It's the kind that poses no problemo for the subsidy lobby, and offers no reform for everyone else.

Reportedly those are the annualized savings that CBO scored for Chairman Peterson's payment limit proposal over five years. It's no better over ten years: $52 mil. per year.

Payment limitation policy should not be about maximizing savings, but about protecting taxpayers, and investing scarce federal money fairly and equitably in support of people who demonstrate they need the help.

At the level of these savings, it is obvious that Mr. Peterson's proposal will have no effect on the flow of taxpayer funds to the largest, wealthiest subsidized farms in the country, and once again leave less for people and priorities that have gone begging for farm bill support year after year.

If this sham reform is acceptable to Democrats, they will have utterly sold out their principles of fairness in economic and social policy. If it is acceptable to Republicans, they will have dramatically sold out their principles of limited government and free market entrepreneurship.

If the ag committee's provisions on payment limits are what we get in the final House bill, abandoned principles, cynicism and hypocrisy will be piled almost as high as the money taxpayers will waste on farm subsidies over the next five years.