OK, I swear I'll get back to writing about Costa Rica soon. But there were three articles today that caught my eye, and I couldn't help commenting on them. Let's call them the good, the bad, and the ugly.
First, the good. Obama's new plan for the federal budget may be massive, but it's a step in the right direction. I was particularly encouraged by his plan to cut farm subsidies, which have been a pet peeve of mine since I researched the Farm Bill (for more, check out Michael Pollan's seminal 2007 piece in the New York Times magazine). While farm state members of Congress always fight subsidy cuts tooth and nail, screaming that to do so would destroy the American farmer, the reality is the American taxpayer is funding large corporate farms. Luckily, the Obama Administration is coming out early and arguing that the large farms are being targeted specifically, which may take some ammo out of his opponents' arsenal in the looming Congressional battle.
Now, for the bad. This story is slightly problematic for me since it relies on a single source and seems like Reuters may be stretching for an "exclusive." But the premise is troubling enough: abuses in Guantanamo have actually worsened since Obama took office.
Finally, the ugly. I don't normally read the entertainment section of Google News, but the word "Sacramento" always will catch my eye. From MSNBC, of all places: Sacramento radio station bans Chris Brown.
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Yes! Finally some action on wasteful farm subsidies. When will the U.S. understand that part of it's structural transformation (which happened a long time ago) is the transition from an economy based on agriculture, to one based around manufacturing, and finally into the service sector. 1.9% of the population is employed in agriculture and it comprises 0.7% of GDP! Wonder why the former figure is larger than the latter? Because it is not productive for that many people to be engaged in agriculture in America, and the only way they manage to do so is through handouts from the taxpayers! Not to mention the payments only go to the biggest farms (about 25% of all farms in the U.S.)
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