Funny you should post this. I was thinking about subsidies this weekend. Part of me thinks the government should stay out of it - same as with corporations. Don't tell people what to grow or "encourage" them with subsidies. The other part of me thinks that a) that'd make us entirely unable to compete in a global market, 'cause you know other countries won't stop even if we do, and b) how better to have us growing things that will grow our economy - would we rather the jack-booted thugs burn the crops that a farmer wants to grow, but has no financial disinterest to growing (i.e. how raisins are currently treated). I don't know what the answer is.