Politics
The latest Economist has a pretty good leader on "the end of cheap food" but, mostly, agricultural subsidies. It's full article on the subject is deeper and worth reading if you have the time.
Apparently, we have a 54 cents-a-gallon tariff on imported ethanol. A tariff? What the fuck?
Which reminds me--did any of you pay any attention to the Republican YouTube debate that happened a week and a half ago? I only skimmed the transcript, but there was a short section of it on farm subsidies. It's on YouTube.
Now, granted that the guy who asks the question seems pretty unbearable, and while I would be seriously tempted not to dignify the question with a response if he delivered it to me, on, say, the street, this was supposed to be a big presidential debate. And the answers this question got were total bullshit. Both Giuliani and Romney gave the sensationalist and absurd answer that we need farm subsidies to "secure our source of food," as if the natural way to make sure we have enough food in the case that we're...uh...blockaded is to dump millions of dollars annually into the fucking beef industry. It's interesting that they are quick to make the analogy from energy-independence to food-independence without making the corresponding move from alternative energy sources to alternative food sources. As is, they are pretty much giving up all credibility in my eyes: not only are they reaffirming bad policy, but they are pushing a sham ideology that makes it sound like their special interest constituents are somehow doing a patriotic duty by running inefficient farms with government handouts.
I would love to be able to pin this sort of bullshit only on the Republicans, but unfortunately, I haven't heard anything interesting coming out of the mouth of any of the Democratic candidates for months. Any news from them, or is still basically down to reluctant Hilary support versus waning Obama fandom? I really can't tell the difference between either of their platforms. At least the Republicans have the whole Huckabee and Ron Paul thing going on. First-degree politics almost completely aside, I hope they continue to gain in popularity if only to get some real debate going.
Apparently, we have a 54 cents-a-gallon tariff on imported ethanol. A tariff? What the fuck?
Which reminds me--did any of you pay any attention to the Republican YouTube debate that happened a week and a half ago? I only skimmed the transcript, but there was a short section of it on farm subsidies. It's on YouTube.
Now, granted that the guy who asks the question seems pretty unbearable, and while I would be seriously tempted not to dignify the question with a response if he delivered it to me, on, say, the street, this was supposed to be a big presidential debate. And the answers this question got were total bullshit. Both Giuliani and Romney gave the sensationalist and absurd answer that we need farm subsidies to "secure our source of food," as if the natural way to make sure we have enough food in the case that we're...uh...blockaded is to dump millions of dollars annually into the fucking beef industry. It's interesting that they are quick to make the analogy from energy-independence to food-independence without making the corresponding move from alternative energy sources to alternative food sources. As is, they are pretty much giving up all credibility in my eyes: not only are they reaffirming bad policy, but they are pushing a sham ideology that makes it sound like their special interest constituents are somehow doing a patriotic duty by running inefficient farms with government handouts.
I would love to be able to pin this sort of bullshit only on the Republicans, but unfortunately, I haven't heard anything interesting coming out of the mouth of any of the Democratic candidates for months. Any news from them, or is still basically down to reluctant Hilary support versus waning Obama fandom? I really can't tell the difference between either of their platforms. At least the Republicans have the whole Huckabee and Ron Paul thing going on. First-degree politics almost completely aside, I hope they continue to gain in popularity if only to get some real debate going.