Really Cheap Eats (a Masked Subscription Pitch)

Sometime back in the 18th century, Ben Franklin pioneered a pragmatic defense of vegetarianism: It was cheaper than eating meat.

Poor Richard, rest his soul, now officially has the federal government on his side: The U.S Department of Agriculture has released a report showing that people can scarf down the daily recommended three servings of fruit and four servings of vegetables for a measly 64 cents. Whole account here (reg. required).

The USDA's finding undercuts some anti-fat activists' claims that "healthy" foods need to be subsidized so that they within reach of everyone's budget.

If you subscribed to the print edition of Reason, you'd know which activists I'm talking about. They're discussed in our August-September cover story, "The War on Fat: Is the size of your butt the government's business?" by Jacob Sullum. (The short answer is no, but the long answer is a compelling, insightful read.)

Really, what are you waiting for? For just $15, you'll get a year's worth of Reason, delivered steaming fresh every month to your door (and you won't have to wait a month for the print edition's content to be slapped up here on the Web site.) And you'll join a community of readers that includes the great humorist Dave Barry, who recently opined: "Reason is a brilliant magazine, written and edited by brilliant people. And I am not saying that only because they agree with me."

So think about subscribing today to the mag that was ranked No. 13 in the Chicago Tribune's second annual list of "The 50 Best Magazines."

And remember to eat your vegetables. Like Reason, they're good–and cheap.