Guess what the red circles on the map below are.
Have an idea yet? Answer below the fold.
Yuval Levin:
Have a look at the map of Manhattan below (used recently by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns in a speech). The red dots indicate people who live in Manhattan (and so clearly are neither hurting for money nor tilling the soil on the family farm) but receive agricultural subsidies from the federal government.
The larger red blobs mark people receiving more than a quarter of a million dollars in farm subsidies annually.
You think that’s bad? Well, the “party of the little guy” wants to make it even worse:
The farm bill passed by House Democrats in July would continue giving millionaires farm subsidies (setting the income threshold for payments at $1 million a year, and keeping loopholes in place that allow some making much more to qualify). The Bush administration has proposed sharply reducing the income threshold to $200,000 a year and ending many of those loopholes. That would reduce the number of subsidy recipients by less than 40,000 (of the current million or so recipients)—though I suppose it might put some rooftop gardens on Park Avenue out of commission.
Your taxes, helping the “little guy.”
I think this is a good idea — starting not with the politicians, but Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, Mellencamp, and all the other idiot tools who pulled the “farm aid” scam. Then, we can do the politicians.
No, I’m not in a good mood today.
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No tar and feathers. John Ross’ Unintended Consequences shows how these guys could be a real asset to a farm’s operation, providing protein supplements for swine.
[…] You’ll remember this from the other day, all of the agricultural (cough, cough) subsidies paid out in Manhattan: […]
[…] http://rightwingnation.com/index.php/2007/08/30/3855/ The farm bill passed by House Democrats in July would continue giving millionaires farm subsidies (setting the income threshold for payments at $1 million a year, and keeping loopholes in place that allow some making much more to qualify). The Bush administration has proposed sharply reducing the income threshold to $200,000 a year and ending many of those loopholes. That would reduce the number of subsidy recipients by less than 40,000 (of the current million or so recipients)—though I suppose it might put some rooftop gardens on Park Avenue out of commission. […]