Finally, a good decision...

... from an international organization. From Asymmetrical Information, we learn that WTO has ruled against US Cotton subsidies.

Although some lawmakers, agribusinesses and farmers are worried by this development, hopefully we can use the ruling as an excuse to start to dismantle some of the most pernicious subsidies we have. From enriching a few large farmers, to causing severe water shortages, to encouraging wasteful use of marginal land, to locking out one of the only markets that poor third world farmers can compete in, to wasting billions of tax-payer dollars, cotton subsidies are some of the very worst of the awful set of quotas, tariffs and subsidies that practically define our agricultural policy.

Of course, Bush is playing his fair-weather free-trader role and vowing to fight for the American farmer and appeal the ruling. And Democrats are thrilled to go along with that or do even more.

But saner heads can prevail, right?