In simple terms you can take most policies that result in higher taxes and/or an expansion in government as being “liberal”, or, if you want to avoid labels, against conservative principles.
I’m not an anarchist though. I’m not saying all subsidies are good, but there is strategic value in them that nobody seems to be discussing in this thread.
Simply stated, maintaining an independent domestic supply chain is VITAL for many resources, and not just food. Free trade is great until your domestic industry fails to compete, closes down AND THEN someone decides not to sell you something that you need. Steel, food, oil, etc.
In my opinion it is silly to compare farm subsidies with something like “Free College” or “Free Healthcare”, especially since they are several orders of magnitude more expensive. Billions vs trillions.
What is silly (and perplexing) to me is when something like Welfare dollars spent in inner City Detroit is somehow a “liberal” issue…while those spent in rural West Virginia, Iowa or Kansas…are “not”?
I would hope that you would “know” me by now, @twojarslave.
I’m not playing that game.
You know as well as I do that most entitlements are considered to be some “liberal” scourge on our democracy…and that all of those inner city Welfare Queens and thugs need to be put to work and not be supported by “hard working” people. (Another bothersome code phrase…)
You would be shocked at how true this is. Numerous people in the counties I work in have personally complained about people on certain types of social assistance that they are actually receiving. Many of these people full throated supporters of conservative policies. They watch Fox News or something and hear about welfare queens or whatever but have no connection to the fact that they are receiving these benefits.
Crazier still some of them are convinced the people on that assistance (which they don’t realize includes them) are the reason they aren’t doing better. It’s a level of ignorance unheard of but I can show a lot of examples from here. I mean it’s real keep the governments hands off my Medicare shit.
I don’t even need a suspect description floating out there. I just have a look that tells police to stop and run me for warrants. It has actually gotten to the point of being comical.
No matter where we are or what we’re doing, if there is any type of police presence I’m getting run for warrants.
It’s the same concept. Republicans “socialism” is good and necessary but Democrats isn’t. And that’s leaving out the fact that a policy existed which created the need for those subsidies.
While I don’t disagree with the concept you laid out of importance it’s a fairly typical conservative defense of farm subsidies. An argument for why those types of assistance are fine but food stamps aren’t. Not calling you out personally really just I’ve seen that on this forum from numerous people.
I would say nothing is more vital than a healthy population. Your domestic industries don’t exist without it.
The same rich ones who talk about building walls and getting rid of illegal immigrants all the while profiting off those illegal immigrants they hire.
western Kansas Republican as hell farmers fought against legislation that would impact their illegal immigrant employees saying it would end their businesses. See no one wants to farm in the middle of nowhere.
But kicking illegal immigrants out of the country is what the right wants to hear so it needs to be said. All the while grinning at profitting from it.
What really grinds my gears is that we have we have programs that involve piling up produce to rot away so that the cost isn’t impacted negatively by over supply, and at the same time we have policies of taking away lunch from kids at schools because their parents can’t afford the bill, or we have undernourished families because apparently trump is “weaning” them off of food stamps. I don’t know how you wean one off of food? We grow food with subsidies to put into the fuel tanks of ridiculous oversized family trucks, but can’t feed the poor?
A few years ago, a similar “initiative” almost killed off Alabama fruit and vegetable farming…until the legislature reversed itself.
And I will guarantee you that Southern and Midwestern Meat Processors and producers may wear MAGA hats and pull the lever for Trump…but there is no way in hell they are yelling “Build the Wall!” (Well…at least not in private Board meetings…)
