NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: We Should Totally Spend A Billion Dollars To Build...Supermarkets

Government! There's nothing it can't do.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand proposed $1 billion in loans and grants Monday to help build 2,100 grocery stores in areas around the nation that lack access to fresh food.

Gillibrand said the measure would help about four million New York residents living in so-called food deserts by providing the funding for more than 350 stores statewide, many in low-income areas. Modeled on a similar program in Pennsylvania, the legislation would provide startup grants and loans in rural and urban areas to expand access to fresh food and to create jobs.

..."By building new grocery stores in underserved areas across the state we can give people the opportunity to live longer, healthier lives, save billions in health care costs, and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs," she said

As long as these new government underwritten stores sell Unicorn chow, I'm in.

I get that a billion dollars isn't even tip money in D.C. and this is just a proposal at this point but given the attention Michelle Obama has brought to these kinds of issues, I have no doubt it will be added on to some bill.

The idea that we should be subsidizing private companies to build stores is a wonderful illustration during tax week that those in government simply see no limits on their powers.

Here's a little information for Gillibrand, the reason there are no stores in these area is not because grocers hate poor people but because...there's no money to be made there. If this passes, rent seekers will grab their share of this government largess, open some stores (with plenty of smiling politicians on hand) and then with in a year or two, they will go out of business. Of course that will lead to a call for a bailout and continuing subsidies.

At some point we have to simply say no. This seems like as good a place as any to start.

posted by DrewM. at 01:27 PM

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