Perhaps a second Bush term will do more for smaller government than the first term did.

I hope so, but this will be a battle royal with his own party:

President Bush will seek deep cuts in farm and commodity programs in his new budget and in a major policy shift will propose overall limits on subsidy payments to farmers, administration officials said Saturday.

Such limits would help reduce the federal budget deficit and would inject market forces into the farm economy, the officials said.

As a new Floridian (and occasional sugar consumer), I hope that they can reduce (if not eliminate) sugar subsidies specifically. They're helping destroy the Everglades, and many Third World economies, including many in the Caribbean.

Are there sugar subsidies? I thought all we had were import quotas and restrictions. Not that those aren't bad enough...

Is this all to get SS reform passed?

Oh, yes, there are huge sugar subsidies in the US. It's why you don't see it used much as a sweetener in things like soda any more, but high fructose corn syrup instead. The sugar subsidies drive the price up to where the substitutes are far more economical.

Rick: if sugar were subsidized, that would *reduce* the domestic price, and it would be used instead of corn sweetener. Gary was right, I think -- the imports are penalized.

I'm surprised WTO allows all this.

Sugar isn't subsidized--sugar growers are, by maintaining an artificially high price for it and restricting imports. I'm not sure why the WTO lets us get away with it. Perhaps those countries being injured don't have enough political clout.

A little late on the draw (this being a 2/6 entry) however I wish to openly praise President Bush for his proposal to slash the agricultural subsidies.

Hope it sticks.