This news report has me so angry, I really would like to travel to Columbia University and personally beat the living sh** out of every one of these incredibly stupid little jerks! And then put them on a plane and dump them in Iran or some other Muslim country.
As you may or may not know, many of our so-called "institutions of higher learning" banned the ROTC and military recruiting from their campuses during the Vietnam War. Many of them, particularly Ivy League schools, still do so. Columbia University has been thinking about rescinding that policy and conducted a "town hall meeting" for students to voice their opinions. When former Staff Sgt. Anthony Maschek, a current Columbia student who was hit 11 times in Iraq and spent 2 years recovering in Walter Reed, got up to speak he was booed, jeered, and called a racist. What did he say?
"It doesn't matter what you believe about war, there are bad men out there who want to kill you".
Need I remind you these are the morons who will be running this country in another 15 to 20 years? Of course these are the sons and daughters of the current morons running the show, so what would we expect?
Please pray for our country,
Dumb Farmer
ps: There will no new posts until next week, I will be out of town.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
LIFE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERYTHING
We're going to take another side road here for minute. But one that is definitely relevant to the current state of our society and government. And that is the role that religion plays in the world. One very recent thing in my life has had me thinking on this subject again. My young female cat is in heat for the first time. Until now, this cat would not let ANY other cat get near her. Now she's inviting every tom in a 5 mile radius to have at her. Amazing what hormones do. Examine human behavior. OK, back to the point. I would like to see a bright atheist explain scientifically how chemicals could combine by random chance to create life that develops not only the physical characteristics that require 2 entities of opposite sex to procreate, but the behaviors we see that enable it's completion. How about love? Oh, they'll say, that's just a behavior developed to assist reproduction and child rearing. Really? Think about that for a while. How about the appreciation of beauty? Not human physical beauty, but the beauty of this planet we live on. Have you ever seen a dog, cat, cow, or any other animal gaze in rapt wonder at a beautiful sunset?
Ok, let's tie this in to our current state of affairs. Even if you don't believe in God, you have to admit that the Bible is a history of the Jewish people. Amazing how when the Jews were following God's instruction, they were prosperous and at peace. And how every time they got off track, denied God and His ways, they ended up conquered and even carried off into captivity. I think you get the point.
Thank God we are more than chemicals,
Dumb Farmer
ps: The title of this post comes from the great comedy/science fiction trilogy of Douglas Adams. The first of which "Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" was made into a terrible movie. I have seen VERY few movies from books that do the book justice, and that was one of the worst. Anyway, the protagonist is rescued from Earth by a friendly alien just before our planet is to be destroyed to make way for a new interstellar freeway, and spends the rest of his life searching the universe for the answer to "life, the universe, and everything". Highly recommended reading!
Ok, let's tie this in to our current state of affairs. Even if you don't believe in God, you have to admit that the Bible is a history of the Jewish people. Amazing how when the Jews were following God's instruction, they were prosperous and at peace. And how every time they got off track, denied God and His ways, they ended up conquered and even carried off into captivity. I think you get the point.
Thank God we are more than chemicals,
Dumb Farmer
ps: The title of this post comes from the great comedy/science fiction trilogy of Douglas Adams. The first of which "Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" was made into a terrible movie. I have seen VERY few movies from books that do the book justice, and that was one of the worst. Anyway, the protagonist is rescued from Earth by a friendly alien just before our planet is to be destroyed to make way for a new interstellar freeway, and spends the rest of his life searching the universe for the answer to "life, the universe, and everything". Highly recommended reading!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
NASCAR, THE SUPERBOWL, AND POLITICS
Another example of politicians who have no idea of the big picture: US Rep. Betty McCollum (Dem-Mn)has introduced a bill to ban the military from sponsoring Nascar teams. On the surface, that would seem to make sense considering our budget problems. But apparently she doesn't realize we have an all volunteer service today.
Hello Ms. McCollum - you've got to attract young people to join. News Flash: Young people are interested in exciting, thrilling, dangerous sports. Especially motorsports. Maybe she thinks that money would be better spent recruiting at video arcades at the malls? Or one of our deteriorating cities like Detroit taken over by the Muslims? Maybe she thinks we still have the draft? Maybe she's just not capable of thinking beyond the end of her nose?
Some people were similarly moaning about the cost of the F-16 or FA-18 (I forget now which branch of the service) flyover before the Superbowl. Cited the cost of fuel etc. and claimed it was a waste. Excuse me, those pilots would have been flying those aircraft somewhere anyway. Flying a supersonic, electronic marvel weapons system is not something you do once a month. Those pilots train continually. Since they're going to fly somewhere, why not get some recruiting publicity out of it? Just more short sighted thinking on the part of those entrusted with running our country.
Ms. McCollum and the others who think like her should attend some motorsports races sometime. And observe all those "redneck" fans, including the young ones, who still remove their hats and stand at attention for our National Anthem. And all those "redneck" vets saluting the flag.
Lord help us save our country,
Dumb Farmer
Hello Ms. McCollum - you've got to attract young people to join. News Flash: Young people are interested in exciting, thrilling, dangerous sports. Especially motorsports. Maybe she thinks that money would be better spent recruiting at video arcades at the malls? Or one of our deteriorating cities like Detroit taken over by the Muslims? Maybe she thinks we still have the draft? Maybe she's just not capable of thinking beyond the end of her nose?
Some people were similarly moaning about the cost of the F-16 or FA-18 (I forget now which branch of the service) flyover before the Superbowl. Cited the cost of fuel etc. and claimed it was a waste. Excuse me, those pilots would have been flying those aircraft somewhere anyway. Flying a supersonic, electronic marvel weapons system is not something you do once a month. Those pilots train continually. Since they're going to fly somewhere, why not get some recruiting publicity out of it? Just more short sighted thinking on the part of those entrusted with running our country.
Ms. McCollum and the others who think like her should attend some motorsports races sometime. And observe all those "redneck" fans, including the young ones, who still remove their hats and stand at attention for our National Anthem. And all those "redneck" vets saluting the flag.
Lord help us save our country,
Dumb Farmer
Saturday, February 19, 2011
WISCONSIN PROTESTS
Wisconsin teachers and government employees are protesting at the capitol and in the streets. While I do not have complete information on the proposed cuts yet, (my internet connection has been down, so I haven't done the research yet) I have seen some facts on TV news.
The average wage of a state employee is over $51,000.
The average wage of a local government employee in Wi. Is over $38,000.
The average private sector wage is also just over $38,000.
The government workers contribute $0 towards their health care and pensions.
Private sector workers pay on average 20% towards lower quality health insurance and the majority are not covered by a pension plan at all.
The state is proposing that employees contribute to the cost of health care and pensions. And to limit the unions collective bargaining power. I assume that means specifically their right to strike.
At this point in time I am not sure about any pay cut, but I'm sure there's at least a pay freeze involved. Let's be perfectly clear here: The pay figures are averages. I doubt the clerk at the DMV or the guy holding the sign at highway construction is making $51k. Wisconsin is a relatively high cost of living state, the wages really don't seem that out of line to me. But the free “Cadillac” insurance and pension plans certainly are. No one WANTS to take a pay cut, but they need to get a dose of reality. Hundreds of thousands of us HAVE already taken major pay cuts and are existing with no health insurance at all or policies that are worthless except for major surgeries, and cancer. Those who haven't had to actually take a cut haven't had raises for the past 3 years, or they've been half the cost of living increase.
The state of Wisconsin is no different than the federal government or any family: they cannot continue to spend more than they take in. And you cannot continue to increase taxes forever. The citizens are already hurting with the huge tax burden we now have.
So my advice to Wisconsin workers? (And Ohio next, apparently) It's bitter medicine, but be glad you have a job at all, especially one as good as you have.
Dumb Farmer
The average wage of a state employee is over $51,000.
The average wage of a local government employee in Wi. Is over $38,000.
The average private sector wage is also just over $38,000.
The government workers contribute $0 towards their health care and pensions.
Private sector workers pay on average 20% towards lower quality health insurance and the majority are not covered by a pension plan at all.
The state is proposing that employees contribute to the cost of health care and pensions. And to limit the unions collective bargaining power. I assume that means specifically their right to strike.
At this point in time I am not sure about any pay cut, but I'm sure there's at least a pay freeze involved. Let's be perfectly clear here: The pay figures are averages. I doubt the clerk at the DMV or the guy holding the sign at highway construction is making $51k. Wisconsin is a relatively high cost of living state, the wages really don't seem that out of line to me. But the free “Cadillac” insurance and pension plans certainly are. No one WANTS to take a pay cut, but they need to get a dose of reality. Hundreds of thousands of us HAVE already taken major pay cuts and are existing with no health insurance at all or policies that are worthless except for major surgeries, and cancer. Those who haven't had to actually take a cut haven't had raises for the past 3 years, or they've been half the cost of living increase.
The state of Wisconsin is no different than the federal government or any family: they cannot continue to spend more than they take in. And you cannot continue to increase taxes forever. The citizens are already hurting with the huge tax burden we now have.
So my advice to Wisconsin workers? (And Ohio next, apparently) It's bitter medicine, but be glad you have a job at all, especially one as good as you have.
Dumb Farmer
Thursday, February 17, 2011
TRUE SOLUTIONS
Good evening my friends,
A conversation with a friend this evening reminds me that I need to reiterate some things about finding true solutions to our problems. And that is that 99% of the time, the real, common sense solution to any given problem lies somewhere in the middle. Somehow we have become radically polarized. On one hand you have the radical left. Most of whom are actually socialists, whether they realize it or not. Many are radical environmentalists, tree huggers, animal rights activists, etc. Then you have the radical right. The Libertarians and anarchists who think there should be no government at all.
Let's take one single issue as an example - jobs. There is more than greed involved in American corporations moving jobs overseas, although greed IS the bottom line. And that is the amount of government regulation involved in producing anything in this country today. Or conducting any business in America today. Take construction for example: need a new building for your business? You'll have to obtain a dozen different permits from a dozen different agencies. Each one can cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars, require engineers to meet a dozen different, and sometimes conflicting, requirements. Inspections by a dozen different inspectors, and on and on. What is the flip side though? Pollution like China - so bad that people are keeling over in the streets. Drinking water poisoning the populace. Unfortunately, due to human nature (see previous post on secular humanism) we MUST have a certain amount of government regulation. We need a military, we need roads, we need police protection. BUT, our government has gone overboard. We need to get back to the middle of the road.
Just wanted you all to know I am not a radical. I try to keep my proposals to fix our problems simple and real. Simple, but not easy for sure. People will suffer individual hardships from the solutions I set forth. But we have no choice, it's do it or the entire country goes bankrupt, and that's going to be one hell of a lot harder on people than not getting a raise for the next few years or taking a cut in your food stamps and rental assistance.
Wake up Washington and state capitals, you've sold our future for many years, and guess what?
The future is now here. Now you have to pay the piper.
Dumb Farmer
A conversation with a friend this evening reminds me that I need to reiterate some things about finding true solutions to our problems. And that is that 99% of the time, the real, common sense solution to any given problem lies somewhere in the middle. Somehow we have become radically polarized. On one hand you have the radical left. Most of whom are actually socialists, whether they realize it or not. Many are radical environmentalists, tree huggers, animal rights activists, etc. Then you have the radical right. The Libertarians and anarchists who think there should be no government at all.
Let's take one single issue as an example - jobs. There is more than greed involved in American corporations moving jobs overseas, although greed IS the bottom line. And that is the amount of government regulation involved in producing anything in this country today. Or conducting any business in America today. Take construction for example: need a new building for your business? You'll have to obtain a dozen different permits from a dozen different agencies. Each one can cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars, require engineers to meet a dozen different, and sometimes conflicting, requirements. Inspections by a dozen different inspectors, and on and on. What is the flip side though? Pollution like China - so bad that people are keeling over in the streets. Drinking water poisoning the populace. Unfortunately, due to human nature (see previous post on secular humanism) we MUST have a certain amount of government regulation. We need a military, we need roads, we need police protection. BUT, our government has gone overboard. We need to get back to the middle of the road.
Just wanted you all to know I am not a radical. I try to keep my proposals to fix our problems simple and real. Simple, but not easy for sure. People will suffer individual hardships from the solutions I set forth. But we have no choice, it's do it or the entire country goes bankrupt, and that's going to be one hell of a lot harder on people than not getting a raise for the next few years or taking a cut in your food stamps and rental assistance.
Wake up Washington and state capitals, you've sold our future for many years, and guess what?
The future is now here. Now you have to pay the piper.
Dumb Farmer
TODAYS NEWS - THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY
Good morning friends,
More examples of the erosion of free speech and stupidity in our government and society this morning. The ugly:
A Pa. teacher suspended for posting the truth on the internet. Keep in mind no students were named. What did she say that was so nasty she's likely to lose her job? That todays students are whiners and complainers, (why should they have to actually EARN good grades) and half the girls dress like street walkers. How long are we going to put up with these communists running our school systems? How about firing the administrator who demonstrated his/her complete disregard for our Constitution by suspending her????
The bad:
I think you all understand the dire situation the humongous deficit spending has put our country in. Harry Reid must be a total moron, he still doesn't get it. Says cutting the budget by 74 to 100 million (out of 1.4 trillion) is "draconian".
ACLU sues Pt. Pleasant Beach, N.J. for saying the Lord's Prayer before meetings. Says it forces religion upon the populace. The ACLU has been and continues to be one of the largest forces behind the "political correctness" insanity we suffer from today. They jump right in with both barrels firing to attack anything connected to Christianity and defend anything and everything Muslims want. Just wait till they're running the show, and you have to pray to Mecca 5 times a day or get your head cut off. And the first heads to roll will be ACLU members because they champion homosexuality, a sin punishable by death in the Muslim faith.
The good:
Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn DOES get it. Hard hitting speech about the deficit. Recognizes that people are going be hurt by the necessary measures to fix the problems. Said $350 million could be cut immediately by eliminating "waste, stupidity, fraud, and abuse". Tell em Tom!
N.J. Governor Chris Christie hits a homerun (as usual) with his speech in D.C. This guy REALLY gets it and is "gittin er done" in N.J. The only bad part of this is he still insists he will NOT run for president in 2012. This is a real shame, because I don't think any of the usual Republicans being talked about have a chance of winning. Except for Palin, they're all old school politicians. And it's become pretty obvious that no matter how much I, and others, admire Palin's stand on issues, that she has neither the breadth of knowledge nor the depth of intellect to be POTUS.
Now here's a ticket for you: Christie for Pres. and LTC Allan West as his V.P. I'd stand in line overnight to be the first one to vote for them.
In Liberty,
Dumb Farmer
More examples of the erosion of free speech and stupidity in our government and society this morning. The ugly:
A Pa. teacher suspended for posting the truth on the internet. Keep in mind no students were named. What did she say that was so nasty she's likely to lose her job? That todays students are whiners and complainers, (why should they have to actually EARN good grades) and half the girls dress like street walkers. How long are we going to put up with these communists running our school systems? How about firing the administrator who demonstrated his/her complete disregard for our Constitution by suspending her????
The bad:
I think you all understand the dire situation the humongous deficit spending has put our country in. Harry Reid must be a total moron, he still doesn't get it. Says cutting the budget by 74 to 100 million (out of 1.4 trillion) is "draconian".
ACLU sues Pt. Pleasant Beach, N.J. for saying the Lord's Prayer before meetings. Says it forces religion upon the populace. The ACLU has been and continues to be one of the largest forces behind the "political correctness" insanity we suffer from today. They jump right in with both barrels firing to attack anything connected to Christianity and defend anything and everything Muslims want. Just wait till they're running the show, and you have to pray to Mecca 5 times a day or get your head cut off. And the first heads to roll will be ACLU members because they champion homosexuality, a sin punishable by death in the Muslim faith.
The good:
Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn DOES get it. Hard hitting speech about the deficit. Recognizes that people are going be hurt by the necessary measures to fix the problems. Said $350 million could be cut immediately by eliminating "waste, stupidity, fraud, and abuse". Tell em Tom!
N.J. Governor Chris Christie hits a homerun (as usual) with his speech in D.C. This guy REALLY gets it and is "gittin er done" in N.J. The only bad part of this is he still insists he will NOT run for president in 2012. This is a real shame, because I don't think any of the usual Republicans being talked about have a chance of winning. Except for Palin, they're all old school politicians. And it's become pretty obvious that no matter how much I, and others, admire Palin's stand on issues, that she has neither the breadth of knowledge nor the depth of intellect to be POTUS.
Now here's a ticket for you: Christie for Pres. and LTC Allan West as his V.P. I'd stand in line overnight to be the first one to vote for them.
In Liberty,
Dumb Farmer
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
WAL-MART FIRINGS
Another perfect example of the lack of common sense so prevalent in America today.
For those of you who didn't catch this on the news: Wal-Mart security people caught a guy shoplifting a laptop and various other things. They had him in the security office awaiting the arrival of police when he pulled a gun and threatened to kill them all. These brave guys jumped him and got the gun away from him. What does Wal-Mart do? Fires them for not following company policy, which says they are supposed to back off and stand down when confronted with any weapon. Excuse me??? They're supposed to just let the guy kill them???? The actual policy makes sense in a lot of scenarios, ie: the guy is in the middle of the store with customers around and the security people are more than an armslength away. However, this was certainly not the case here, and the security personnel were immediately at risk of losing their own lives.
The Wal-Mart executive who made the decision to fire these guys must have gone to the same college as the school administrator who had the spit ball boy arrested, the administrators who expelled the sick child because her mother sent a couple of children's aspirins to school with her, etc. etc. Oh, what am I thinking, our schools are all the same today, turning out virtual idiots who cannot think for themselves by the millions.
Why do we suffer from these no common sense allowed zero-tolerance idiocies? Anyone with half a brain realizes no one can formulate a policy that foresees every possibility. This whole subject reminds me of two things. Something my dad used to tell me when I was a kid. "If you're buddy Jeff jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you follow him over just because he did it?" And the Nazi death camp guards who were "just following orders".
Hoping that all of you continue to use the brain God gave you for more than a place to hang your hat. (Another favorite of my dad:-)
Dumb Farmer
For those of you who didn't catch this on the news: Wal-Mart security people caught a guy shoplifting a laptop and various other things. They had him in the security office awaiting the arrival of police when he pulled a gun and threatened to kill them all. These brave guys jumped him and got the gun away from him. What does Wal-Mart do? Fires them for not following company policy, which says they are supposed to back off and stand down when confronted with any weapon. Excuse me??? They're supposed to just let the guy kill them???? The actual policy makes sense in a lot of scenarios, ie: the guy is in the middle of the store with customers around and the security people are more than an armslength away. However, this was certainly not the case here, and the security personnel were immediately at risk of losing their own lives.
The Wal-Mart executive who made the decision to fire these guys must have gone to the same college as the school administrator who had the spit ball boy arrested, the administrators who expelled the sick child because her mother sent a couple of children's aspirins to school with her, etc. etc. Oh, what am I thinking, our schools are all the same today, turning out virtual idiots who cannot think for themselves by the millions.
Why do we suffer from these no common sense allowed zero-tolerance idiocies? Anyone with half a brain realizes no one can formulate a policy that foresees every possibility. This whole subject reminds me of two things. Something my dad used to tell me when I was a kid. "If you're buddy Jeff jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you follow him over just because he did it?" And the Nazi death camp guards who were "just following orders".
Hoping that all of you continue to use the brain God gave you for more than a place to hang your hat. (Another favorite of my dad:-)
Dumb Farmer
GOOD NEWS
Good morning friends!
I have good news for all of you, especially those in the frozen north. Spring IS on the way. Friday I saw/heard 3 flocks of geese heading north. Sunday morning the summer birds returned to north Fl. We are finally seeing highs in the 70's and lows in the mid to upper 40's. The sun is so warm my face got burned. So hang in there kids, it's gonna get better soon!
God bless you all,
Dumb Farmer
I have good news for all of you, especially those in the frozen north. Spring IS on the way. Friday I saw/heard 3 flocks of geese heading north. Sunday morning the summer birds returned to north Fl. We are finally seeing highs in the 70's and lows in the mid to upper 40's. The sun is so warm my face got burned. So hang in there kids, it's gonna get better soon!
God bless you all,
Dumb Farmer
Monday, February 14, 2011
LATEST GREED NEWS
Things haven't changed at all in the corporate world. Goldman Sachs, who by the way, was one of the largest creators of the financial collapse that precipitated our current economic malaise, had profits fall 38% last year. They paid a $550 million fine to settle charges of misleading investors by deliberate fraud. So what do they do? Triple the salary of CEO Lloyd Blankfein to $2 million and grant him $12.6 million in shares. This same kind of crap has been going on in all kinds of American corporations for years now. SHAREHOLDERS: YOU can fix this kind of crap! Vote the backscratching crooks off the board of directors. (See previous post about interlocking directorates)
Exxon Mobil earned $9 Billion in profits the last quarter of 2010. $30.5 billion for the year! While they drive a spike into the casket of the American economy with sky high energy prices. Been complaining about the price of gas lately? Well bend over farther, because the price of oil/gas trickles down to every single thing we buy. It takes energy to produce and transport goods. While Exxon surely has a right to make a profit on their investments, I ask again, how much money is enough? I would like to see a complete accounting of where they're investing these incredible windfalls. How much are they investing in America, versus "global" businesses? How much did they actually pay in American taxes? Or did their bought politicians stick so many loopholes in the tax code that they didn't pay anything at all?????? We need to demand answers.
Dumb Farmer
Exxon Mobil earned $9 Billion in profits the last quarter of 2010. $30.5 billion for the year! While they drive a spike into the casket of the American economy with sky high energy prices. Been complaining about the price of gas lately? Well bend over farther, because the price of oil/gas trickles down to every single thing we buy. It takes energy to produce and transport goods. While Exxon surely has a right to make a profit on their investments, I ask again, how much money is enough? I would like to see a complete accounting of where they're investing these incredible windfalls. How much are they investing in America, versus "global" businesses? How much did they actually pay in American taxes? Or did their bought politicians stick so many loopholes in the tax code that they didn't pay anything at all?????? We need to demand answers.
Dumb Farmer
OBAMA / ADVISORS READ THIS BLOG?
Apparently President Obama and his advisers must be reading Common Sense and Circumstance:-) His new budget proposes some of the things I've talked about here. Freezing spending at current levels for 5 years, ferreting out waste in government bureaucracies, investment in infrastructure and research.
Yeah, I know, they've ignored all the politically hard things. That's no surprise but at least they've finally heard the screaming of "we the people" and are, at the least, paying lip service to deficit reduction. Unfortunately that's about all it is. Lip service. The total $ amount of the reductions proposed over the next 10 years is less than the projected deficit for this year alone. What kind of solution is that, Mr. President??? Maybe the new Tea Party people in Congress will succeed in getting some of the more difficult elements implemented now. Somehow I doubt though that any of the really difficult changes will be made until after the 2012 election. There are still way too many career politicians in office.
Have a GREAT day,
Dumb Farmer
Yeah, I know, they've ignored all the politically hard things. That's no surprise but at least they've finally heard the screaming of "we the people" and are, at the least, paying lip service to deficit reduction. Unfortunately that's about all it is. Lip service. The total $ amount of the reductions proposed over the next 10 years is less than the projected deficit for this year alone. What kind of solution is that, Mr. President??? Maybe the new Tea Party people in Congress will succeed in getting some of the more difficult elements implemented now. Somehow I doubt though that any of the really difficult changes will be made until after the 2012 election. There are still way too many career politicians in office.
Have a GREAT day,
Dumb Farmer
Friday, February 11, 2011
SHORT REMINDER
I'd just like to take a minute to once again remind you all of the tremendous sacrifices being made by our military men/women and families. My personal favorites are www.woundedwarriorproject.org and the USO. Click on the "support our troops" link above. I know everybody is struggling today, but I think most of us can find $15or $20 bucks once in a while to help these guys out.
Thanks and God bless,
Dumb Farmer
Thanks and God bless,
Dumb Farmer
AGRICULTURE: WELFARE AND TRADE
First off this morning we'll talk a bit more about deficit reduction and prosperity in relation to the US Dept. of Agriculture. Every time deficit reduction comes up in the mainstream press, sooner or later they bring up dropping farm subsidies. The truth is, according to their own figures, 68 to 74% of the USDA budget is spent on social welfare nutrition programs. That is food stamps, school lunches, and others. Do you realize that America is the ONLY country in the world where the poor are obese??? Another 9% is spent on conservation programs, ie: erosion control, storm water runoff, etc. See this from the USDA's own site: (Thanks, John)
http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/November08/DataFeature/
10% goes to crop insurance. Farmers pay for crop insurance. While the cost is subsidized, it's not a government giveaway. 12% is spent on propping up commodities prices, which farmers do benefit directly from. So, why is it they only talk about cutting farm subsidies and never mention cutting the welfare portions????
Now lets tie this in to our prosperity: First off, the survivability of every farmer is extremely dependant on weather. While any particular individual farmer MAY be able to survive one bad year, not many can without some support when they have 2 or 3 bad years back to back. I was a part time farmer. Many of my neighbors and friends were full time farmers. I do not know a single rich farmer. Most barely scratch by, with the majority struggling with repairing and occasional replacement of 10 to 20 year old equipment. Americans spend far less percentage of their income on food than any other country. What do you think will happen to food prices when all the family farmers are forced into selling out to large agribusiness? That's right, you can bet your life when big business controls all our food supply, prices will skyrocket.
And on to deficit reduction: America is blessed with tremendously fertile soils, a climate generally favorable to crop production, and farmers willing to work 12 hours a day 7 days a week. American agriculture is the most productive and cost efficient in the world. The population of China as of 2008 was 1.3 billion. The world, 6.7 billion and increasing daily. We control a resource that will soon become as valuable as oil is today. Agricultural products are already the single largest category of American exports. Government funds to farmers are not giveaways, they are price support subsidies. As the price of commodities goes up, the amount of government funds spent decreases. While there are no figures available yet for the last 2 years, given rising crop/grain prices I can just about guarantee you that the $ amount of farm subsidies has declined drastically.
Dumb Farmer
http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/November08/DataFeature/
10% goes to crop insurance. Farmers pay for crop insurance. While the cost is subsidized, it's not a government giveaway. 12% is spent on propping up commodities prices, which farmers do benefit directly from. So, why is it they only talk about cutting farm subsidies and never mention cutting the welfare portions????
Now lets tie this in to our prosperity: First off, the survivability of every farmer is extremely dependant on weather. While any particular individual farmer MAY be able to survive one bad year, not many can without some support when they have 2 or 3 bad years back to back. I was a part time farmer. Many of my neighbors and friends were full time farmers. I do not know a single rich farmer. Most barely scratch by, with the majority struggling with repairing and occasional replacement of 10 to 20 year old equipment. Americans spend far less percentage of their income on food than any other country. What do you think will happen to food prices when all the family farmers are forced into selling out to large agribusiness? That's right, you can bet your life when big business controls all our food supply, prices will skyrocket.
And on to deficit reduction: America is blessed with tremendously fertile soils, a climate generally favorable to crop production, and farmers willing to work 12 hours a day 7 days a week. American agriculture is the most productive and cost efficient in the world. The population of China as of 2008 was 1.3 billion. The world, 6.7 billion and increasing daily. We control a resource that will soon become as valuable as oil is today. Agricultural products are already the single largest category of American exports. Government funds to farmers are not giveaways, they are price support subsidies. As the price of commodities goes up, the amount of government funds spent decreases. While there are no figures available yet for the last 2 years, given rising crop/grain prices I can just about guarantee you that the $ amount of farm subsidies has declined drastically.
Dumb Farmer
Thursday, February 10, 2011
THE TRADE IMBALANCE
Step 8: In order to have true long term prosperity, we need to export more goods than we import. We haven't done this for decades. Witness the results: tremendous explosion of the middle class in China and India, - ongoing degradation of our middle class standard of living.
The short term fix for this produces a double benefit for deficit reduction. Slap high tax duties on all imported products, high enough that American produced goods are more than price competitive. Result: more tax revenue immediately, and more incentive for companies to bring plants/jobs back home. Plants and jobs here also means increased tax revenue.
Some background: The single largest factor in our past prosperity was the superiority of American products. Our products were more innovative, and of much better quality, than could be obtained from anywhere else in the world. What happened? See previous posts on greed. By the 1970's American automobiles were junk. Quality control was a joke, not because of the assembly line workers, but because of management's push for more and more profit. As I said in an earlier post, today's companies have entire buildings full of engineers whose job is not to design better products, but figure out how to build them cheaper. Now that's fine as long as quality is not compromised, but that doesn't happen. The CEO's, Presidents, and VP's set a figure they demand costs be reduced by. It's the engineers job to make it happen, whatever it takes. So now we have throwaway products. When it breaks, buy a new one. And the executives know that increases sales, so they get a double increase in profit. Again: GREED.
We need to return to leading the world in innovation and quality. We need to invest in pure science. The truth is the continuing existence of the human race on this planet hinges on large advances in physics. We are going to poison ourselves into extinction if we continue as we have been. Witness air pollution in China so bad that at times they have had to ban ALL auto travel in some major cities because people were actually falling over in the streets. Google China pollution - it's an eye opener.
We need truly clean, affordable energy sources. The field of quantum physics shows that this is possible. We need the "beam me up Scotty" beam. America needs to be in the forefront of this development. We need to do whatever it takes to get the brightest theoretical physicists in the world working in and for American laboratories. We need to continue to invest in space exploration. This planet will run out of natural resources eventually. This country needs to be in control of asteroid and planet mining. (I told you I'm now talking long term prosperity, so our grand and great grand children will have a decent life.)
Food for thought: Speaking of running out of natural resources, the number of earthquakes worldwide has been increasing almost exponentially throughout the 20th century (and now the 21st). Has anyone thought that there may be a connection to all the oil and gas we've pumped out of the earth? Or is it just fulfilling another end times prophecy in the Bible?
American agriculture next,
Dumb Farmer
The short term fix for this produces a double benefit for deficit reduction. Slap high tax duties on all imported products, high enough that American produced goods are more than price competitive. Result: more tax revenue immediately, and more incentive for companies to bring plants/jobs back home. Plants and jobs here also means increased tax revenue.
Some background: The single largest factor in our past prosperity was the superiority of American products. Our products were more innovative, and of much better quality, than could be obtained from anywhere else in the world. What happened? See previous posts on greed. By the 1970's American automobiles were junk. Quality control was a joke, not because of the assembly line workers, but because of management's push for more and more profit. As I said in an earlier post, today's companies have entire buildings full of engineers whose job is not to design better products, but figure out how to build them cheaper. Now that's fine as long as quality is not compromised, but that doesn't happen. The CEO's, Presidents, and VP's set a figure they demand costs be reduced by. It's the engineers job to make it happen, whatever it takes. So now we have throwaway products. When it breaks, buy a new one. And the executives know that increases sales, so they get a double increase in profit. Again: GREED.
We need to return to leading the world in innovation and quality. We need to invest in pure science. The truth is the continuing existence of the human race on this planet hinges on large advances in physics. We are going to poison ourselves into extinction if we continue as we have been. Witness air pollution in China so bad that at times they have had to ban ALL auto travel in some major cities because people were actually falling over in the streets. Google China pollution - it's an eye opener.
We need truly clean, affordable energy sources. The field of quantum physics shows that this is possible. We need the "beam me up Scotty" beam. America needs to be in the forefront of this development. We need to do whatever it takes to get the brightest theoretical physicists in the world working in and for American laboratories. We need to continue to invest in space exploration. This planet will run out of natural resources eventually. This country needs to be in control of asteroid and planet mining. (I told you I'm now talking long term prosperity, so our grand and great grand children will have a decent life.)
Food for thought: Speaking of running out of natural resources, the number of earthquakes worldwide has been increasing almost exponentially throughout the 20th century (and now the 21st). Has anyone thought that there may be a connection to all the oil and gas we've pumped out of the earth? Or is it just fulfilling another end times prophecy in the Bible?
American agriculture next,
Dumb Farmer
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
A SLIGHT, BUT RELEVANT, DIGRESSION
This is a bit off the current topic, but very relevant. I just finished reading a couple reviews of Donald Rumsfeld's new autobiography. The only surprise is instead of kissing ass, the reviewers came away with the same view of Rumsfeld that I formulated after watching him in a couple of news conferences in the ramp up to, and during, Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Basically Rumsfeld is the epitome of the genius who thinks he's the only real intellect and everyone else in the world is an idiot. And.......doesn't have a lick of common sense due to a complete disconnect from actual reality. I, and many, many others, said at the time there is no way you can control a country the size of Iraq, with a population of 11 million, with 180,000 troops. We couldn't do it in Vietnam with a half a million. And I forget the actual figure but you need to realize that only a small percentage of troops, I'm thinking 25 to 30% if I remember right, are actual combat infantry and armor. The vast majority are needed for logistics and other types of support.
He is extremely arrogant, refuses to admit he himself has ever been wrong, blames all the problems on other people and wrong information.
Hope his book is huge flop.
Dumb Farmer
Basically Rumsfeld is the epitome of the genius who thinks he's the only real intellect and everyone else in the world is an idiot. And.......doesn't have a lick of common sense due to a complete disconnect from actual reality. I, and many, many others, said at the time there is no way you can control a country the size of Iraq, with a population of 11 million, with 180,000 troops. We couldn't do it in Vietnam with a half a million. And I forget the actual figure but you need to realize that only a small percentage of troops, I'm thinking 25 to 30% if I remember right, are actual combat infantry and armor. The vast majority are needed for logistics and other types of support.
He is extremely arrogant, refuses to admit he himself has ever been wrong, blames all the problems on other people and wrong information.
Hope his book is huge flop.
Dumb Farmer
THE FAIR TAX ETC.
Concrete steps to prosperity continued:
Step 4: Job creation. As I proposed earlier, impose a retroactive (let's say the last ten years) tax on American corporations for every job they moved offshore. Create a matching tax credit for every American job they bring back/create.
Step 5: The Fair Tax. Toss our current insane tax system completely. Institute a national sales tax. This is a real no-brainer, and the reason it hasn't been done before is because there would be no way for bought politicians to create loopholes for the rich and big business. This kind of tax is totally progressive - the more you make, the more you spend, the more tax you pay. It is also totally fair because everyone pays the same percentage. It kills two birds with one stone - tax revenue will be increased by the elimination of loopholes while reducing outlays because the size of the IRS can be reduced by 90%. I realize this will put 100,000 + accountants out of business, so........
Step 6: Repair our crumbling infrastructure. Use the budget surpluses created by the above steps to put the laid off government employees to work on repairing our roads, bridges, public buildings etc. You say you're middle age, and grossly overweight? Tough, you'd better lose 50 lbs. and hit the gym or go back to school and find another profession.
Step 7: Our educational system: Institute programs to teach parenting as an integral part of our educational system starting in junior high. NOT TO BE TAUGHT BY DR. SPOCK LIBERALS. We have the results of that insanity now. No, we need these classes designed and taught by retired grandparents. Grandparents who succeeded in raising children who understand personal responsibility for one's own actions, financial security, etc. Return to 50/60s classroom discipline. You disrupt class and interfere with other students learning, you get whacked by the paddle. No more passing kids just to get them to the next grade. If you are unable to grasp the material, you flunk and try again next year. No more high school graduates who can't read/write/speak/think beyond a 6th grade level. Get rid of the brilliant, but completely devoid of any common sense, PHD's running our colleges and universities. They have been brainwashing our students with flaming liberal crap for years. Those students become teachers, and brainwash the upcoming generation. We are experiencing the results of this today - America on the brink of disaster.
To be continued in following posts. In the meantime, I ask for your comments and suggestions. Keep in mind these are simplified basics I'm throwing out off the top of my head. I realize there are no doubt many ramifications to these suggestions that haven't entered my mind. That there will be many, many difficult steps to implementing these programs. For example, how do you quantify common sense? Is it possible to design a test for it? Where and how do you draw the line between stupidly liberal and stupidly conservative when it comes time to decide who teaches our children? I know many of you are extremely intelligent people. I invite you to show us all where my thinking is short - sighted or misguided. It certainly wouldn't be the first time I've been guilty of defective thinking. Conversely, if you think I'm on the right track, please say so.
Thanks
Dumb Farmer
Step 4: Job creation. As I proposed earlier, impose a retroactive (let's say the last ten years) tax on American corporations for every job they moved offshore. Create a matching tax credit for every American job they bring back/create.
Step 5: The Fair Tax. Toss our current insane tax system completely. Institute a national sales tax. This is a real no-brainer, and the reason it hasn't been done before is because there would be no way for bought politicians to create loopholes for the rich and big business. This kind of tax is totally progressive - the more you make, the more you spend, the more tax you pay. It is also totally fair because everyone pays the same percentage. It kills two birds with one stone - tax revenue will be increased by the elimination of loopholes while reducing outlays because the size of the IRS can be reduced by 90%. I realize this will put 100,000 + accountants out of business, so........
Step 6: Repair our crumbling infrastructure. Use the budget surpluses created by the above steps to put the laid off government employees to work on repairing our roads, bridges, public buildings etc. You say you're middle age, and grossly overweight? Tough, you'd better lose 50 lbs. and hit the gym or go back to school and find another profession.
Step 7: Our educational system: Institute programs to teach parenting as an integral part of our educational system starting in junior high. NOT TO BE TAUGHT BY DR. SPOCK LIBERALS. We have the results of that insanity now. No, we need these classes designed and taught by retired grandparents. Grandparents who succeeded in raising children who understand personal responsibility for one's own actions, financial security, etc. Return to 50/60s classroom discipline. You disrupt class and interfere with other students learning, you get whacked by the paddle. No more passing kids just to get them to the next grade. If you are unable to grasp the material, you flunk and try again next year. No more high school graduates who can't read/write/speak/think beyond a 6th grade level. Get rid of the brilliant, but completely devoid of any common sense, PHD's running our colleges and universities. They have been brainwashing our students with flaming liberal crap for years. Those students become teachers, and brainwash the upcoming generation. We are experiencing the results of this today - America on the brink of disaster.
To be continued in following posts. In the meantime, I ask for your comments and suggestions. Keep in mind these are simplified basics I'm throwing out off the top of my head. I realize there are no doubt many ramifications to these suggestions that haven't entered my mind. That there will be many, many difficult steps to implementing these programs. For example, how do you quantify common sense? Is it possible to design a test for it? Where and how do you draw the line between stupidly liberal and stupidly conservative when it comes time to decide who teaches our children? I know many of you are extremely intelligent people. I invite you to show us all where my thinking is short - sighted or misguided. It certainly wouldn't be the first time I've been guilty of defective thinking. Conversely, if you think I'm on the right track, please say so.
Thanks
Dumb Farmer
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
CONCRETE STEPS TO RETURN PROSPERITY
Step 1, and the most critical because without this none of the rest will get accomplished:
We need a majority of our politicians to be those people who ARE willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of the rest of us. Who do not care about getting reelected and/or getting rich. Because the things needing to be done will be extremely unpopular amongst many, many groups of voters. Extremely unpopular amongst many in big business. Extremely unpopular amongst the big bankers. And, I would venture to guess, some things I propose will not be agreed with by you, my friends and readers.
So, how do we get these good people in office? We all must stay involved in the political process. That means more than just voting on election day. That means staying on top of current issues and writing letters to Senators and Representatives.
Step 2: Let's assume we have accomplished step 1, and actually have people in D.C. who put America first. In order to insure that continues, we need to totally revamp our election process to get the influence of big money out of politics. I hate to say this, but I see no other choice than government campaign funds, equally divided between the candidates with NO private donations allowed. Each candidate will be required to answer a questionnaire detailing his positions on current and upcoming issues.
Step 3: Deficit reduction: This, of course, requires a multi-pronged attack. There is so much waste in every single government agency that it almost defies true understanding. Let's start with the real "entitlement" programs.
A: What used to be called welfare. Administered by one agency. Get rid of all the various giveaway programs, thereby eliminating at least a half dozen huge bureaucracies, a mind boggling savings in itself. Create a one check system run by one agency. It's not our problem if they take that check and smoke it up in crack in a couple of days. Too bad, they'll have to go hungry for the rest of the month. While they are picking up their check, they will also get their monthly birth control. No more money for more kids. If they don't use birth control and get pregnant, it's their problem to figure out how to pay the extra expenses. There will be no extra government money coming.
B: Unemployment. Make every recipient of unemployment perform some kind of work. ie: picking up litter, digging ditches, painting park benches, clerical, whatever, for 15 or 20 hours per week.
C: Every single agency gets audited, especially the Pentagon. No more $600 hammers.
D: Foreign Aid: Other than military, forget it. Done. Zilch. Why in the hell have we been giving hundreds of billions of dollars every year to countries who turn around and shove it up our a**es? We've got enough problems of our own, their problems are theirs, not ours. I'm not talking about disaster relief, that's a different thing.
E: Prisons: Every prisoner who is physically capable will work at some prison industry. The harder the work the better. Send em to the quarry and let em break rocks in the hot sun :-) Make them think real hard about commiting more crimes after they get out.
F: Congress goes into the social security system like the rest of us. No more full pay pensions ($148 to $178 thousand a year!) for a single term in Washington.
G: Get rid of one half the yoyo's at the EPA. Half the budget, half the people. Can those idiots who have nothing better to do than dream up things like banning sales of small dirt bikes and ATV's because a kid could be exposed to tiny amounts of lead if he decided to try and eat his machine.
Of course there is much, much more to this topic, but you get the idea. The next post will address revamping our income tax system, which will also contribute to deficit reduction.
Still ranting,
Dumb Farmer
We need a majority of our politicians to be those people who ARE willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of the rest of us. Who do not care about getting reelected and/or getting rich. Because the things needing to be done will be extremely unpopular amongst many, many groups of voters. Extremely unpopular amongst many in big business. Extremely unpopular amongst the big bankers. And, I would venture to guess, some things I propose will not be agreed with by you, my friends and readers.
So, how do we get these good people in office? We all must stay involved in the political process. That means more than just voting on election day. That means staying on top of current issues and writing letters to Senators and Representatives.
Step 2: Let's assume we have accomplished step 1, and actually have people in D.C. who put America first. In order to insure that continues, we need to totally revamp our election process to get the influence of big money out of politics. I hate to say this, but I see no other choice than government campaign funds, equally divided between the candidates with NO private donations allowed. Each candidate will be required to answer a questionnaire detailing his positions on current and upcoming issues.
Step 3: Deficit reduction: This, of course, requires a multi-pronged attack. There is so much waste in every single government agency that it almost defies true understanding. Let's start with the real "entitlement" programs.
A: What used to be called welfare. Administered by one agency. Get rid of all the various giveaway programs, thereby eliminating at least a half dozen huge bureaucracies, a mind boggling savings in itself. Create a one check system run by one agency. It's not our problem if they take that check and smoke it up in crack in a couple of days. Too bad, they'll have to go hungry for the rest of the month. While they are picking up their check, they will also get their monthly birth control. No more money for more kids. If they don't use birth control and get pregnant, it's their problem to figure out how to pay the extra expenses. There will be no extra government money coming.
B: Unemployment. Make every recipient of unemployment perform some kind of work. ie: picking up litter, digging ditches, painting park benches, clerical, whatever, for 15 or 20 hours per week.
C: Every single agency gets audited, especially the Pentagon. No more $600 hammers.
D: Foreign Aid: Other than military, forget it. Done. Zilch. Why in the hell have we been giving hundreds of billions of dollars every year to countries who turn around and shove it up our a**es? We've got enough problems of our own, their problems are theirs, not ours. I'm not talking about disaster relief, that's a different thing.
E: Prisons: Every prisoner who is physically capable will work at some prison industry. The harder the work the better. Send em to the quarry and let em break rocks in the hot sun :-) Make them think real hard about commiting more crimes after they get out.
F: Congress goes into the social security system like the rest of us. No more full pay pensions ($148 to $178 thousand a year!) for a single term in Washington.
G: Get rid of one half the yoyo's at the EPA. Half the budget, half the people. Can those idiots who have nothing better to do than dream up things like banning sales of small dirt bikes and ATV's because a kid could be exposed to tiny amounts of lead if he decided to try and eat his machine.
Of course there is much, much more to this topic, but you get the idea. The next post will address revamping our income tax system, which will also contribute to deficit reduction.
Still ranting,
Dumb Farmer
WHY SECULAR HUMANISM IS FOLLY
The majority on the left side of the political spectrum are atheists and believe in "the inherent goodness of Man". Let's take a short look at just the recent manifestations of that "goodness".
Joseph Stalin, Alolph Hitler, Idi Amin, VC and NVA slaughtering entire villages, including the children, because they were friendly to the enemy. (us)
Serb "soldiers" serially raping children while forcing the parents to watch, then killing them all.
Muslim terrorists beheading Daniel Pearl and others on camera. Muslim Imams exhorting their people to kill every non Muslim in the world. (While our idiotic politicians claim Islam is a peaceful religion - guess they don't care to read the Koran)
Iran, who is trying desperately to create nuclear weapons so they can kill every man, woman, and child in Israel.
Yes sir, that makes me believe in the goodness of mankind, how about you? The absolute truth about human nature? We are SELFISH creatures. Whether you have realized it before or not, the truth is even the good that people do has a selfish basis to it. Mostly we do good because it makes US feel good. Understand I'm talking generalities here. Of course, and thank God, there are many exceptions to the general rule. People who ARE willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of others. Unfortunately, there's a dire lack of them in politics and business.
Which finally brings us to the beginning of the solutions to fix our country and society.
The very first thing we need to do is stop kicking God out of our homes and government. Why?
Because God gives us rules and guidelines to live by. Stay with me here, because I WILL get specific in the next few posts. If the majority of us still followed one simple rule, we'd all be a lot better off - "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
To be continued, have a GREAT day,
Dumb Farmer
Joseph Stalin, Alolph Hitler, Idi Amin, VC and NVA slaughtering entire villages, including the children, because they were friendly to the enemy. (us)
Serb "soldiers" serially raping children while forcing the parents to watch, then killing them all.
Muslim terrorists beheading Daniel Pearl and others on camera. Muslim Imams exhorting their people to kill every non Muslim in the world. (While our idiotic politicians claim Islam is a peaceful religion - guess they don't care to read the Koran)
Iran, who is trying desperately to create nuclear weapons so they can kill every man, woman, and child in Israel.
Yes sir, that makes me believe in the goodness of mankind, how about you? The absolute truth about human nature? We are SELFISH creatures. Whether you have realized it before or not, the truth is even the good that people do has a selfish basis to it. Mostly we do good because it makes US feel good. Understand I'm talking generalities here. Of course, and thank God, there are many exceptions to the general rule. People who ARE willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of others. Unfortunately, there's a dire lack of them in politics and business.
Which finally brings us to the beginning of the solutions to fix our country and society.
The very first thing we need to do is stop kicking God out of our homes and government. Why?
Because God gives us rules and guidelines to live by. Stay with me here, because I WILL get specific in the next few posts. If the majority of us still followed one simple rule, we'd all be a lot better off - "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
To be continued, have a GREAT day,
Dumb Farmer
THE RICH GET RICHER
In 1968, I bought my first car. A 65 Mustang that had been stolen and recovered. Got it (a steal itself) from the insurance company for $600. My dad cosigned a loan for me, with the stipulation that the first time I missed a payment, the car was his and would be sold. Unlike parents of today, I knew that he meant it and there would be no second chance. My payments were $39 a month. Even though still in high school, I was working 2 jobs. Evenings and Saturdays at a gas station and Sundays at a pet store cleaning kennels, feeding the animals, etc. I made $1.25 an hour at the pet shop and $1.50 at the gas station. Regular gas was 24.9 cents a gallon and high test 28.9. I don't know about the late 60's but average apartment rentals in the mid to late '70s were $150 per month.
In 2011 the average new car is $20 to $30 thousand. New pickup – $30 to $60 thousand. 3 year old used car or truck? $15 to $40 thousand. Gas is over $3.00 per gallon. Average apartment rentals? $700 to $900 a month. A 2 bedroom 2 bath house in Gainesville Fl. today? $12 to $14 hundred per month. Average wages for jobs available in the North Florida area? $8 to $10 per hour, IF YOU CAN EVEN FIND ONE. Of course that's if you're not a professor at UF or a doctor, or a lawyer.
I think you can do the math for yourself. The American middle class has been declining for at least 15 to 20 years. And falling dramatically the last 5 to 10. Meanwhile, the number of millionaires and billionaires has skyrocketed. We are returning to the days of the robber barons. You remember studying about the robber barons in school, right? The super rich industrialists whose factory workers put in 12 hours a day 6 days a week and still couldn't put shoes on their kids feet? The same robber baron families who still control a huge chunk of the American economy? You know, the Rothchild, Rockefeller, Heinz, Armstrong etc. families. Not only do they own the companies, they now own the banks as well.
The question is: why is this happening? The answer, as I've said before, is simply outright greed. The greed of the robber barons spawned the union movement. Over the years, outright greed drove the unions into decline. They kept demanding more and more, even to the point of putting companies, and therefore themselves, out of business. Now the pendulum has swung the other way again. The rich are now super rich and the working man is again struggling to feed his kids.
THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF WHY THE “HUMANISTS” ARE COMPLETELY WRONG.
Which topic (secular humanism) I will discuss in the next post.
Be patient, I'm building background for the solutions.
I remain,
Dumb Farmer
In 2011 the average new car is $20 to $30 thousand. New pickup – $30 to $60 thousand. 3 year old used car or truck? $15 to $40 thousand. Gas is over $3.00 per gallon. Average apartment rentals? $700 to $900 a month. A 2 bedroom 2 bath house in Gainesville Fl. today? $12 to $14 hundred per month. Average wages for jobs available in the North Florida area? $8 to $10 per hour, IF YOU CAN EVEN FIND ONE. Of course that's if you're not a professor at UF or a doctor, or a lawyer.
I think you can do the math for yourself. The American middle class has been declining for at least 15 to 20 years. And falling dramatically the last 5 to 10. Meanwhile, the number of millionaires and billionaires has skyrocketed. We are returning to the days of the robber barons. You remember studying about the robber barons in school, right? The super rich industrialists whose factory workers put in 12 hours a day 6 days a week and still couldn't put shoes on their kids feet? The same robber baron families who still control a huge chunk of the American economy? You know, the Rothchild, Rockefeller, Heinz, Armstrong etc. families. Not only do they own the companies, they now own the banks as well.
The question is: why is this happening? The answer, as I've said before, is simply outright greed. The greed of the robber barons spawned the union movement. Over the years, outright greed drove the unions into decline. They kept demanding more and more, even to the point of putting companies, and therefore themselves, out of business. Now the pendulum has swung the other way again. The rich are now super rich and the working man is again struggling to feed his kids.
THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF WHY THE “HUMANISTS” ARE COMPLETELY WRONG.
Which topic (secular humanism) I will discuss in the next post.
Be patient, I'm building background for the solutions.
I remain,
Dumb Farmer
AN APOLOGY
Hello friends,
Recently I have had several people comment on the fact that I haven't been blogging for the last several months. Please accept my apology for not keeping up with commenting on current events. To be perfectly honest with you, I think I just got overwhelmed and burned out. Too much frustration and anger. Every single day the news has been a confirmation of just how far we have fallen, how far we've gotten from the principles this "used to be great" country was founded upon. The feeling that I've been beating my head against a brick wall for the last 20 plus years, trying to open peoples eyes to what is happening.
Here are a very few examples of depressing news from the last several weeks:
*The reactions to the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona. How the liberals insist on blaming the political right, Sarah Palin, and private ownership of guns for the actions of a very obviously mentally ill individual. Well it's certainly nothing new for them to ignore plain evidence and twist everything to promote their socialist agenda.
*The deficit reduction hearings and bs going on in D.C. Why is it when they talk about cutting "entitlement" programs they talk about social security and medicare? I have yet to hear one word about welfare. Oh, that's right, we don't have welfare anymore. No, we have WIC, food stamps, housing assistance, medical cards, child care reimbursement and on and on ad infinitum. Last time I checked, they were still taking OUR money (those of us who still have jobs, that is) for social security and FICA. Is it a government entitlement to get your own money back?
*The Democrats responses to the Republican threat to NOT increase the US debt limit. What is so damn hard to understand that the country is on the verge of bankruptcy and collapse? That we CANNOT continue spending like drunken sailors?
Well, it's been raining here all day, and I've had nothing much to do but watch the news. Here's where we're at today: President Osama address the Chamber of Commerce. Watched for about 15 minutes till I was so angry I could have put my fist through my TV. I ask again, WHAT world do these people live in? Certainly not the same world most of us do. According to Osama, it's all the fault of technology and a global economy and there is nothing we can do about it except educate our children better. (More on that later.) Thanks, Mr. President, I feel so much better now, knowing it's not my fault. We'll certainly enjoy our dinners of milk toast or mac and cheese (all we can afford now) knowing that it's no fault of our own that we're now dirt poor. Not our fault that we can't afford $3.50 gal gas to commute to a minimum wage job.
Ah yes, todays education news: 11 or 12 year old boy expelled and escorted from school by armed police for shooting spit balls from a 6 inch tube. Oh yes, it's part of our zero tolerance policy on weapons. One more perfect example of the complete lack of COMMON SENSE by teachers and school administrators. Not that the kid shouldn't be punished for disrupting class, but whatever happened to detention? Or much better yet, a swat from a paddle???? Oh, sorry, we wouldn't want to hurt the kids self-esteem, so we'll have him arrested.
Mr. President, in case you missed my earlier posts on our educational system I'll repeat. You cannot fix our educational system until we fix our parenting problems, and that is going to take at least one generation, but more likely two. That's 20 to 40 years sir. You will not fix childhood obesity, juvenile diabetes, or "I'm entitled to have the government take care of me" attitudes until you FIX PARENTING. You will not fix our educational system until you remove the liberal idiots running our teaching colleges. AND, Mr. President, you need to realize that not every child or person in this country is capable of becoming a doctor, lawyer, engineer or scientist. We also need jobs for people of average and below average intellegence. We need manufacturing, blue collar, and laboring jobs that actually pay a living wage. You know, like we used to have before greedy American corporations moved our jobs to low wage countries so they could put millions more in their pockets and we left the southern border wide open to illegal immigrants who are willing to work for nothing and milk our medical and social support systems dry???? When are you going to close the border???? Why, when we have American truckers sitting for days on end waiting for another load, is the Federal Highway Administration allowing Mexican trucking companies free unfettered access to the entire USA???? Can you explain this to a dumb farmer like me Mr. President????
In the next few posts I will once again propose concrete solutions for many of the problems that plague our society and country today. Be warned, there are no easy solutions that won't offend anyone. It's taken 30 years to get in this dilemma, it won't be fixed without pain, or overnight. But if we don't fix it, the average American will be living in poverty in another 15 to 20 years.
Thanks for listening to me rant,
Dumb Farmer
Recently I have had several people comment on the fact that I haven't been blogging for the last several months. Please accept my apology for not keeping up with commenting on current events. To be perfectly honest with you, I think I just got overwhelmed and burned out. Too much frustration and anger. Every single day the news has been a confirmation of just how far we have fallen, how far we've gotten from the principles this "used to be great" country was founded upon. The feeling that I've been beating my head against a brick wall for the last 20 plus years, trying to open peoples eyes to what is happening.
Here are a very few examples of depressing news from the last several weeks:
*The reactions to the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona. How the liberals insist on blaming the political right, Sarah Palin, and private ownership of guns for the actions of a very obviously mentally ill individual. Well it's certainly nothing new for them to ignore plain evidence and twist everything to promote their socialist agenda.
*The deficit reduction hearings and bs going on in D.C. Why is it when they talk about cutting "entitlement" programs they talk about social security and medicare? I have yet to hear one word about welfare. Oh, that's right, we don't have welfare anymore. No, we have WIC, food stamps, housing assistance, medical cards, child care reimbursement and on and on ad infinitum. Last time I checked, they were still taking OUR money (those of us who still have jobs, that is) for social security and FICA. Is it a government entitlement to get your own money back?
*The Democrats responses to the Republican threat to NOT increase the US debt limit. What is so damn hard to understand that the country is on the verge of bankruptcy and collapse? That we CANNOT continue spending like drunken sailors?
Well, it's been raining here all day, and I've had nothing much to do but watch the news. Here's where we're at today: President Osama address the Chamber of Commerce. Watched for about 15 minutes till I was so angry I could have put my fist through my TV. I ask again, WHAT world do these people live in? Certainly not the same world most of us do. According to Osama, it's all the fault of technology and a global economy and there is nothing we can do about it except educate our children better. (More on that later.) Thanks, Mr. President, I feel so much better now, knowing it's not my fault. We'll certainly enjoy our dinners of milk toast or mac and cheese (all we can afford now) knowing that it's no fault of our own that we're now dirt poor. Not our fault that we can't afford $3.50 gal gas to commute to a minimum wage job.
Ah yes, todays education news: 11 or 12 year old boy expelled and escorted from school by armed police for shooting spit balls from a 6 inch tube. Oh yes, it's part of our zero tolerance policy on weapons. One more perfect example of the complete lack of COMMON SENSE by teachers and school administrators. Not that the kid shouldn't be punished for disrupting class, but whatever happened to detention? Or much better yet, a swat from a paddle???? Oh, sorry, we wouldn't want to hurt the kids self-esteem, so we'll have him arrested.
Mr. President, in case you missed my earlier posts on our educational system I'll repeat. You cannot fix our educational system until we fix our parenting problems, and that is going to take at least one generation, but more likely two. That's 20 to 40 years sir. You will not fix childhood obesity, juvenile diabetes, or "I'm entitled to have the government take care of me" attitudes until you FIX PARENTING. You will not fix our educational system until you remove the liberal idiots running our teaching colleges. AND, Mr. President, you need to realize that not every child or person in this country is capable of becoming a doctor, lawyer, engineer or scientist. We also need jobs for people of average and below average intellegence. We need manufacturing, blue collar, and laboring jobs that actually pay a living wage. You know, like we used to have before greedy American corporations moved our jobs to low wage countries so they could put millions more in their pockets and we left the southern border wide open to illegal immigrants who are willing to work for nothing and milk our medical and social support systems dry???? When are you going to close the border???? Why, when we have American truckers sitting for days on end waiting for another load, is the Federal Highway Administration allowing Mexican trucking companies free unfettered access to the entire USA???? Can you explain this to a dumb farmer like me Mr. President????
In the next few posts I will once again propose concrete solutions for many of the problems that plague our society and country today. Be warned, there are no easy solutions that won't offend anyone. It's taken 30 years to get in this dilemma, it won't be fixed without pain, or overnight. But if we don't fix it, the average American will be living in poverty in another 15 to 20 years.
Thanks for listening to me rant,
Dumb Farmer
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