The Nefarious US Government and Domino's Cheese Ring

     I have long awaited this opportunity to share with you all the greatest government scandal you have never heard of, and with the topic of rent-seeking being brought up, the time has finally arrived. So let's jump into it. 

    Allow me to briefly set the scene. It's 2010 in the US of A and life is good. America, although in the midst of an obesity epidemic, is making strides towards being a healthier nation. One small step being made was the shift from whole milk to healthier options like skim or 2% milk. The US government was pushing for a healthier America and it seemed like the tides may have begun to change for the better, or so it seemed...  The problem with 2% and skim milk is that there's a lot of fat leftover (over 98% left to be exact). This wasted whole milk and excess fat may have been good for the society as a whole, but it was not good for farmers and rural economies who the USDA have a vested interest in because of "a Depression-era commitment to use price supports and other tools to maintain the dairy industry as a vital national resource."

    So what does the USDA do? They create an organization named "Dairy Management." This is the organization behind "Got Milk?" which relentlessly pushed milk in schools (despite the evidence discouraging high consumption of high-fat dairy). This is also the organization that sponsored a $12 million marketing campaign for the struggling Domino's Pizza chain to market their collaborative effort of a new line of pizzas with 40% more cheese. Yes, you read that correctly. The United States government teamed up with Domino's Pizza to market a heart attack of a pizza to their own citizens, despite encouragements from the same exact government department to reduce consumption of saturated fats (which are especially present in cheese).

    Rent-seeking is when resources are spent to obtain rents which derive from activities that have negative social value. Rent-seeking is when the US government spends $136 million to get rid of their excess cheese in the form of contributing greatly to the obesity epidemic plaguing their own people. I rest my case and hope you are equally if not more appalled than I am.