Wednesday, September 03, 2008

An Idea Who's Time Has Come

In response to a comment left by Ken P. to an old post related to big alcohol producers, I started thinking about a few things.

It occurred to me that we essentially subsidize the production of alcohol with tax money because the farmers who produce the grain receive tax subsides from FedGov. The alcohol producers then purchase this grain at what would otherwise be less than market prices.

So I had the idea that Congress should pass a law, (to help the children of course) that would end farm subsidies to grain producers that sell to alcohol producers. For me, this has NOTHING to do with the issue of consuming alcohol or protecting anyone from anything. The left has long used incrementalism to push their agenda and it's about time that we do the same.

I sent an email to MADD using the general inquiry form on their website. I have no love for this organization. They are authoritarian busy bodies and I'd like to see them disband for lack of funds. However, I'm willing to let them do my bidding on this issue.

Here is what I sent:
Please forward this to the president of your organization.

As you may know, farmers receive enormous subsidies from the government to grow their crops. In return, large quantities of grain are either sold to or already owned by alcohol producers. In essence, we, the taxpayers of the United States, are subsidizing alcohol production.

MADD is the perfect organization to spearhead a campaign to eliminate farm subsidies for grain intended for alcohol production. You have the resources and the clout to get a project like this before Congress.

Compliance might be difficult but not impossible and I'm sure your staff could come up with a reasonable solution that would not include a cumbersome new layer of bureaucracy. Compliance would include huge fines for falsifying purchase records, etc. I will leave the details to you and your legal team.

I would love to see this happen. With a new administration coming on board soon there will be children in the White House no matter who gets elected which would be an excellent background from which to approach this issue.

Thank you for your full attention to this matter.