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Most rural Americans would be willing to get rid of subsidies if the government was also willing to control inflation, pass right to repair so that equipment co

Most rural Americans would be willing to get rid of subsidies if the government was also willing to control inflation, pass right to repair so that equipment costs for farmers weren’t so high, and if government didn’t put quotas on the production of other crops. This before getting into monopolies that exist in the agricultural sector who lobby to keep the government from changing things and in many cases those companies have engaged in regulatory capture. People love to be pro-whatever but unless you’ve lived among the farmers and heard the crap they put up with you shouldn’t really be mouthing off on the topic. It’s complex with good and bad from corporate interest and government. This isn’t a matter of more or less government involvement, or of more or less market freedom… it’s fundamentally about a need for all of these interests to actually take the time to see the struggles farmers face before taking more action. The right to repair is a great example of this working well, where people did listen and John Deere may get a good come-uppance. One last thing, the way you worded that first part of your comment makes you sound like someone prejudiced against the rural poor. Nice and classist style. That is precisely why the majority of rural Americans hate urban Americans so much.

sudosysgen 5y ago
No, they wouldn't be. I don't think you understand the full extent of subsidies that rural areas receive. Even with right to repair, and perpetual 2% inflation, the entire agricultural lifestyle in the US would crumble. There are no production quotas in the US, except on sugar. There are limits to subsidies, however. I know how the life of farmers goes, and not just in the US. You just have no idea what it looks like when what you're asking for happens. There is a reason that no major economy doesn't have agricultural subsidies. If those went away, US exports of agricultural products would essentially go to zero. But agricultural subsidies are far from the only, and perhaps not even the largest, type of subsidy that farmers receive. Indeed, farms in the US are greatly under-taxed. Despite the median farm household income being much higher than the overall median household income, farming households on average pay around 14% in income taxes, around 4900$ in property taxes. This is is much lower than the tax load of the average US household, and much lower still than the tax load of the average US household of the same income. Thus, if you wanted to actually end the support that farms are getting, you would also need to raise taxes on farms significantly, and cut subsidies. Then you'd also have the fact that the average farmer requires much costlier infrastructure than the average city dweller in per-capita equivalents. Would it really be possible for US farms to make a living if their taxes were almost doubled, if all subsidies were ended, and if prices were allowed to fluctuate? The answer is, definitely, absolutely, not at all.

sudosysgen 5y ago

No, they wouldn't be. I don't think you understand the full extent of subsidies that rural areas receive. Even with right to repair, and perpetual 2% inflation, the entire agricultural lifestyle in the US would crumble. There are no production quotas in the US, except on sugar. There are limits to subsidies, however. I know how the life of farmers goes, and not just in the US. You just have no idea what it looks like when what you're asking for happens. There is a reason that no major economy doesn't have agricultural subsidies. If those went away, US exports of agricultural products would essentially go to zero. But agricultural subsidies are far from the only, and perhaps not even the largest, type of subsidy that farmers receive. Indeed, farms in the US are greatly under-taxed. Despite the median farm household income being much higher than the overall median household income, farming households on average pay around 14% in income taxes, around 4900$ in property taxes. This is is much lower than the tax load of the average US household, and much lower still than the tax load of the average US household of the same income. Thus, if you wanted to actually end the support that farms are getting, you would also need to raise taxes on farms significantly, and cut subsidies. Then you'd also have the fact that the average farmer requires much costlier infrastructure than the average city dweller in per-capita equivalents. Would it really be possible for US farms to make a living if their taxes were almost doubled, if all subsidies were ended, and if prices were allowed to fluctuate? The answer is, definitely, absolutely, not at all.