Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Dollar Coins, Fertilizer Ban, and the Hawaiian Mongoose (Vol. 14)
Good intentions, bad results.
Farm Subsidies
Everglades Restoration Complicated by Florida Agricultural Interests
Tariffs and sugar subsidies have propped up overvalued land needed to fix the environmental damage.
All Hail the Grocery Store
American grocery stores are an underrated symbol of free market abundance.
Ethanol Subsidies Could Trip Up Debt Ceiling Negotiations
Plus: Home equity theft at the Supreme Court, New York shows how not to legalize marijuana, and more...
This Year's Farm Bill Threatens To Be a Bigger Monster Than Ever
The massive piece of legislation embodies all that is wrong with American lawmaking.
America Needs a Better Kind of Capitalism
Big corporations and entire industries constantly use their connections in Congress to get favors, no matter which party is in power.
The Fight Over the Debt Ceiling Is Just Beginning
Legislators will increasingly argue over how to spend a diminishing discretionary budget while overall spending simultaneously explodes.
Republicans Need an Actual Plan To Grow the Economy
The biggest beneficiaries of economic growth are poor people. But the deepest case for economic growth is a moral one.
Farm Subsidies and Food Stamps Won't Fix High Grocery Prices. Innovation Will.
With government meddling, many farmers end up doing less with more, and people end up paying more for less.
The Next Farm Bill Will Probably Stink Worse and Cost More
Asking America's agriculture industry to stand on its own two feet remains a third rail in American politics.
Environmentalists Pan Unintended Environmental Consequences of Flawed Agricultural Laws
Here and abroad, laws and policies meant to protect sustainability aren't delivering and cost a fortune.
Memphis Gave IKEA $9.5 Million While Several Smaller Furniture Stores Went Under
Corporate welfare hurts the people who actually need help.
Corporations Are Getting Rich off Government Aid
"I don't understand why money is leaving my pocket and going into the pocket of somebody who is wealthy."
Vegan Group Sues the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Promoting Dairy Products
The government should let milk marketing stand on its own four legs.
Tom Vilsack Is the Wrong Person To Lead the Department of Agriculture
Joe Biden’s choice for agriculture secretary is more of the same.
The Feds Have Doled Out Record Farm Subsidies To Save Trump's Campaign
There's an easier way to lessen the impact of retaliatory agriculture tariffs: repeal our own
Federal Payments to Farmers Have Tripled Since 2017, and Trump Just Promised Even More
Trump's farm bailouts have cost taxpayers more than $28 billion already, and he just announced another $14 billion in payments as part of his reelection pitch to farm-heavy states.
Is Record USDA Farm Aid Another Permanent 'Temporary Solution'?
Most of the money will go to the wealthiest agriculture businesses.
Trump's Proposed Cuts to Farm Subsidies Don't Go Nearly Deep Enough
Instead of taking a little off the top, Trump needs to give farm subsidies a buzz cut.
Bipartisan House Agriculture Bill Is a Win for Both Farmers and Immigrants
The reform could help formalize immigrant farm labor.
The Nation's Biggest Dairy Is Failing Despite Relentless Government Intervention
Government has tilted the scales in milk's favor for so long that dairies forgot how to compete.
Trump's Farm Bailout Has Cost Over $10 Billion This Year
Trump has authorized up to $16 billion in bailout spending this year, on top of $12 billion spent in 2018.
Trump Says China Is Paying for His $16 Billion Tariff Bailout to Farmers. That's Simply Not True.
This might seem like nothing more than a snooze-worthy debate over semantics or economic theory or government P.R. strategies. But it matters a lot.
Stung by Tariffs, Farmers Seek Bailouts and More Protectionism
While Trump prepares another round of aid payments for farmers, Marco Rubio is pushing for tariffs on Mexican fruits and vegetables that will send prices soaring.
Stossel: Sugar's Sweetheart Deal
Sugar subsidies are welfare for the rich. They cost consumers billions a year.
The New Farm Bill Would Send Even More Welfare to the Super Rich (and Their Extended Families)
It would also legalize hemp, which is pretty cool.
Trump's Trade War Bailout Program Is a Predictable Mess
More than 1,100 people living in America's 50 largest cities have received bailout funds intended for farmers harmed by Trump's trade war.
The New Farm Bill Is Going To Suck
Just like the last one. And the one before that. And the one before that.
The Farm Bill for Billionaires
Farm subsidies are a menace, especially when they line the pockets of the wealthy.
The Farm Bill Was Bad Policy, But That's Not Why the House Killed It
The corporate welfare in the farm bill is likely to end up on President Donald Trump's desk anyway, even after a surprising defeat in the House.
This Year's Farm Bill Is Everything Wrong With Washington
The bill is full of handouts to wealthy businesses and other special interests.
Current Farm Bill Waste Targeted as Congress Moves Toward Next Farm Bill
Two new efforts in Washington seek to rein in the subsidies.
New Farm Subsidy Programs Were Supposed to Save Money; Instead They've Cost Billions More Than Predicted
Most of the money has gone to a small collection of well-off farms.
Chicago's Soda Tax Fizzles
Everybody realized it was about bringing in money, not improving public health.
Subsidies Encourage Maine Farmers to Keep Growing Too Many Blueberries
The market can't fix the problem when government insists on intervention.
Election Focus on Food Policy Is Lacking
As the presidential race drags into the home stretch, food issues don't even rate as a blip on the polls.
The Panderer in Chief and the 'War on the American Farmer'
Farmers are such a protected class that it's hard to take the notion of a war against them seriously.
EpiPens and Government Cheese
Some things won't change no matter who wins the 2016 election.
Can You Have Your Subsidized Peanut Butter Cake and Eat It, Too?
Overproduce peanuts and depress peanut prices; don't pay your loans; and collect taxpayers' money.
Food Policy and the 2016 Presidential Election
Farm subsides, GMO responses, and regulatory overreach should prompt some discussion.
Cabbage 'Spills,' Hog-Hunting, and Farm Aid Vetoes: Three Food Policy Stories from the States
A trio of interesting stories aren't making national headlines.
Runaway Farm Subsidies and Diet Guideline Fights: Federal Food Policy Is a Mess
Two recent examples illustrate deep and broad problems.
Matt Welch: 'Every single GOP strategist under the age of 40' Might Be Unacceptably Libertarian
What the Liz Mair firing tells us about Scott Walker, GOP politics, and libertarianism
Who Can Save Us From the Farm Bill's False Savings?
Just as critics feared, the Farm Bill is waste billed as savings.
Farmers' Markets and Organic Farms: More Special Interests Get Millions in Government Handouts
From farm grants to "green" technology subsidies, politicians hand out goodies while taxpayers get stuck with the tab.