Who: The U.S. Department of Agriculture
What: Over the last decade, the USDA has spent $2 billion, through the Market Access Program, on reality TV shows in India, wine tastings for foreign journalists, advertising, and advertisements for pet shampoo.
Why it’s dim: If a firm thinks it can make money selling dog shampoo in Indonesia they should do it themselves.
Cure: Read Adams Smith’s “Wealth of Nations”
