| SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 -- It’s that time of the year when pumpkin spice is in the air and local fairs draw in crowds of people seeking to return to normal after the last three years since the Pandemic. Yet dark clouds are ahead for us all, the economy is doing well, wacky weather surrounds and affects us all, gas and food prices are getting back to normal, supply chain has leveled off. So, let’s get back to normal and return the 15 crackers you took out of my cracker box and fill potato chips bags back to 2/3 of the bag.
President Theodore Roosevelt was a President for the people. He felt that the Federal government was to work for the common man and not rigged for business, or the wealthy people. So, he broke up the big monopolies, strived to save the unions protecting the common man. He felted that respected and happy workers made for a better United States. Just like the history of the Grange who fought the railroads for better fares for Farmer to ship goods and building Co-ops for better buying power and fair pricing for farm products.
Today the report that Tyson Foods is closing five poultry plants in the U.S. and Smithfield is closing a hog plant in Missouri to save money to increase profits. Profits for who? Now is the time for fair food, chicken tenders, wings, nuggets, turkey legs, pulled pork. Shortages will reduce supply yet demand will be high, so you pay more for your fair food, but does the Farmer get money from this shortage, NO, they don’t. Does the food service get money from this shortage, NO. They have to charge more. Tyson and Smithfield Corp get the money and be sure they will be holding the hands out for government relief to help get the supply shortage to end, oh yes the one they caused. We have seen this time and time again Dean Foods bought up many dairy milk plants and closed them causing milk prices to rise in the stores. Yet Dean Foods collapses and sold off the local co-ops,
many of which never reopened. And milk prices paid to farmers have not provided them with a living wage. Many work other jobs off the farms or are forced to sell off their herds. There are only five companies that own all the slaughter houses for beef in the U.S. and they have wrangled the beef supply, yet local producers have lost money, feedlots have lost money yet these slaughter house and supermarket giants reap in the money that should be shared with the farmers to continue a safe and plentiful product.
The 2023 Farm bill looks like it will not be passed on time. Many of the arguments are with the SNAP program (food stamps) and milk prices, and ethanol production. Since the Depression the government has subsidized farmers for their labors to provide affordable food for the Nation. Trade deals have been created for U.S. exports to help our farmers, yet trade has also been used a political tool against countries that abuse their power, the 1980 Grain Embargo against The Soviet Union, for its invasion of Afghanistan, was devastating for the farmers and many went broke because of this. The Trans Pacific Trade Act which was pulled out by Former President Trump brought loss of access to dairy farmers because China has a sweet tooth for Yogurt and Cheese. This cancellation was a big blow to dairy farmers and many have gone out of business and milk prices are well below the operating cost to produce milk, especially in the Northeast. Yet farmers were relieved with taxpayer’s dollars, while Trump proclaimed that China would pay for it with tariffs. We need common sense to reform the Farm Bill that will give a fair deals for our farmers and fair prices to the consumer, as was the case when Grangers of the Past fought for it, it’s in our blood.
This year is the year of the Union. UPS avoided a shutdown and are giving workers a fair piece of the apple. Hollywood actors and writers are on strike and the night shows have taken a hard hit, especially with all the court cases coming out against Former President Donald Trump. The four indictments against him will be going to trial. The charges against him are serious and a jury must determine his guilt. With this said the trials must be televised for the public to see.
Like the Watergate Hearings, and the Clinton impeachment, we the people must be able to witness these crimes, from January 6th, stealing government security documents, trying to overturn the 2020 elections and interfering with the Georgia Elections. We must be able to witness these hearing to finally answer the big lie.
The term FAKE NEWS has been proposed since the 2016 election. Whether Russian emails, extreme left tweets, extreme right tweets, AI designed info memes, false flag memes. It is up to you to do the research, don’t rely on others, they may be wrong. The FCC needs to clean up these news networks, Propaganda is not news and some stations should lose their news network standing. Fake news should be called out and off the air. In the end when the dust has settled your grandchildren will be asking you “What did you do during the 2020’s, did you fight to protect your girls rights, protect democracy, give every one the right to vote, give everyone the right to be themselves?
Reflect upon this and answer “What did I do?”, zone in or zone out.
Enjoy the fairs this fall, I saw a black wooly bear heading south, maybe we are going to have a cold winter, or maybe his GPS was outdated. Get your Resolutions in for State Session.
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