't make a living because subsidized first world farmers overproduce and end up dumping their output on the world market at prices that unsubsidized farmers can't match. The US isn't the only offender here, but the more rich countries kill farm subsidies, the better life will get for farmers without a rich government backing them up.
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Yep, interstingly, American's disproportiate love for Chicken breasts is argueably what crippled Jamaica into being so poor and relying on tourism and sweat shops... and that was before subsidies.
People tend to claim "Free Trade" screws rich nations and cheap labor jobs move elsewhere. In reality I'd argue it's the opposite. Rich nations benefit, and poor nation are generally hurt.
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Free trade doesn't screw people over as much as subsidization. A government can artificially destroy an entire market through subsidized incentives. The whole process is seen as a violation of international policy.
