Tom Fudge: A political observer once said that every U.S. Senator is a farm state senator. That's definitely true of California's senators who represent the largest farm state in the country. And the widespread nature of the farming business is probably the reason why passing what's called the Farm Bill has never been terribly difficult.
But this year, the Farm Bill is getting a lot more attention, and it's catching a lot more heat. President Bush is threatening to veto it. It's hard to say exactly why the Farm Bill has become so controversial because it's so large and so complex. Suffice it to say that the legislation is very expensive and funds programs that seem to do little more than line the pockets of farmers – not just poor, struggling farmers, but also the most wealthy and prosperous in the nation.
Add to that the fact that farm prices and income are doing extremely well and you've got lots of people asking whether this is a good use of taxpayer money.
Guest
- Daniel Imhoff , author of Foodfight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill and co-founder of Watershed Media .
