Dave Barry

[rowyn]

This Dave Barry column from a few weeks ago is atypically political for him. But it sums up my feelings about "Farm Aid" rather nicely. >:)

Comments

You know....

[ex-strangess744.livejournal.com]

...it never occured to me, but I don't recall as you saying you've read any of PJ O'rourke's stuff. He's a humorist for rolling stone, their voice of "rational conservatism" whatever that means. I don't think you'd agree with him 100%. However, there is one book I think you would really appreciate: Parliament of Whores. He does an equally bitter and incisive look at agricultural subsidies. He, too, notice the mohair :) Get it out from the library, it's a quick read. (As you might expect for magazine work, unlike regular political science, it is NOT a selling point to be dense to read :) )

One bit I'll tease you with from Parliament is where he explains that one of the staple issues in "crop insurance" schemes is that all farmers are entitled _each_ year to make as much profit as they did during the best year on record (I believe it was (strange coincidence with the war) 1914. Wow, that's some kind of attitude. not only do they want money in return for NOT growing things, they want to get as much for _not_ growing them as they _ever did in history after COLA adjustment_ for _growing_ them. (boggles).

I wish Americans weren't so sentimental about farms because of Country and Western. There's what, 100,000 people who make their income primarily from a "family farm" and for their sake, we do this ? yeesh.

Of course, my "screw the hinterland" attitude, bred of growing up in a small town, isn't really entirely clear headed and rational either (wry look)