More articles taking advantage of the Environmental Working Group data to find local people who don't seem to be "farmers" and/or are rich.
From Fort Wayne.
From St. Louis
From Muncie
Judging by the volume of criticism the farm bill is doomed to extensive revision. But poking fun at subsidies doesn't accomplish much. To do that you need to find a coalition of politicians who would gain from the reform. I'd assume that most farmers currently receiving benefits aren't discontented enough to support someone pushes for revision. So that leaves suburban and urban lawmakers, and those Senators who don't have much agriculture. The problem is that politicians tend to be rewarded for doing something positive. They get attention from their local media if they do something for the district or state. There are a few, like Chuck Schumer when he was a representative on House Ag and pushing payment limitation, who can see opportunities in the most unlikely situations. But, thank goodness, most politicians are not as smart or publicity driven as Schumer.
Another possibility is a politician like Senators Morse and Proxmire (I'm showing my age, I know). Morse was around in the 50's-70's, moving from Republican to Democratic party but always a maverick. Proxmire won fame for attacking government "waste". So you could get an effective maverick working against the current shape of farm programs. But by definition mavericks don't work well in coalitions.
Possibily pressure from WTO limitations on supports may be effective. We'll have to see.
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