My Senator, Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga), is trying to extend the MASSIVE farm subsidies bill. I usually do not agree with The Washington Post, but today they are making too much sense:

Some of the spending “cuts” turn out, on closer inspection, to involve large new commitments to the federal government’s worst programs — such as its subsidies for farms.

The new farm commitment is tucked into the spending cuts proposed by Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Mr. Chambliss was told to come up with $3 billion in spending cuts over five years. This shouldn’t have been difficult, because taxpayers spend $15 billion to $20 billion each year on wasteful farm subsidies, most of which go to a small minority of wealthy growers while penalizing developing countries that aspire to export their way out of poverty. President Bush has rightly called for a complete elimination of these subsidies, and his administration has proposed a way of saving $5.7 billion over 10 years. The suggested cuts would hardly be too painful: One of them involves capping the subsidy available to each farmer at $250,000 per year.

I do not get it. What happened to fiscally responsible Republicans? I was happy Chambliss got elected, but come off it already. Farm subsidies must go. The most recent Farm Bill to clear Congress is the most pork laden thing. It is on par with the massive Highway Pork Bill recently passed.

I wrote a post last week in which I longed for the days when Republicans actually were for small government. Saxby, you are doing what we used to get mad at your Democratic colleagues for doing. Kill the pork, you can do it.

But:

Yesterday he proposed to cut a mere $1.1 billion in farm subsidies over five years, to be supplemented with cuts in conservation programs and food stamps. His plan says nothing about capping subsidies to the richest farmers; thus 300,000 lucky recipients will continue to divvy up about $10 billion a year. But the Chambliss proposal does include language that would extend farm subsidies beyond 2007, when they are currently due to expire, for a further four years.

Great, just great. The thing that pisses me off even more is that President Bush will sign the darn thing. Where are my small government Republicans? What happened to you guys? Don’t tell me that power has corrupted you to the point that on paper it is hard to distinguish you from the Democrats.

The Washington Post’s editors have the best summation I have seen concering pork and an out of control, spending like drunken Democrats, Congress:

Using a measure that is ostensibly about spending restraint to extend the egregious farm program would mark a new low for Congress. The Agriculture Committee is due to vote on the Chambliss proposal today. It should reject it.

I have a sneaking suspicion I will be writing a letter to my Senator today.

Cross posted over at WILLisms.com