As discussed earlier, the Feeding America network wants to ensure that nutrition programs like SNAP and TEFAP are protected in the upcoming Farm Bill legislation. These programs were created and exist to ensure the welfare of low-income American families. Their funding is essential during this country’s slow recovery, which is seeing few signs of revitalization among individuals themselves.

Some people balk at “welfare” like it’s an evil word and support strict limits on government assistance programs. But let’s keep in mind another aspect of the Farm Bill: The bill subsidizes corporate giants that produce corn and soy. While farm subsidies were originally created to ease effects of the Great Depression on American families & farmers, today’s industrial food system is harmful to the environment and promotes the opposite of healthy eating. John Reganold, lead author of a recent paper published in Science magazine titled “Transforming U.S. Agriculture,” told The Huffington Post, “If mainstream, conventional farming systems were sustainable, then we would not have overdrawn aquifers, eroded and degraded soils, and polluted surface and ground waters.”

Instead, as Mark Bittman, journalist & food writer for the New York Times, wrote: “wealthy growers are paid even in good years, and may receive drought aid when there’s no drought. It’s become so bizarre that some homeowners lucky enough to have bought land that once grew rice now have subsidized lawns.” Subsidies prop up ethanol energy, even though it’s not very efficient, and the production of high fructose corn syrup, which is present in a huge number of processed foods and can contribute to diabetes & obesity.

How Food Subsidies Tax Our Health, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

So, on the one hand we have a bill failing to support the people it should support. On the other hand we have the same bill pouring money into wealthy industries of agribusiness. Meanwhile, I often see people criticizing others for not having the willpower and self-control to resist mass-produced, over-processed foods marketed by giant corporations. While I myself have a firm foot in the personal responsibility camp, I can’t help but wonder what kind of warped & magnified notion these critics have of themselves. They expect each individual to fight millions of dollars of advertising, developed by hundreds of expert marketers for enormous corporations with large lobbies, focused on infiltrating his subconscious, targeting his desires & thought processes, on his own? It sounds like a fight that is beyond unfair.

Especially with the many complex issues in today’s world and tight personal budgets, how do these critics expect each consumer to follow trendy, foodie news, track the source of all the meat he buys, and ignore the flashy appeal of Sonic, Starbucks, or Starburst candies? Yes, it is possible, but can’t we all demand some policy that protects our interests against the money-fueled forces at play 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Wouldn’t that be preferable to welfare for corporations?

No one person can force such huge changes as we’re talking about here, but an aggregate force of individual efforts can. We vote with our dollars; we vote at the ballots. We influence our friends and families with open, inquisitive conversations. We influence our representatives with repetitive, focused communication about our goals and expectations. Democracy doesn’t come cheap—in terms of time, money, and effort. It often costs the most for those who can’t afford to take a break from 3 jobs, a family of 4, bills & debt, and life in general.

So all I’m saying is… maybe those of us who have benefited from the perks of Democracy should buy back in and get more involved, instead of snubbing people working hard to get by.

Resources:

Farm Bill 2012: Time For An Overhaul With Innovative Farming Systems, The Huffington Post

Don’t End Agricultural Subsidies, Fix Them, New York Times

Why are we propping up corn production, again?, Grist

Iowa Farm Bureau: end direct payments

The Bad Food News of 2011
Why the Farm Bill Matters, The Huffington Post
Recovery.gov

High Fructose Corn Syrup: How Dangerous Is It?

Agriculture & Health Policies in Conflict, Physicians Committee for Responsible Health

Tags: agribusiness, community, editorial, farm bill, food insecurity, food stamps, monoculture, nutrition programs, public opinion, subsidies, tefap

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