Raves, Rants & Roses

RAVES: Send roses to U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R, Tyler, for voting for the Farm Bill, which recently passed and is on its way to President George Bush for his signature.

President Bush has vetoed the farm bill, which would require the Congress to vote again to override the veto in order for the bill to become a law.

The farm bill contains many provisions that will help feed thousand of working poor, seniors, and children who live at risk of hunger in East Texas.

The name "farm bill" is something of a misnomer. While the bill certainly includes many provisions related to agricultural interest, the vast majority of its funding goes to nutrition programs that help low-income Americans.

Many of the people who benefit are the working poor, and through this new law they will gain access to nutritious and health food for themselves and their families. Without these programs, thousands of East Texans would go hungry.

The farm bill helps in numerous ways: it provides additional food and funding to food banks throughout the country, it provides fresh fruits and vegetables to children, it makes vast improvements in the food stamp program, and it helps hundreds of thousands of seniors gain monthly access to meal boxes filled with essential basic food items.

The East Texas Food Bank urges Rep. Gohmert to vote again in favor of the farm bill so that the working poor, seniors, and children in East Texas have access to adequate nutrition to help them live healthy, productive lives.

Robert L. Bush
Executive Director
East Texas Food Bank