ghklem@ccmail.monsanto.com
Larry Holden, Monsanto AG
St. Louis, MO
lrhold@ccmail.monsanto.com
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Irwin Weintraub writes:
>Mr. Chen and others who believe that there is such as a thing as the
>free market take pleasure in criticizing farm subsidies. Farm subsidies
>may be essential to keep farmers in business and should not be written
>off as undesirable.. I sent a similar message last week but it didn't
>seem to have been transmitted so I am posting it again. . . .
I hope you'll pass on to Irwin Weintraub and SANET that most of those who do
not support price supports for farmers do not support tax breaks, low interest
loans, or other subsidies for other businesses, large or small, either.
Also his logic is peculiar. He talks about farm subsidies keeping rural areas
viable; but if subsidies are necessary to maintain these rural economies, then
by definition they are not viable. And, as Chen pointed out previously, why
should "all those who want to farm" have a right to "stay on the land" at
taxpayer expense? This is a privilege that people in other vocations do not
have.
Finally, Irwin describes a situation where people are expected to patronize
less efficient businesses because they are smaller and local, and says, "This
is real capitalism." This is nonsense. What it is is charity if people do it
willingly, the mafia if they are coerced by other citizens, and socialism if
they are coerced by the government. But it is not "real capitalism".
George