The
U. S. Farm Bill of 1973 assured consumers a plentiful supply of food at
reasonable prices. Under that bill and its successors, some $20 billion is paid
every year to rich farmers who produce staple commodities, especially corn.
Funny
coincidence: At about the time of the 1973 farm bill, America began to increase
in obesity. Over a quarter of Americans can now be classified as obese. It’s the
leading cause of premature death.
Fast,
fatty, and processed foods are not the problem. It’s the French fries, pastas,
pizzas, breads, condiments, sweet deserts, and sweet drinks that do the damage.
These are made from the very foods that receive the subsidies. Being the
cheapest, the poor are hurt most.
With
the price of U.S. sugar twice as high as in other nations (due to U.S. price
control), food producers use corn as a substitute. Many of the foods that cause
obesity contain corn or high-fructose corn syrup. The only fresh vegetables some
people consume are the small amounts added to their burgers. If the subsidies
to rich farmers were terminated, as they should be, food markets would adjust.
The prices of healthy foods would fall.
Agricultural
subsidies are killing us, and it’s no joke.
