Having been on both sides of the fence, farm subsidies are one of
those "damned if you do and dammed if you don't" sort of things.

I'm reading Joe Foss' autobiography (Foss was a Medal of Honor-winning
Wildcat ace pilot at Guadalcanal, and later the Republican governor of South
Dakota), and it's interesting to read his take on the origin of farm
subsidies.

Conservative Republicans like Foss were ideologically opposed to subsidizing
farmers at the start, but eventually came around to the view that subsidies
were necessary to "offset the government meddling in farm affairs" that had
already occurred.

Things like imposing a federal minimum wage on farmers who were already
struggling to make ends meet themselves were mentioned as justification for
supporting the farm subsidies. It was simply seen as a method of balancing
the scales.

While I may not agree with his methods, Foss at least provides some
historical perspective on how these things came to pass.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"