THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 21, 1995 TAG: 9509210023
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
Government waste and folly is like the mythological Hydra - cut off one head and two more sprout.
The latest case in point is the thoroughly discredited Market Promotion Program of the Agriculture Department. Under its provisions, U.S. companies that market their products abroad get to pay for their foreign advertising efforts with taxpayer dollars.
Last year, hugely profitable corporations like Gallo and Sunkist got the government to subsidize their businesses to the tune of $85 million. It's the most blatant example of corporate welfare imaginable.
At a time of a huge deficit and a squeeze on middle- and lower-income groups, the government has no business forking over pork to companies that can easily afford to pay for their own promotion. So a tight-fisted Congress elected to balance he budget is going to kill this boondoggle, right?
Wrong. The same day the U.S. Senate voted to tighten the screws on welfare for individuals, it voted 59-41 to increase funding for this corporate-welfare scheme. Next year, the Market Promotion Program will get $110 million - a 30 percent increase! In Washington, some things never change. the same.
Government waste and folly is like the mythological Hydra - cut off one head and two more sprout.
The latest case in point is the thoroughly discredited Market Promotion Program of the Agriculture Department. Under its provisions, U.S. companies that market their products abroad get to pay for their foreign advertising efforts with taxpayer dollars.
Last year, hugely profitable corporations like Gallo and Sunkist got the government to subsidize their businesses to the tune of $85 million. It's the most blatant example of corporate welfare imaginable.
At a time of a huge deficit and a squeeze on middle- and lower-income groups, the government has no business forking over pork to companies that can easily afford to pay for their own promotion. So a tight-fisted Congress elected to balance the budget is going to kill this boondoggle, right?
Wrong. The same day the U.S. Senate voted to tighten the screws on welfare for individuals, it voted 59-41 to increase funding for this corporate-welfare scheme. Next year, the Market Promotion Program will get $110 million - a 30 percent increase! In Washington, some things never change. by CNB