Very good discussion, and I agree! My only comment is with respect to support for affected industries: subsidies for industries affected by market fluctuations can easily get out of hand -- the best way I can think of to prevent this would be to have the decision to support or not made by an independent board made up of citizens, farmers and scientists, to determine when an event is sufficiently unusual and significant that government support is needed. This supports the principle of having transfers decided by independent bodies with deep knowledge of the issues involved, but not dominated by those with an incentive to line their own pockets, nor by politicians spending other people's money to improve their own standing.
Very good discussion, and I agree! My only comment is with respect to support for affected industries: subsidies for industries affected by market fluctuations can easily get out of hand -- the best way I can think of to prevent this would be to have the decision to support or not made by an independent board made up of citizens, farmers and scientists, to determine when an event is sufficiently unusual and significant that government support is needed. This supports the principle of having transfers decided by independent bodies with deep knowledge of the issues involved, but not dominated by those with an incentive to line their own pockets, nor by politicians spending other people's money to improve their own standing.
Phillip, you make a great point, and you provide an excellent solution. Thanks for sharing.
Another issue is the EPA not backing the farmers enough with this bird flu pandemic
That's a good point. Thanks for bringing it up.