[hedgetrimmer]

In your world you will have a government deciding which farmers (based on what they produce) will get subsidized and which farmers will not.

No this is not my world, but in YOUR world, you would have a global socialist institution making this decision for us, which illustrates the other point I was making. I have repeatedly pointed out on this thread that when the global socialist WTO decides what we Americans must do, it flies in the face of our constitutional guarantee of a republican government and ELECTED representation. You "free traders" must think this is ok, because you do not denounce this, instead you appear to prefer that a global body make decisions for everyone.

Some of the things you are saying make me wonder, what form of goverment do you espouse? Because you sound a little bit like the spoiled econazis who claim they ride bikes so they don't want to pay for roads. They ignore the fact that the truck that delivered the bike from the factory to that person probably used a road to get it there, so I wonder if you are deliberately ignoring the purpose of some public projects meant to protect your liberty when you petulantly complain that citizens cannot make decisions that are supportive to a free society.

[Casloy]

I have always been against subsidies for ANY business. The fact the WTO has suddenly seen a little light is of no relevance to me. I don't spend any of my time paying attention to the WTO. A good idea is a good idea, no matter who came up with it.

Please do not confuse things like building highways with subsidizing farmers. It is an incredibly fuzzy leap. A farm is NOT a public works project. I don't know what farm you have ever visited but believe me, it is not a public works project. A farmer is a businessman, nothing more, nothing less, and all this mythical chuckleheaded view of them as heros or saints is ridiculous. There is absolutely nothing a farmer does that has any more instrinsic value than the person who installs heatings systems in your house, repairs you car, mows your lawn, or does your nails at the beauty shop. They all compete fairly in the marketplace for your patronage, and the idea that the government can come along and decide that some of those people should get money from the government is absurd.
And let me tell you something else that is incredibly unfair about this whole subject. Because the government subsidizes farmers, food costs more. If it weren't for the government propping up peanut farmers you would pay one third what you now pay for a jar of peanut butter. Do you honestly think it is fair that a farmer who makes 100 thousand a year earns his money by conspiring with the government to keep prices high and thus earns his income on the back of someone trying to make ends meet on 10 dollars an hour. In your world that is what is fair because you have decided farmers deserve special treatment. What you are advocating is basic socialism. What I am advocating is free market. None of your skewed logic is going to change that.