I just read an interesting opinion article by Mladen Golubic. It begins:

As a medical resident working in one of the poorest cities in the country, I see firsthand how poverty can contribute to poor health.

The hospital where I work is filled with people suffering from uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, and other problems often exacerbated by a lack of health insurance or income. These problems and their origins are complex, of course. And millions of words have been written about how to fix them. But there is one thing the government could do right now that would make a tremendous difference to my patients and to all the nation’s poor: Reform the Farm Bill currently up for reauthorization in Congress.

Currently, he explains, “this subsidy system rewards farmers for growing foods that contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases I treat every day. Wouldn’t our taxes be more wisely spent promoting healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables?”

It’s an interesting topic because there has been very little in previous Farm Bills that benefit fruit and vegetable producers.

But if the present Farm Bill were to benefit the Women, Infant and Children, Seniors and Food Stamp program recipients by providing fruits and vegetables, this would be a good thing for the recipients. And it would be positive for local farmers. All in all, a good thing.