Thursday, October 3, 2019
Please Quit Helping...
Our Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Purdue, addressed the World
Dairy Expo in Madison Wisconsin, (my hometown, right now that is)
last week, and he could have brought better news. He told a gathering
of dairy farmers that, and I quote: "In America, the big get bigger, and
small go out. I don't think in America we, for any small business,
we have a guaranteed income or a guaranteed profitability". Thank
you, Mr. Purdue! Farming is not just any business, we all eat Mr.
Purdue, and just looking at you, you do your share of eating.
Wisconsin has, for many years, been known as the 'Dairy State', and
with good reason. The independent dairy farmer has been the
backbone of the state's economy for over a hundred years. But
things are changing rapidly, Wisconsin has lost 551 small dairy
farms so far this year, as of August 31, 2019. Last year, 2018, we
lost 638 and in 2017 465 dairy farmers gave up milking. That is
a 37% increase in loss of dairy farms in 2018 over 2017, and lordy
knows how many there will finally be this year. And much of it is
due to the tariff wars between the United States and China, the
exports of dairy solids to China fell by 43% this year due to those
tariffs.
The sad news is that Wisconsin leads the nation in farm bankruptcies
even though it is eleventh in number of farms. And sadder yet, is
that suicide among farmers is five times higher than the rest of the
population, figures that have not been seen since the depression.
Much of this is due to the projected rate of return on their farm assets.
the Farm Bureau calculated the rate of return will be 1.3% in 2019,
that is below the ten-year average of 2%. Last year farm subsidies
accounted for 73% of production returns. Farmer's think that these
subsidies are hurting more than helping, as family farms are being
bought up by huge corporations.
The Farm Bill lacks the language to keep these large corporations
from taking advantage of the subsidies that were designed to help
the struggling family farms. Dairy lobbyists in Washington DC,
spent $7.5 million in 2018 to insure their piece of the pie. The top
spender, was Land O'Lakes, a multibillion-dollar Minnesota
agricultural co-op. They spent $1.3 million alone.
Across the nation, the projected net farm income, in 2019 will
be the third lowest in the past decade, though higher than 2018
which the second lowest in the past decade. Farming is, and
always has been, a risky business. In 2018, there was $15+ billion
in agriculture and dairy subsidies, Wisconsin's share of that
was more than $352 million, and of that, $4+ million went to
out-of-state addresses, and $580,000 went to addresses within
fifty miles of Chicago
However, 58% of Wisconsin farmers did not collect any subsidy
payments. Wisconsin is 16th on the list of subsidies received,
and receives approximately $9 billion or 2.3% of the government
pie, far below its neighbors; Iowa - 8.3%, Illinois - 6.9%,
Minnesota - 5.8% and Indiana - 3.5%.
Trade wars and the stalling in Congress of NAFTA 2.0, have caused
farm markets to plummet, as there is a backlog of normally exported
crops and dairy products. And all the signs lead toward consolidation
of agriculture and dairy businesses into factory farms, squeezing out
the family-owned farmers who have acted as stewards of the land
for generations. These factory farms produce waist on a grand
scale and present a real danger to the environment. The term
'factory farm' is a misnomer, these are not farms as much as they
are large scale productions, and those that operate them are not
farmers, they are producers with a greater eye to the bottom line
than the health and welfare of the animals and the land.
And this is the future that the Trump administration is promising
you. Thanks, but no thanks, Mr. Purdue, you can stop helping
any time now.
I'm just sayin'.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Those Who Forget History Are Bound to Repeat It
The legal description of conspiracy is: An agreement
between two or more persons to commit a crime at
sometime in the future. It is not required that any
steps have to be taken to put the plan into effect.
note: repentance by one or more persons involved
does not affect liability, but may reduce sentence time.
I bring up the matter of conspiracy because it is what
brought the Nixon White House down in 1974, not that
long ago. What began as an innocuous break-in by five
men at the Democratic National Committee headquarters,
in the Watergate Hotel, on June 17, 1972, to bug the offices
and garner information on the Democratic presidential
campaign. After the five perpetrators were caught with
money in their possession from the Republican Presidential
slush fund, the depth of the conspiracy began to unravel.
Ultimately, sixty-nine persons were indicted, and forty-eight
were convicted.
Among the high-profile figures in the Nixon White House
were:
E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, both members of
the intelligence community, and referred to as the 'plumbers'.
Hunt was convicted of burglary, conspiracy, and wiretapping.
Liddy was convicted of burglary, conspiracy and refusing to
testify before the Senate. Both spent time in federal prison
John Mitchell, United States Attorney General, was convicted
of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury. He spent time
federal prison.
H. R. Haldeman, White House Chief of Staff, convicted of
conspiracy and obstruction of justice, he spent time in prison.
John Ehrlichman, Assistant Domestic Affairs Officer, convicted
of obstruction of justice and perjury, he spent time in prison.
Charles Colson, White House Counsel, convicted of obstruction
of justice, he spent time in prison.
And who can forget baby-faced, John Dean, the White House Counsel,
on the witness stand, his wife, with her little pearl earrings, sitting
in court, so stoic. They both looked so young. Dean, who was the
'master manipulator' of Watergate, pled guilty to obstruction of
justice, and agreed to testify. As a result, he received a lighter
sentence, and he was disbarred.
While all these men had their sentences reduced, they all spent time
in federal prison for felonies.
Articles of impeachment were being drawn up against President
Nixon on one count of Abuse of Power, however, he resigned
before they could go to the Senate for trial.
As Yogi Berra once said, "It's deja vue all over again." It now appears
the necessary requirements for a conspiracy have been met, even if
there are only four participants: Donald Trump, William Barr, Mike
Pompeo, and Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani began the process by convincing
the president that the Ukraine, not Russia, was responsible for the
interference in the 2016 election, and that somehow, they had information
on the whereabouts of the Clinton e-mail server. The President then
made an unscripted call to the Ukrainian President-elect, and it is
purported that the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, was listening in
on the call, a fact that he first denied to the press, and later confirmed.
During the call, President Trump asked the President-elect of the Ukraine
to 'do him a favor'. The favor entailed getting dirt on Trump's 2020 election
rival, Joe Biden. That, in itself, would be a problem. But the President's
staff, realizing that the phone call might pose a problem, decided to put
the transcript of the call in a hyper-secure data base, hence the cover up
begins.
It is unrealistic to believe that there are only those four participants
involved, as we've seen, the President's staff participated in the
cover-up. At this juncture, Attorney General, William Barr, is in
the EU soliciting help to try and dispute the Mueller Report. He
is introducing United States Attorney, John Durham, who will
be leading the investigation of the investigation, hoping to discredit
the intelligence services; the FBI and the CIA. So far Barr, has been
to the UK, Italy and Australia. It is widely felt, by the Democrats in
the House, that Trump is again using the powers of the Presidency
for personal retribution of his adversaries. Is that abuse of power yet?
The House has requested that former Ambassador to the Ukraine, Marie
Yovanovitch, who was brought home early, as Trump tweeted that she
a 'joker', Kurt Volker, Deputy Assistant Secretary, George Kent, EU
Ambassador, Gordon Sondland, and State Department Counsel, Ulrich
Brechbuhl, testify before them in the next two weeks. So far, only
Kurt Volker, who resigned his position in the State Department, has
agreed. The House has also subpoenaed documents from Barr's
office. Barr has said that those State Department people do not have
to appear, citing harassment. If so, they will be subpoenaed, forcing
them to testify under law. Is that obstruction of justice yet?
As it appears this impeachment inquiry bears a strong resemblance
to the Nixon inquiry. Nixon believed his popularity would help him
ride out any notion of impropriety, that and the destruction of the
tapes that implicated him in the conspiracy. He was wrong, in the
end, the Republicans saw the gravity of the actions of the President
and put the country ahead of their party loyalty. Nixon also put
the country first, and rather subject the country to an impeachment
trial that he most likely would lose, Nixon resigned. Donald Trump
will never resign, he is a man obsessed, first with the fact that he
did not win the popular vote, he was confirmed by the electoral
college, not by a vote of the people. Second, his popularity has
never reached the fifty-percent mark, and third, he is running behind
all three of the top candidates in the polling for the Democratic
nomination.
Trump's ego will not let that stand, he is Captain Ahab and his
'White Whale' is the 2016 election, and he will replay it until
he is satisfied that he actually won it, on his own, with the
most votes. And like the white whale, it will be his downfall.
But his minions had best remember 1974; Nixon walked away
to that waiting helicopter, waved to the cameras, and flew off
to his home in California, while his staff walked thru the gates
of the federal prison. I hope they think it's worth it.
I'm just sayin'.
between two or more persons to commit a crime at
sometime in the future. It is not required that any
steps have to be taken to put the plan into effect.
note: repentance by one or more persons involved
does not affect liability, but may reduce sentence time.
I bring up the matter of conspiracy because it is what
brought the Nixon White House down in 1974, not that
long ago. What began as an innocuous break-in by five
men at the Democratic National Committee headquarters,
in the Watergate Hotel, on June 17, 1972, to bug the offices
and garner information on the Democratic presidential
campaign. After the five perpetrators were caught with
money in their possession from the Republican Presidential
slush fund, the depth of the conspiracy began to unravel.
Ultimately, sixty-nine persons were indicted, and forty-eight
were convicted.
Among the high-profile figures in the Nixon White House
were:
E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, both members of
the intelligence community, and referred to as the 'plumbers'.
Hunt was convicted of burglary, conspiracy, and wiretapping.
Liddy was convicted of burglary, conspiracy and refusing to
testify before the Senate. Both spent time in federal prison
John Mitchell, United States Attorney General, was convicted
of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury. He spent time
federal prison.
H. R. Haldeman, White House Chief of Staff, convicted of
conspiracy and obstruction of justice, he spent time in prison.
John Ehrlichman, Assistant Domestic Affairs Officer, convicted
of obstruction of justice and perjury, he spent time in prison.
Charles Colson, White House Counsel, convicted of obstruction
of justice, he spent time in prison.
And who can forget baby-faced, John Dean, the White House Counsel,
on the witness stand, his wife, with her little pearl earrings, sitting
in court, so stoic. They both looked so young. Dean, who was the
'master manipulator' of Watergate, pled guilty to obstruction of
justice, and agreed to testify. As a result, he received a lighter
sentence, and he was disbarred.
While all these men had their sentences reduced, they all spent time
in federal prison for felonies.
Articles of impeachment were being drawn up against President
Nixon on one count of Abuse of Power, however, he resigned
before they could go to the Senate for trial.
As Yogi Berra once said, "It's deja vue all over again." It now appears
the necessary requirements for a conspiracy have been met, even if
there are only four participants: Donald Trump, William Barr, Mike
Pompeo, and Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani began the process by convincing
the president that the Ukraine, not Russia, was responsible for the
interference in the 2016 election, and that somehow, they had information
on the whereabouts of the Clinton e-mail server. The President then
made an unscripted call to the Ukrainian President-elect, and it is
purported that the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, was listening in
on the call, a fact that he first denied to the press, and later confirmed.
During the call, President Trump asked the President-elect of the Ukraine
to 'do him a favor'. The favor entailed getting dirt on Trump's 2020 election
rival, Joe Biden. That, in itself, would be a problem. But the President's
staff, realizing that the phone call might pose a problem, decided to put
the transcript of the call in a hyper-secure data base, hence the cover up
begins.
It is unrealistic to believe that there are only those four participants
involved, as we've seen, the President's staff participated in the
cover-up. At this juncture, Attorney General, William Barr, is in
the EU soliciting help to try and dispute the Mueller Report. He
is introducing United States Attorney, John Durham, who will
be leading the investigation of the investigation, hoping to discredit
the intelligence services; the FBI and the CIA. So far Barr, has been
to the UK, Italy and Australia. It is widely felt, by the Democrats in
the House, that Trump is again using the powers of the Presidency
for personal retribution of his adversaries. Is that abuse of power yet?
The House has requested that former Ambassador to the Ukraine, Marie
Yovanovitch, who was brought home early, as Trump tweeted that she
a 'joker', Kurt Volker, Deputy Assistant Secretary, George Kent, EU
Ambassador, Gordon Sondland, and State Department Counsel, Ulrich
Brechbuhl, testify before them in the next two weeks. So far, only
Kurt Volker, who resigned his position in the State Department, has
agreed. The House has also subpoenaed documents from Barr's
office. Barr has said that those State Department people do not have
to appear, citing harassment. If so, they will be subpoenaed, forcing
them to testify under law. Is that obstruction of justice yet?
As it appears this impeachment inquiry bears a strong resemblance
to the Nixon inquiry. Nixon believed his popularity would help him
ride out any notion of impropriety, that and the destruction of the
tapes that implicated him in the conspiracy. He was wrong, in the
end, the Republicans saw the gravity of the actions of the President
and put the country ahead of their party loyalty. Nixon also put
the country first, and rather subject the country to an impeachment
trial that he most likely would lose, Nixon resigned. Donald Trump
will never resign, he is a man obsessed, first with the fact that he
did not win the popular vote, he was confirmed by the electoral
college, not by a vote of the people. Second, his popularity has
never reached the fifty-percent mark, and third, he is running behind
all three of the top candidates in the polling for the Democratic
nomination.
Trump's ego will not let that stand, he is Captain Ahab and his
'White Whale' is the 2016 election, and he will replay it until
he is satisfied that he actually won it, on his own, with the
most votes. And like the white whale, it will be his downfall.
But his minions had best remember 1974; Nixon walked away
to that waiting helicopter, waved to the cameras, and flew off
to his home in California, while his staff walked thru the gates
of the federal prison. I hope they think it's worth it.
I'm just sayin'.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
When is it enough?
When is it enough?
When can I say I did my best?
When I pass the torch to the next generation?
And will they accept it?
I'm tired of fighting. I took to the streets in the
60's, and the 70's , I marched for equal rights,
women's rights, I marched for a end of an unjust
war, and I took to the streets again after Trump's
inauguration, along with my female colleagues.
I've been out in the cold, and the blazing heat,
I've been spit on, and called names, and now I'm
tired. But everyday there is something coming
from this administration that boggles my mind,
it is so outrageous as to be indefensible. Where
is the outcry, where are the people who should
be incensed by the lies, over 12,000 of them and
counting? Why is everyone sitting there? I can't
be the only one left who feels we are losing our
beloved country.
Or is everyone numbed by the constant onslaught?
They say the country is not in the mood for an
impeachment trial, why? Did they not read what
I read, not see what I saw, not hear what I heard?
Am I Cassandra crying at the city gates? Yes, I
know to overturn the vote of the people is very
serious, and should not be taken lightly. God knows
it's been tried twice before, but this time it is not
driven by petty jealousy, by partisan bickering, it
has been well documented by a non-partisan
committee. It has been parsed in print and the
testimony televised for all to see.
I give up, I cannot keep working for change that
will not happen. I don't know how to reach those
people who refused to get involved. Those who
think that this economy is good for their 401K.
Tell me what good will your retirement be when
the policies of this administration no longer
represents the beliefs of the country that you
love. Will you take your money and go somewhere
else? And where will that be? America represents
all that is good and just in the world, and when we
no longer do that, what then?
One look around the world today and you can see
people risking everything; their freedom, even their
lives to protest the authoritarian rule of their
government. This weekend there were fifty thousand
people in Moscow, and also in St. Petersburg, Russia
and even more in Hong Kong. What do they see that
we here, in America, do not see? They believe that
people can and will bring about real change, look at
Puerto Rico.
Ah, but I cannot give up, not as long as I draw breath.
This Saturday I was at the Farmer's market on the Square
in Madison, Wisconsin handing out brochures, bumper
stickers, campaign buttons and answering questions for
my favorite candidate for president in 2020. I will be
there again next week and the week after that and every
week until the market closes down for the season. Then
I will be somewhere else where the crowds gather, and then
I will be ringing doorbells and phoning my neighbors. It
matters not who I favor, only that they will serve my country
with honor and civility, and make me proud to be an American
again. Won't you please join me?
I'm just sayin'.
When can I say I did my best?
When I pass the torch to the next generation?
And will they accept it?
I'm tired of fighting. I took to the streets in the
60's, and the 70's , I marched for equal rights,
women's rights, I marched for a end of an unjust
war, and I took to the streets again after Trump's
inauguration, along with my female colleagues.
I've been out in the cold, and the blazing heat,
I've been spit on, and called names, and now I'm
tired. But everyday there is something coming
from this administration that boggles my mind,
it is so outrageous as to be indefensible. Where
is the outcry, where are the people who should
be incensed by the lies, over 12,000 of them and
counting? Why is everyone sitting there? I can't
be the only one left who feels we are losing our
beloved country.
Or is everyone numbed by the constant onslaught?
They say the country is not in the mood for an
impeachment trial, why? Did they not read what
I read, not see what I saw, not hear what I heard?
Am I Cassandra crying at the city gates? Yes, I
know to overturn the vote of the people is very
serious, and should not be taken lightly. God knows
it's been tried twice before, but this time it is not
driven by petty jealousy, by partisan bickering, it
has been well documented by a non-partisan
committee. It has been parsed in print and the
testimony televised for all to see.
I give up, I cannot keep working for change that
will not happen. I don't know how to reach those
people who refused to get involved. Those who
think that this economy is good for their 401K.
Tell me what good will your retirement be when
the policies of this administration no longer
represents the beliefs of the country that you
love. Will you take your money and go somewhere
else? And where will that be? America represents
all that is good and just in the world, and when we
no longer do that, what then?
One look around the world today and you can see
people risking everything; their freedom, even their
lives to protest the authoritarian rule of their
government. This weekend there were fifty thousand
people in Moscow, and also in St. Petersburg, Russia
and even more in Hong Kong. What do they see that
we here, in America, do not see? They believe that
people can and will bring about real change, look at
Puerto Rico.
Ah, but I cannot give up, not as long as I draw breath.
This Saturday I was at the Farmer's market on the Square
in Madison, Wisconsin handing out brochures, bumper
stickers, campaign buttons and answering questions for
my favorite candidate for president in 2020. I will be
there again next week and the week after that and every
week until the market closes down for the season. Then
I will be somewhere else where the crowds gather, and then
I will be ringing doorbells and phoning my neighbors. It
matters not who I favor, only that they will serve my country
with honor and civility, and make me proud to be an American
again. Won't you please join me?
I'm just sayin'.
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