You might think that rocks would not be the farmer's friend. And you would be right. But that's where the government comes in.
Heritage.org points to this gem they found in the Farm Bill. It's a provision which creates a new board which will tax businesses in the natural stone industry and use the money for industry promotion. But by creating this new board for promotions, the existing industry groups can focus on lobbying.
The best part: "This is the very same model adopted by milk, beef, cotton, and some 15 other commodities that depend upon taxation rather than donation. Combined, they accumulate nearly $800 million dollars annually—most of which is recouped by businesses raising retail prices. The scheme has even spread to Christmas trees."
Never mind that it shouldn't be in the Farm Bill, it shouldn't be in any bill. The government shouldn't be in the business of collecting taxes from an industry for the purpose of promoting that industry. It's bad enough that we have to listen to ads promoting some government agency or agenda. We don't need government ads promoting some industry whose lobbyists had enough juice to get their favorite laws passed.
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