>History shows that any "solution" involving carrots and sticks to raise revenue winds up backfiring.
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>I don't believe that is true. Example: without financial carrots and other protections, US farming would be decimated. I'm assuming that maintenance of home-grown produce is seen as an advantage rather than a backfire because farmers don't seem to be subject to the same opprobrium as other welfare recipients.

PMFJI but I some first-hand experience here. Government interference through regulation, open-space, eminent-domain and subsidies directly led to the decimation of family farming in the US. Without that interference we wouldn't be nearing extinction, contrarily, small farming would boom as they'd be able to once again compete on a level field with the big boys. The organic and health-conscious food sales have proven that people are willing to pay a premium for food. They'd thrive if that premium wasn't artificially high due to subsidization of the big boys.