Most of the big public policy debates in Washington these days somehow involve homeland security. It animated the controversial ports deal, for example, and it underscores the battle over illegal immigration.
And that's as it should be. As I write in my book, Getting America Right, national security is the federal government's most important obligation. What could be more critical than that? Judging from the government's spending pattern, we have an answer: corporate welfare.
Last year, Washington spent $53 billion on homeland security -- and $60 billion on corporate welfare. Clearly our priorities are misplaced, and it's time to change that.
Corporate welfare comes in many flavors. The biggest such program -- farm subsidies -- is disguised as a measure to help "the little guy." The 2002 farm bill (misleadingly sold to Americans as the "Farm Security Act") will cost taxpayers $180 billion over 10 years. But little of that money actually goes to the traditional family farmer.
Two-thirds of farm subsidies go to the top 10 percent of subsidy recipients. That means tens of millions of dollars for big agribusinesses and millions more for such "gentlemen farmers" as basketball star Scottie Pippen, newscaster Sam Donaldson and television mogul Ted Turner.
At least 12 Fortune 500 companies also have pocketed farm subsidies in recent years, including John Hancock and Caterpillar. In addition, federal money funds critical programs such as barn restoration and paying farmers not to grow certain crops.
Even when farm subsidies actually do go to family farms, the money is often superfluous. The typical farm household reports a net worth of more than $500,000 and probably doesn't need much help from Uncle Sam. Besides, if Congress really wanted to guarantee every farmer a set income, say $35,000 a year, it could do so for "only" $4 billion. Instead, it spends far more than that, with most of that simply wasteful corporate welfare.
Another place Washington could trim the welfare spending is the "Advanced Technology Program." Continued... |