On another note: The Republican-controlled House just passed a Farm Bill that spends more on agricultural subsidies (an especially deplorable form of corporate welfare) than does the Democratic Senate Bill or Obama’s original proposal.  They separated the agricultural subsidies from the food stamps portion of the bill, to protect the former from the latter– because, you see, food stamps are a divisively controversial item in the House GOP caucus, whereas subsidies for agribusiness are not.  This illustrates an all-too-common Republican approach to spending: it doesn’t count as spending as long as it redistributes upward.

The House bill also makes commodity supports– the terrible peanut and sugar and so on programs– permanent, eliminating even the minimal check on them that was provided by requiring that they be renewed every five years.