Reduce or eliminate harmful agricultural subsidies

The US government spends approximately $25 billion per year on agricultural subsidies and supports. This is corporate welfare which is helping millionaires and corporations, hurting poor farmers in poor regions such as Mexico and Africa, and negatively impacting the environment, while neither helping low-income family farmers in the US nor substantially reducing food prices.

There are NO GOOD REASONS for agricultural subsidies (see http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/the-illogic-of-farm-subsidies-and-other-agricultural-truths/)

Agricultural subsidies in the US result in dumping low-price surpluses on the world market, thus depriving farmers in poor countries of their livelihood. The developing world faces trade barriers costing them $200 billion per year - twice as much as they receive in aid. In poor West African countries where cotton accounts for more than 1/3 of export earnings, the losses represent three times the savings provided through debt relief. http://www.mindfully.org/WTO/Subsidies-Hurt-Poor-Akande19oct02.htm )

The majority of subsidies go to com­mercial farms with average incomes of $200,000 and net worths of nearly $2 million. Subsidies harm family farmers by exclud­ing them from most subsidies, financing the con­solidation of family farms, and raising land values to levels that prevent young people from entering farming. (http://www.heritage.org/research/agriculture/bg2043.cfm)

Agricultural subsidies cost Americans billions each year in higher taxes and higher food costs. (http://www.heritage.org/research/agriculture/bg2043.cfm)

Ending subsidies would have almost no effect on commodity food prices (maybe 1%), price stability, or productivity. ( http://www.aei.org/article/26197)

Healthy foods are generally not the ones that are subsidized. ( http://www.pcrm.org/magazine/gm07autumn/health_pork.html)

Ending corn subsidies would allow for the import of sugar ethanol, which is cheaper to produce, more efficient, better for the environment, and doesn't result in food price increases (http://www.cigionline.org/articles/2008/05/its-time-kill-corn-subsidies-and-go-brazilian)