Just a note for those not familiar with the source, Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank with whom I rarely agree and when the far lef and right see eye to eye on the abuse of the Congressional action it is pretty clear the fault lies in a pay to play system so steeped in abuse that no one but the Members can ignore the facts. It will be a while before it comes to their attention though since Congress has taken a holiday, with a single action and rare bipartisan agreement on a pay raise for themselves.

This year's expiration of federal agriculture policies gives Congress an important opportunity to take a fresh look at the $25 billion spent annually on farm subsidies. Current farm policies are so poorly designed that they actually worsen the conditions they claim to solve.

Furthermore, farm subsidy formulas are designed to benefit large agribusinesses rather than family farmers. Most farm subsidies are distributed to commercial farmers, who have an average income of $199,975 and an average net worth of just under $2 million.[5] If farm subsidies were really about alleviating farmer poverty, lawmakers could guarantee every full-time farmer an income of 185 percent of the federal level ($38,203 for a family of four) for just over $4 billion annually—one-sixth of the current cost of farm subsidies.[6]