Show A housewives POINT or OF VIEW probably the biggest potato tory story in history excluding the one where the lowly potato saved the starving irish concerns the ONE QUARTER OF A BILLION DOLLARS paid as a subsidy on potatoes to farmers last fiscal year every year since IMS IM the government has paid increasing sums to farmers to take their potatoes off the market parity started at am a bag and in 1949 reached the fantastic figure of now take the story that comes from aroostook Aroos took county maine and mind you we are talking about a county with a population one half the size of salt lake county according to the 1910 census but where sixteen per cent of the nations potato crop is gro grown gron n this county has potato farms owned and operated by 1300 families and companies these growers got no less than 67 million out of the million our government spent last year to support potato prices thirty one farmers got checks ranging from boox io oX to better than 4 each were paid to 1000 got az to 40 and 1200 got to divide the total of 67 6 7 million equally among the growers and you get an average of better than each the net loss on potatoes in 1949 averaged out at 4 million a week and you dear reader paid for it youve all heard beard of the government selling back at lc per bag potatoes which cost it the taxpayers 4 youve also heard how it ic converted surplus potatoes into nour flour which cost us five times what wheat flour would have cost there are stories almost praising the economy minded public servant who burned potatoes thus saving additional ional cost to the government all the while the housewife was wondering how to stay within her budget and still buy potatoes 1 Is it any wonder onder that secretary of agriculture brannon Il wants to make one potato grow here two grew before that his aids exclaim with relief that maine had some bad weather last summer therefore subsidy payments next year will ill not be as big as last year no doubt we are supposed to feel better now that the government has decided to dole out some of the surplus p potatoes es to feed the pe people who are out on strike im for ch charity ty but im also against our in making kin the people wards of a welfare state im against the fact that our young people are no longer being taught to fend for themselves to save for their old age and to know the joy and satisfaction that comes from working out the i own problems if after this dissertation diser tation you have any appetite for potatoes a little grated onion added to mashed potatoes zips up their flavor |