Farm Subsidies

[opebo]

I'm indifferent to them, though of course a 'free market' in agricultural products has obvious and enormous problems.

[opebo]

And why do we need to keep small-family farms open?

Elimination of genuine farms (as opposed to factories that produce agricultural products) has (and insofar as it's happend has had) a serious impact on food quality. There are cultural and community issues which ought to speak for themselves and there are also often environmental and animal welfare concerns.

It would be better to eliminate industrialised agriculture.

I could not agree more, Al, and well said.  It is an interesting component of capitalism that it almost invariably reduces quality and options, leading to a highly standardized shoddy produce or service.. kind of like the Soviet system did, they say.

[opebo]

But if people don't mind the lower quality of food, why should it matter?  

They mind - lots of us mind!  But the problem is that capitalism ignores us - it serves only the majority or average, who, it is true, do not have enough taste or refinement to know quality food.  Also the kind of stuff they don't mind makes them weigh 300 pounds and die at 58 years old..