Last night, Sean Hannity lamented the demise of San Joaquin Valley farmers, who are suffering the effects of a statewide drought. He objected to the importation of produce from China (though I suspect Mexico would be the source) and refused to comment in any way on the fact that San Joaquin had sold its existing water to Southern California for $77 million.

I can't imagine a better example of conservatives choosing populism over principle. Capitalism knows no borders. To insist that produce must come from US farmers puts a control on the marketplace, which is blatantly anti-capitalist. Conservatives usually point this out when they comment on the encouragement to "buy local" at Whole Foods and farmers markets. But it isn't stopping them from making the same argument in San Joaquin. Instead, they're calling for FEDERAL intervention!

Further, while Sean argued that concern for smelt fish was the reason water was being kept from the farmers, the fact is that the canal which would threaten the smelt doesn't even exist yet. The farmers would see no immediate benefit, so calls to "turn the water on" are literally meaningless. And far from being the posterchild for limp wristed environmentalists, concern for the smelt population is being expressed by the $255 million salmon industry of Northern California, where the farmers would be taking their NEW water from. Remember, they already SOLD their existing water for 77 million. And who do you suppose would pay for the canal? The farmers? Guess again. The taxpayers. To save the farmers who, I am sure, can show that all their workers are legal citizens or legal aliens.

So to review, Hannity and his emotional army of liberal conservatives would like to limit where you can get your food from, use tax payer money to help farmers who sold the water they did have go get more, and end the careers of the 2,263 people in Northern California's fishing industry. That is not the free market, friends. And that is not conservatism.