The U.S. government doesn’t have all that much money. A few weeks ago, the big “funny” news story was that Apple, Inc., had more cash on hand than did the federal government. As August began, the big unfunny news story was the debt ceiling deal, wherein our leaders raised the debt ceiling in return for … increased spending.
So, in this environment you might think that boondoggle market-fixing programs would be anathema. But you would be wrong. Our beloved federal government announced on Monday its plan to buy $40 million of excess chicken products.
Prepare yourselves, kiddies. It’s not government cheese that will be pushed on you, soon.
You may remember similar buy-out programs from years gone by. I have this vague recollection of vast storehouses of frozen chickens, and the precarious value of same.
Why the buy-out? To prevent well-connected business folks at Tyson (or similar businesses) from having to brace themselves against lack of demand, pulling back on the number of chickens raised.
Our government: Protecting big business and assuring the needless slaughter of birds. What strange boasting rights.
Amusingly, in the article that prompted this commentary, the author uses the relative pronoun “who” to refer to the birds in question.
Birds aren’t people, and require a “that” … the “who” in the story are our ninnies in government, though “who” suggests owls, and our D.C. (“dumb cluck”) folks aren’t wise enough to merit such comparison.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
3 replies on “Millions for Chickens”
We don’t need a debt ceiling.
We need a spending ceiling.
Why not an article about the TOBACCO, PEANUT & COTTON subisidies, as well?
Regarding TOBACCO, i don’t expect Mitch McConnell to do anything, anytime soon. Just a few years ago (perhaps the last session) hsi fellow Kenturcky Rep., Jim Bunning, fought for it-as Kentucky has many tobacco farmers. McConnell,AS BEST I RECALL, agreed with Bunning, and the tobacco subsidy goes rolling on-all the while when the government (at all levels) is spending $$$ to get people to stop smoking, etc. Makes sense.
And the son of former US Senator (last time, was a Rep) from Mississippi (JOhn Stennis) son was headn of the cotton growers, so as a favor to his late father (I guess, not much else makes sense) cotton subsidies were kept on, and increased-probably to hasten the demise of the textile industry.
As for peanuts, well we must help the peanut farmers.
Nanny-st ate at work. And those that set themselves up as nannies for the bird biz, why those folks are mother-cluckers.