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South Central Iowa | Yeah, Ag is a small slice for sure. I was really interested in the breakdown of subsidy by industry. About the only one evident there is the education budget, of which the vast majority is Pell Grants. Pell Grants are a subsidy for our University Industry. There are plenty, especially for the "Green" Industry, ie energy efficient appliances, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and the like. Grants for airports is a subsidy to the airlines and aviation industry generally. Seeing those breakdowns is what I really was after, I have never seen a sector by sector breakdown.
Edit: Major hidden subsidies exist as well, especially in the tax code. I would also argue our "corporatist" form of capitalism whereby our government allows competitive companies to merge until duopolies or oligopolies are formed and can price set is another subsidy. They don't stand on their own as much as they were allowed to become less competitive extractors. Another arm of corporatism is passing regulations which raise the barriers to entry for an industry; a good example is the American Trucker Association's support of E-Logs and Hour Rules and OOIDA's opposition. The ATA represents the large trucking companies and they like all of the rules and limits the government puts on because they can comply and the burden limits the little independents from starting and growing. ATA likes farmer exemptions though; if the million farm trucks had to comply with all the rules, then us rubes might start trucking for hire to make some money to cover it, and the last thing they want is for us idiots who will do jobs at a loss to come compete in their industry! Lol
Edited by Conan the Farmer 9/19/2018 23:49
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Conan and others, a pie chart of federal spending
