Treehugger: Bush Is Right On Farm Subsidies

It's not often we find ourselves agreeing with President Bush's viewpoint but, in the case of the subsidy-larded farm bill, we'll make an exception. As Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, notes in his always informative blog, Bush is -- for once -- right on the money with this issue. Here's what he had to say about it at a recent Rose Garden appearance:

"The bill Congress is now considering would fail to eliminate subsidy payments to multimillionaire farmers. America's farm economy is thriving. The value of farmland is skyrocketing. And this is the right time to reform our nation's farm policies by reducing unnecessary subsidies."

Now there are those of us who tend to disagree with him on most issues -- particularly those relevant to energy policy and the environment -- but there's no arguing here about the sheer folly of subsidizing rich farmers and large agribusinesses. With commodity prices surging in recent months, it's becoming harder than ever to justify shoveling gobs of taxpayer money to such a highly profitable sector.

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