Farm Bill: Buying votes

Only the threat of a presidential veto stands in the way of an abhorrent spend-and-spend farm bill. The success of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and bipartisan supporters of big agriculture in selling out on socially and environmentally healthy reforms may depend on a few congressional votes.

The Senate will support what is called a compromise because it piles some extra conservation, food aid and nutrition goodies on top of the wasteful, unfair system of farm subsidies. But it's possible that the House of Representatives might muster enough opposition to support a veto.

It's vital for many Republicans and Democrats in metropolitan areas such as the Puget Sound region to stick to their principles and vote against the bill's giant subsidies for wealthy producers and corporations. Many urban and suburban House members understand (as Pelosi did before she became speaker and started trying to protect her majority) that the bill should be about healthy eating, the environment and an adequate Food Stamp program, as well as farm incomes. With today's food prices, that's truer than ever.

The best hope is for a small House margin that would encourage and support President Bush in sticking to his veto threats. Then, a year or two extension of the existing farm bill would allow a new president and Congress to start over from a fresh point of view. By focusing on food consumption, the next Congress could create a bill for the public, farmers and the environment, not wealthy interests and voting blocs.