EDITORIAL - The House is one step closer to passing this $290 billion farm bill. President Bush says he will veto it but Congress thinks it has enough votes to override the veto. Why do I bring this up? Because this farm bill is just loaded with pork and government entitlement program funding.

Take this, for example. Two-thirds of the bill (that's about $193 billion) will pay for huge increases in food stamp programs, emergency food assistance for the "needy," and nutrition aid to help people pay for groceries. Another $40 billion will be paid to subsidize US farmers and $30 billion will be paid for farmers to sit on their butts and do absolutely nothing. That's $30 billion NOT to grow crops. This is happening at a time when farm income is way up there.

And then there's the pork. State projects including tax breaks for Kentucky racehorse owners and money for salmon fishermen in the Pacific Northwest managed to sneak their way into the bill. Another one gives extra money to "geographically disadvantaged farmers" in Hawaii and Alaska ... it is essentially affirmative action for farmers.

Now get this. The legislation also includes a provision that would allow state and local governments to issue bonds to help conservation groups buy private lands. Why do they want to do this? It would give taxpayer money as incentives for these environmentalists to "keep pristine private lands out of the hands of developers." That's according to Montana Democrat Senator Max Baucus. As if that wasn't bad enough, Baucus also added $3.8 billion to pay farmers who lose their crops in weather-related disasters.

Republicans are largely in support of this bill ... and they want us to believe that they have changed.