Kudos to Oxfam America’s Advocacy Fund, which is paying for television advertisements of a kind rarely seen: those defending diffuse interests against rent-seekers. While I haven’t always been happy with Oxfam’s work on this issue, I think that’s a pretty good ad. Will it be effective? I’m not sure, but they’re in heavy rotation in […]
Oh boy, here comes the “agricultural subsidies enhance national security” argument again: “I would hate to think of a day where the United States of America becomes hostage to other countries (that export food to the U.S.), in a way that we are held hostage over our energy needs,” [Senator Ken] Salazar said. I think […]
I’m sure that the headline of the Washington Post‘s front page story, “Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don’t Farm,” will incite rage in many readers. However, my reaction was “well, at least it’s not market distorting.” Respect the amber box.
Baron Coleman defends agricultural subsidies on national security grounds: In theory, opening America’s agricultural markets makes sense… Free competition would dictate the price of goods, which likely wouldn’t change much for the average American consumer. If that was the end of the analysis, I would be on board. But it isn’t. The implications of being […]
In a post on anti-subsidy activism by celebrities on behalf of Oxfam, Kerry Howley of Reason wonders: “What if Hollywood activists all started making sense?” She then notes that Minnie Driver’s agricultural product of choice to have dumped on her head was cotton “because she needed to remain relatively clean after her photograph, since she […]
I’m not sure if this paragraph from the WaPo story on CAFTA refers to agricultural subsidies or another agricultural program: The last-minute negotiations for Republican votes resembled the wheeling and dealing on a car lot. Republicans who were opposed or undecided were courted during hurried meetings in Capitol hallways, on the House floor and at […]
The next five-year agricultural plan farm bill will cover 2013-2017. The NY Times looks at where Congress is headed, in a piece titled “Farmers Facing Loss of Subsidy May Get New One“: Lawmakers’ reluctance to simply eliminate a subsidy without adding another in its place demonstrates how difficult it is for Washington to trim the […]
The US House has passed legislation that threatens its WTO-approved agreement with Brazil on cotton subsidies: Questions are being raised about the future of the hard-won US-Brazil cotton agreement, thanks to last week’s vote in the US House of Representatives to end payments to the Brazil Cotton Institute. In a 223-197 vote, members passed an […]
Mitt Romney in a GOP debate, via Hit & Run: We’re competing with European and Brazilian and other farmers, and we’re competing in a marketplace where they are heavily subsidized, at great disadvantage for our farmers. And so, if we’re going to change our support structure, we want to make sure that they change their […]
See two good posts over at Reason on American farm subsidies and barriers to genetically modified rice.
Trade Diversion 