Farmers have got one of the toughest jobs in America, but Publius at Obsidian Wings is right in saying that the Farm Bill is a P.O.S. Although, some on the left seem to believe that the reason the bill is unnecessary stems not from the fact that the government has no business regulating what people farm, but rather it will be good for public health. Ezra Klein explains:
When meat is cheaper -- particularly when it's subsidized and passing all sorts of costs onto payers other than the consumer -- people eat more meat than they would otherwise. They eat more meat than fish, and more meat than fruits, and more meat than vegetables, and more meat than grains. If meat were pricier they'd swap in some of these other calorie sources. And these other calories sources are, by and large, healthier than meat -- they are less calorically dense, and have less saturated fat. If our diets were, by economic necessity, less meat-heavy, it would be better for our health.
This is the type of social engineering argument that sends libertarians running for the hills. If we are going to allow the government to regulate that we maintain a "healthy" diet of fish and Frescas, what the fuck else could they mandate (your choice of "healthy" reading material, engaging in "healthy" exercise, or "healthy" progressive political views). My lack of a utopian ideal and the understanding that I shouldn't force it onto others will ensure I never become a leftist. The only vision that this article stirs up is fighting amongst fellow Americans to get a Soylent Green ration because it was the only "organic" compound the state let Farmer Joe in Iowa "harvest".
Get in line for your Soylent Green ration, comrade
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