You may remember advertisements for Mr. Peanut and the offer to mail in for a Mr. Peanut cup. What you may not be aware of is the subsidy program that has been operating since the 30s to support peanut growers. An issue has come up about this program as the Obama administration plans to dump a million pounds of surplus peanuts on Haiti for no cost. Sounds like a good thing to do, right? What can be wrong about distributing one ounce bags of peanuts at schools? But is the real culprit in this story a federal peanut program that has lasted over 80 years? Should the US provide peanuts to Haiti? Should the US continue to subsidize peanut growers?
