Michael Pollan

While US Foreign Policy in Iraq is arguably bad, US Agricultural Policy causes more harm to more people, among them us and our children.

In 1948 US Agricultural Policy set about "to maximize production at prices favorable to the consumer". It may take a few minutes of reflection but this was a policy to favor the industrial sector at the expense of the small farmer. 

The post WWII period ushered in the "Green Revolution" which ,while feeding the world's hungry, destroyed the economy of peasant agriculture world wide. The US Government was complicit in this conspiracy with racial overtones in activity such as the production of special soybean seeds (three species of which were named "Nathan", "Bedford" and "Forrest").

Michael Pollan explained the situation clearly and succinctly in a half hour show on PBS - Hear and Now.  The subtlety of the issue can not be overestimated.

If you are a glutton for more -  http://www.questia.com/library/agricultural-policy-u-s.jsp