Large businesses get too much of a share of corporate welfare
RE "FERTILIZER from the farm lobby" (Editorial, May 26): I agree with your endorsement of President Obama's proposal to slash taxpayer subsidies to agribusiness corporations, but your comment that the plan "has nothing to do with small farms" is erroneous. When we permit giant corporations to extract public subsidies, smaller independent businesses, as well as taxpayers, are the victims.
In farming, retail, manufacturing, and other sectors, we've permitted the largest corporations to translate their economic power into political power. As a result, so-called corporate welfare and tax loopholes distort markets and play a major role in eliminating smaller independent businesses.
It's frequently (and accurately) said that small business will be pivotal for our economic recovery. Revoking the power of large corporations to rig competition in their favor is one key to unshackling the potential of America's entrepreneurs.
That's one reason more than a dozen New England communities have launched independent business alliances or similar organizations in just the past few years to help level the playing field for local businesses.
Randy Bullerwell
Laconia, N.H.
The writer is a cofounder of the Belknap Independent Business Alliance. 