George F. Will Quotes

Actually, the Agriculture Department was one of Lincoln’s greatest achievements. The subsidies and corporate welfare came much later. The biggest benefits were the land grant collages where agricultural research improved the yields and productivity and the Agricultural Extension provided training and technical assistance to American farmers making the United States the most efficient agricultural producer in the world. The subsidies and corporate welfare had and has nothing to do with the positive initiatives that Lincoln envisioned.

Herbert Hoover was then the Food Administrator and in part with his assistance, Congress passed The Food Control Law August, 1917 which contained a provision, guaranteeing a wheat price to the farmer of two dollars a bushel. This was the beginning of Agricultural Subsidies and Corporate welfare for the large farm companies. It was passed under the Democratic Wilson Administration but Republican Herbert Hoover was one of the major supporters.

America and several other nations object to the European Community agricultural subsidies in that they are an illegal trade practice under GATT to which all European nations are signatories. However, the US also makes agricultural subsidies but not to the same extent,

For many nations, it is an important objective to be totally self-sufficient in their food supply—so that they would not have to depend in other nations in what might be a world famine or food supply. For those nations agricultural subsidies are useful if their farmers cannot produce as cheaply and efficiently as other nations do. In the United States, with the most efficient agriculture in the world, subsidies are a waste of public money {633243} and the result of lobbying and special interest pressure and or corruption {633245}.

Despite developed nation calls for free trade, The US, EEC and Japan maintain an extensive system of agricultural subsidies which are politically difficult to eliminate while expecting developing nations to eliminate their protectionist practices.

She was then the European Commissioner for Competition.

Most Americans agreed with this policy upon which Cleveland had run, but it was not favored by the companies that had been benefitting from monopolies, protective tariffs, corporate subsidies and corporate welfare, and government largess. Ironically, at the time, large American business was generally opposed to free trade and were supported by the Republican Party. The Democrats wanted free trade—just the opposite of the beginning of the 21st century.

He was referring to Bill Clinton’s concern that Republicans needed Norquist’s permission before voting for legislation involving taxes and subsidies. See {623266} . Norquist was a modern day Party Boss. He controlled a number of large PACS conservative lobbyists. His “issue” at the time was that no one should allow Congress to do anything unless it was agreed that under no circumstances that would there be taxes of any kind passed and no tax loopholes would be closed. He required Republican candidates and members to sign a pledge before he would give them any campaign money. About 90% did. A generally agreed bad law was a tax subsidy for farmers who grew corn for ethanol. Most Americans wanted to repeal it. Norquist sent letters to the Republicans telling them that voting for repeal was ok and he would not see it as violating their pledge.

Norquist was a modern day Party Boss. He controlled a number of large PACS conservative lobbyists. His “issue” at the time was that no one should allow Congress to do anything unless it was agreed that under no circumstances that would there be taxes of any kind passed and no tax loopholes would be closed. He required Republican candidates and members to sign a pledge before he would give them any campaign money. About 90% did. A generally agreed bad law was a tax subsidy for farmers who grew corn for ethanol. Most Americans wanted to repeal it. Norquist sent letters to the Republicans telling them that voting for repeal was ok and he would not see it as violating their pledge. See Norquist’s response {623265} .

Actually, Clinton was historically wrong. There have been several occasions in American history where an unelected party boss was able to control and veto the Congressional actions of members of their own party. However. The earlier occasions were in the 19th century—Norquist was the first of the party bosses to amass that kind of control in modern times.

Britain, in order to protect the landed gentry and aristocracy who made their money via agriculture, long had the Corn Laws (Corn was the term for wheat.) which was a protectionist system making it virtually to import food grains, rice or potatoes into Britain. However, with the growth of the population and a protected agricultural industry that had no drive to be more productive there was not quite enough food in the kingdom. When there was a potato blight in Ireland, the situation reached critical proportions. Victoria was not generally in favor of protectionism, and given the shortage and high cost of food then, she wanted to allow food imports. Robert Peel presided over a government where the protectionists who represented the large landowners had a very strong block. Pushing for an end to the Corn Laws could have caused the government to collapse. Peel himself did not think the Corn Laws were good policy and created a hardship for most people especially the poor. But he was the leader of his party and the party was split on the Corn Law issue. Victoria, in this private letter, tells him to do what he things is right and not what is politically expedient. Peel tried but at this time could not get a majority to repeal the Corn Laws, and the Irish Potato Famine killed millions. See {630738} . Peel however stuck with the Queen’s and his perception of what was right. The following year he proposed the Importation Act 1846 which repealed the Corn Laws. Many of his own party would not support it, but this time, he went to the two opposition parties and created a slim majority which passed the bill much to the approval of the Queen.