In the US, we hate socialism for everyone else, but love it for ourselves. I've talked to many pro-Trump, MAGA folks who ranted about 'welfare queens', yet they're collecting SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance - aka, money from the government). "That's different!"
I find the farmers to be the funniest. Like without their stimmy cheques and subsidies they'll all be homeless. For some reason not many farmers call this socialism.
There's a quote attributed to Upton Sinclair: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it"
And an interesting investigation into the origin of the quote at <a href="https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/11/30/salary/" rel="nofollow">https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/11/30/salary/
USDA Survey Shows Most U.S. Farmland Is Owned by Older, Non-Operating Landlords - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49815913">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49815913 - September 2026
- Approximately 2.1 million landlords rented out 348 million acres of farmland.
- 87% of landlords did not farm the land themselves.
- Rental income, farmland values, and debt levels have all increased over the past decade, with rented land and buildings now valued at $1.7 trillion.
- The average principal landlord is 69 years old, and landlords age 75 and older control about 40% of rented acres and rental income.
- Most non-operating landlords acquired their land through inheritance or trusts.
- Operating landlords primarily purchased their farmland.
- Financially, landlords received $34.1 billion in rental income while carrying $50.7 billion in debt.
Federal farm subsidies: What the data says - <a href="https://usafacts.org/articles/federal-farm-subsidies-what-data-says/" rel="nofollow">https://usafacts.org/articles/federal-farm-subsidies-what-da... - June 23rd, 2025
- Farm subsidies have added an average of $17.6 billion to farm income each year from 1933 to 2024, adjusted for inflation.
We take taxes from the top 40% of Americans, and funnel it to farm landlords to harvest corn to burn in cars as ethanol, broadly speaking.
mig39 · · focus · HN ↗
jimt1234 · · focus · HN ↗
karakoram · · focus · HN ↗
OhMeadhbh · · focus · HN ↗
And an interesting investigation into the origin of the quote at <a href="https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/11/30/salary/" rel="nofollow">https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/11/30/salary/
jalapenok · · focus · HN ↗
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toomuchtodo · · focus · HN ↗
- Approximately 2.1 million landlords rented out 348 million acres of farmland.
- 87% of landlords did not farm the land themselves.
- Rental income, farmland values, and debt levels have all increased over the past decade, with rented land and buildings now valued at $1.7 trillion.
- The average principal landlord is 69 years old, and landlords age 75 and older control about 40% of rented acres and rental income.
- Most non-operating landlords acquired their land through inheritance or trusts.
- Operating landlords primarily purchased their farmland.
- Financially, landlords received $34.1 billion in rental income while carrying $50.7 billion in debt.
Federal farm subsidies: What the data says - <a href="https://usafacts.org/articles/federal-farm-subsidies-what-data-says/" rel="nofollow">https://usafacts.org/articles/federal-farm-subsidies-what-da... - June 23rd, 2025
- Farm subsidies have added an average of $17.6 billion to farm income each year from 1933 to 2024, adjusted for inflation.
We take taxes from the top 40% of Americans, and funnel it to farm landlords to harvest corn to burn in cars as ethanol, broadly speaking.
theraaca · · focus · HN ↗
<a href="https://www.history.com/articles/feudalism" rel="nofollow">https://www.history.com/articles/feudalism
Feudalism was a medieval system in which land was exchanged for loyalty and military service between lords and peasants.
I guess the more things change the more they stay the same...