@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar tobie1 , to random

If you ever wonder where your US tax dollars go, Politico revealed the truth in 2020 and has been trying to hide it ever since.

"Direct farm aid has climbed each year of Trump’s presidency, from $11.5 billion in 2017 to more than $32 billion" in 2020.

No region of the US is more heavily subsidized than rural America. It's time we talk about this.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/14/donald-trump-coronavirus-farmer-bailouts-359932

tobie1 OP ,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@failedLyndonLaRouchite
Some say rural counties depend on subsidies because of their aging population.

I'm not a fan of the Economic Innovation Group but they do large studies and are more reliable than "The Daily Yonder."

"In general, areas that are older, more rural, and less wealthy tend to be significantly reliant on transfers."

https://eig.org/great-transfermation/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&stream=top

Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps is a myth.

tobie1 OP ,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@failedLyndonLaRouchite I'm all for shoring up Soc Sec, Medicaid, and Medicare. What I'm not for are things like crop insurance or the $52 billion in direct aid to farm in the Big (Un)Beautiful Bill. Farming in the US is industrialized and that's reflected in farm income:

"In 2023, the median U.S. farm household had $1,439,138 in wealth. Households operating commercial farms (those with gross cash farm income of at least $350,000) had $3.6 million in total wealth."

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-household-well-being/income-and-wealth-in-context#:~:text=Farm%20Household%20Wealth%20and%20Income&text=In%202023%2C%20the%20median%20U.S.,of%20residence%20or%20intermediate%20farms.

@h4ckernews@mastodon.social avatar h4ckernews Bot , to random
@RememberUsAlways@newsie.social avatar RememberUsAlways , to random

"Over the years, and his have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, and tax credits, often at critical moments, a Washington Post analysis has found, helping seed the growth that has made him the world’s richest person.
The payments stretch back 20 years. Shortly after becoming of a cash strapped in 2008, Musk fought hard to secure a low-interest loan from the ."


https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2025/elon-musk-business-government-contracts-funding/