MT.Net reader Mike B. sent me this interesting story from the New York Times, describing the effects of subsidized farming on the American waistline:
For the answer, you need look no farther than the farm bill…. … the current farm bill helps commodity farmers by cutting them a check based on how many bushels they can grow, rather than, say, by supporting prices and limiting production, as farm bills once did. The result? A food system awash in added sugars (derived from corn) and added fats (derived mainly from soy), as well as dirt-cheap meat and milk (derived from both). By comparison, the farm bill does almost nothing to support farmers growing fresh produce. …. The reason the least healthful calories in the supermarket are the cheapest is that those are the ones the farm bill encourages farmers to grow.
Now if people would stop stuffing their faces with Twinkies, that would help, too.