They don't pay taxes, but they provide a lot of the jobs in the farm states that are disproportionately represented in the senate due to those states' small populations. I'm sure they make political contributions too.charlou wrote:Actually, rereading your post, laklak, this bit stood out ...
However, the USDA is firmly in the pocket of Big Food
... and my rather awkwardly composed question (to anyone who cares to respond) is how is the USDA is firmly in the pocket of any company that is not paying its fair share of tax ... What incentive does the USDA have to give those big companies preferential treatment? I have some vague muddled understanding of the complexity of the relationship, but if anyone could lay it out in clear, concise terms, I'd be interested
It would be a whole different story if the government was actually controlled by taxpayers. You'd have to make peoples' votes dependent on whether they paid taxes, though.