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When VeraSun Energy inaugurated a new ethanol processing plant last summer in Charles City, Iowa, some of that industry’s most prominent boosters showed up. Leaders of the National Corn Growers Association and the Renewable Fuels Association, for instance, came to help cut the ribbon — and so did Senator Barack Obama. Skip to next paragraph Related To Ease Gas Prices, Obama Eyes Speculators (June 23, 2008) Times Topics: Barack Obama Blog The Caucus The latest political news from around the nation. Join the discussion. Election Guide More Politics News Then running far behind Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in name recognition...

The federal government instituted crop insurance in 1938 in an attempt to end the need for ad hoc aid to farmers following disastrous droughts or floods. But ad hoc aid has not ended in the past seven decades, and the insurance program that was intended to replace it has transformed into a massive, poorly disguised crop subsidy program that provides few benefits to farmers who practice good risk management. Instead, the program rewards poor risk managers with generous subsidies at the expense of taxpayers, contrary to the fundamental principles of insurance. To be sure, lawmakers have made several efforts to...