The US has just revealed new figures showing that it spent $16 billion in subsidies to its farmers every year between 2002 and 2005. Who cares? Very few people apparently. It's only money after all. Yet the truth is the US (and all the other subsidy junkies) would be doing the world a favour if, instead of handing out taxpayers money to farmers, they simply buried it in a big hole in the ground. The US would be no worse off but millions of people in developing countries suddenly would be able to grow crops such as sugar beet and cotton that they are prevented from at the moment because of subsidised competition.. But, of course, if they didn't bury it the US would have $16 billion more to spend on things that really matter.