Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Americans Have Good Cause To Be Angry And Frustrated -- PART TWO


As I asked at the end of Americans Have Good Cause To Be Angry And Frustrated -- PART ONE, what is the bigger picture that we're being diverted from seeing? What should be our real focus? What do I think is of vital importance to our nation?

The Mainstream Media steers and diverts our attention to stop us from taking an in-depth look at Election Fraud and the fixing that is taking place through something called "Ballot Harvesting", the criminal activities of the Biden family, and the Democrat threat to our National Security -- such as California Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell's not being held to account for his association with his Chinese mistress who turned out to be a Chinese Communist spy. We need to know what sort of information he passed to her. And we need to get to the root of why the FBI has allowed that case to simply fade away?
 
We need to investigate the reasons that the Biden Administration has attempted to kill American oil production here at home while sponsoring oil drilling in foreign countries. We need to be concerned about how the crazy Leftists in Washington D.C. are attacking America's oil and gas industry, especially since it affects the manufacturing of the over 6,000 petroleum-based products that we use on a daily basis and our ability to transport needed food and supplies to their destinations.

But above all else, above and beyond our need for oil is our need for food. And along with this, the horrible plight of American ranchers, farmers, and dairymen should be our primary concern at this time. We should condemn the Mainstream Media and the Biden administration for doing everything in their power to divert our attention from the danger that American agriculture faces today.

The ongoing threats from the government, environmentalist groups, and wealthy individuals who want to dictate how and what we eat are as real as real can get. Some, like Bill Gates, want to eliminate beef and dairy products. The not-so-stealthy threats that the government, environmentalist groups, and the wealthy have shown to be on our food supply should be the number one concern of every American. We need to fight them to save American agriculture. That's what we need to focus on above all else.

My friends, traditionally, our "basic needs" means food, water, shelter, and clothing. When I say real concerns, I'm talking about the price of eggs, milk, bread, beef, turkey, pork, and chicken. The food that we all eat. If you can't afford to buy food, you go hungry.

So when I say focus, I'm talking about how we should be actively trying to find solutions to help those who keep America fed -- and fight the not-so-stealthy threats that the government, environmentalist groups, and the wealthy have shown to be on our food supply.

We need to fight them to save American agriculture. The reason is simple, American agriculture is in deep trouble. Because statistics tell us that they are failing and their numbers are at an all-time low, Americans should be working overtime to find solutions to remedy this dire situation. Not just a band-aid temporary fix, but a true remedy that addresses this ongoing problem. The issue is how to stop our ranchers, farmers, and dairymen from going under.

Frankly, I really believe that it's sad that American ranchers, farmers, and dairymen don't get the attention they deserve, the attention that they need to survive, yet they make sure we survive. And frankly, if it's simply a case of not caring about them because we're talking about Rural Americans, then shame on people for not caring about the most important people in our nation -- those who feed us!

If you think American agriculture producers are doing fine against the onslaught of attacks, think again. Our farm debt for 2023 is at $463 Billion, which is an all-time high. And for those of you who think farmers and ranchers are "too big to fail," think about the fact that the United States has lost over 100,000 farms, including small family farms, in the last seven years alone.

Of course, ranchers, farmers, and dairymen are not getting rich even though the cost of food, especially recently, has gone through the roof. Please remember that Inflation accounts for a lot of the price increases. Feed prices for cattle are sky-high, irrigation costs have risen, maintenance costs are higher than ever before, equipment is more expensive, and the cost of fertilizers and pesticides have tripled in the last two years.

While I have not even scratched the surface of what it cost agricultural producers to grow crops, raise beef, or produce dairy products, we should remember that we face an era of higher costs when it comes to medical, home, business, and equipment insurance, property taxes have gone up substantially, and there have been huge increases in wage output. While there is so much more to factor into why food costs so much -- while ranchers and farmers are going broke -- we should also look at how the rising cost of fuel has impacted the price of everything as never before.

Let's remember that rising fuel prices alone, all due to "Climate Change" policies created by out-of-touch wealthy politicians in Washington D.C., have actually made ranching and farming unaffordable. And no, I haven't even mentioned how much it costs ranchers, farmers, and dairymen to meet government regulations set forth by -- in most cases -- redundant government agencies. My friends, while operational costs soar, combine that burden with the cost it takes to "comply" with government regulations. Government is not a friend of American agriculture.

Do you think that I'm exaggerating? Take a look sometime at the agricultural regulations put out by the USDA, FDA, EPA, OSHA, and other Federal government agencies. Their requirements have to be met for ranchers and farmers to stay in business. And those are just federal government agencies. Don't forget that each State has its list of regulatory government agencies that also demand adherence.

Now ask yourself, am I exaggerating the financial impact on farms, dairies, and ranches because of the desire of government agencies to over-regulate farms, dairies, and ranches in the United States?

Here's an example of such a thing that took place back in 2009, it was one of the examples of government over-reach and over-regulation that pushed me into writing my blog. And by the way, I can start this with "Once upon a time," but this horror story is not a fairy tale by a long shot!

In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discussed regulating greenhouse gases in its "Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" under the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act. Their decision was to require farmers, dairies, and ranchers to purchase expensive "Cow Tax" permits.

Although the EPA did not move forward with requiring the permits, U.S. Senators John Thune (R-SD) and, believe it or not, Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) introduced a bill (S.527) that prevented the federal government from imposing a "Cow Tax" on farmers across the country. Though it would have raised Billions of dollars across the nation by way of a "Cow Tax," thankfully it was shot down before it could be put into practice.

U.S. Senators John Thune (R-SD) later wrote the following: "The Clean Air Act was written to curb pollution from smokestack industries, not to regulate livestock production in South Dakota or elsewhere. Livestock producers do not need another burdensome regulation to worry about, and this legislation would ensure that the `cow tax' never becomes a reality. Cattle and dairy production are vital to the economy of South Dakota and to our nation, and in these difficult economic times, it would be disastrous to enact policies that would increase food prices for all Americans. This bipartisan effort reflects our commitment to ensure overbearing proposed rules are never put in place."

On this, Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) wrote, "Times are hard for families across New York State, and they are particularly hard for our farmers. The idea of imposing a 'cow tax' on our farmers and adding one more crushing burden is absurd. This bill will put an end to this insane 'cow tax' once and for all."

When this was proposed by the EPA in 2008, the USDA indicated that if the EPA chose to move forward with regulating farm animals and requiring permits for emitters of methane, farms with more than 25 dairy cows or 50 beef cattle would have been required to purchase permits for each ton of methane their animals emitted.

And there's this, foreign importation of dairy and beef products carries its own risks for American consumers. Foreign ranches and farms are producing livestock, produce, and dairy products that are not held to the same standards as that of American ranchers, farmers, and dairymen. In many cases, that low-grade beef, and tainted agricultural and food products make their way into the stores of American consumers.

And more so, besides facing a competitive disadvantage with the low-quality produce, beef, and dairy products coming in from foreign countries that produce their products using cheap slave labor and almost zero government regulations, a "Cow Tax" as with other additional government fees would have crippled American agriculture's ability to compete with such cheap products.

So really, if enacted, the cost to buy "Cow Tax" permits would have been devastating to ranchers, farmers, and dairies, and would have put family farms at risk of going out of business completely.

How do I know that it would have been devastating? Well, at the time in 2009, the American Farm Bureau Federation stated that the "Cow Tax" cost $45 a ton of methane. That was calculated as being $175 per dairy cow, $87.50 per beef cow, and $20 per hog. The "Cow Tax" regulation would have cost a medium-sized dairy farm with 75 to 125 cows between $13,000 and $22,000 a year. It would have cost a medium size cattle ranch with 200 to 300 head of cattle between $17,000 and $27,000.

And imagine this for a moment, those were the additional cost figures projected to impact farmers, ranchers, and dairymen in 2009. Just imagine what it would be today in 2023 if the government had its way. And today, skyrocketing costs both as a part of operating costs, cost to meet regulatory standards, cost as part of their tax burden, raising costs of insurance and all of the other raising costs that go into operating ranches, farms, and dairies are killing American agriculture.

Americans should be angry and frustrated. Frankly, there are a lot of things going on today to be angry about. The Mainstream Media and the Left want us to focus on the Climate Change hoax and other ridiculous crap, all just to divert our attention away from the federal government's overreach, the federal government attempting to "micro-manage" our lives, the criminal activities going on within our Capitol in Washington itself, the invasion of America taking place on our Southern border, the sleaziness of Biden's handling of Classified and Top Secret documents, the outright corruption and politicization of the FBI, the all-out assault on American oil production, and the neglect and unconcern over the dangers facing American agriculture.

With no help or relief coming from incompetent Democrats over the last few years, especially an inept Biden Administration, Americans are seeing the number of American rancher and farmer bankruptcies up as high as 50% in places across our nation. And with 44% of small farms of between 200 and 999 acres being lost, I believe that it's time for Americans to focus on how we can help American ranchers, farmers, and dairymen before it's too late.

Tom Correa

1 comment:

  1. I know how you feel, Tom. I've been there a time or two. And I've got news for ya. It's gonna get worse before it gets better. But I believe that if we come together, we can change all that. It's never too late to take a stand. And right now would be the perfect time to do it. Who's with me?

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