Gangster Government

Congress and the White House appear headed for a final showdown on a new farm bill this week. Lawmakers say legislation is ready for a vote. The president says he will veto it. Whether the bill has enough support to override--two-thirds from both the House and Congress--remains unknown.

No one is more anxious for an outcome than the nation's food banks, which have found their future funding held hostage to endless rounds of political debate over the most controversial parts of the legislation, even as the lines at their doors grow weekly.

Only 20% of the $300 billion farm bill consists of farm programs, but that draws all the debate. The bill's most derided provision, the direct payment subsidy program, which doles out payments for wheat, cotton, corn and soybean growers, is just $5 billion a year. The majority of the funding, 60%, goes to various nutrition programs. The largest increase proposed in the bill: $10 billion of undisputed funding for food stamps.

Not that the debate over subsidies isn't worthwhile. Recipients rarely want to see them cut, but with most crops selling at record price levels and projected to stay high for years, many have argued the time to reduce these programs is now. A key sticking point between President Bush and Congress has been these supports. Currently, the subsidy goes to those earning as much as $2.5 million a year.

Click to read more...