President Bush on Monday signed a 10-year, $190 billion farm bill that promises to expand subsidies to growers.
“This bill is generous and will provide a safety net for farmers, and it will do so without encouraging overproduction and depressing prices,” Bush said at a signing ceremony. “It will allow farmers and ranchers to plan and operate based on market realities, not government dictates.”
President Bush will seek deep cuts in farm and commodity programs in his new budget and in a major policy shift will propose overall limits on subsidy payments to farmers, administration officials said Saturday.
The bill, by the way, is a good one aimed at ending one of America’s most disgraceful economic policies. But it really should end the discussion on whether or not Bush is a man of principle. It reverses legislation he supported and signed three years ago in the name of political expediency, and that shouldn’t be forgotten.
