Crop Diversity

I thought I'd pass on this very interesting article.  Remember the small family farm of yesteryear raised all the crops necessary to feed a family and then some.  Today our farms have been subsidized into a mono-crop corporate giant.  What are you doing to support crop diversity?


http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679067/as-farming-gets-more-efficient-we-need-it-to-do-the-opposite

Of Texas and Texans

Recent travels have brought me into frequent contact with Texas and Texans. I've always loved the mystique surrounding the Lone Star State. As a boy I watched Westerns religiously and still do today. I've read the history of the Westward expansion and studied the history of raising cattle in America. Texas, of course, plays a significant role in all of those topics. But it is only recently that I have had so much exposure to the real Texas.

I've got to say...I'm impressed.

I like living in Michigan. Don't mis-understand. I like the weather (most of the time) and I love the lush woodlands, the marshes, and the Great Lakes. What strikes me about Texas, though, is the attitude. 

I was recently talking to some business associates. I made the suggestion that perhaps we utilize some government resources available to us. The room got quiet and the group squirmed in their seats. Finally someone tactfully spoke up and said "Well, I know what the owner of our company will say. He'll say 'I'll close this shop permanently before I'll let the government run my business.'"

I laughed heartily at that.

I think that very statement encapsulates what endears me to the people of Texas. How much better off we would be if the people of the United States thought (to use JFK's popular phrase) not of what their country could do for them, but of what they could do for their country. And how satisfying to think of a government that empowered its people to lead and not pay politicians to live a life of extravagance. Unfortunately our country is in a state of decline. I believe much of that decline is a direct result of a lack of accountability. It has become our expectation that someone else is responsible for taking care of us. Yet deep in the heart of Texas I find much of the opposite viewpoint.

Take their gun laws for instance.  The laws are much less restrictive than what we have in Michigan. In an informal poll I've been taking I have found that at least 75% of those I spoke to carry a fire arm. 75%!  Each one believed that it was not only his or her right to bear arms, it was their responsibility. In the minds of those I talked to it is their responsibility to care for themselves and those they love. I have watched videos shot in other states where the elderly were brutally beaten, by standers gawking at the scene, and not a hand raised to help the victim. I somehow cannot see that scene unfolding in a state where most folks carry firearms and aren't afraid to use them.

Our forefathers sought to create a county that was united in the Independence of their respective states.  Although in no way anarchists, they sought to limit the strength and over-arching dominance of a national government.  Sadly, today we beg for the intervention of the Federal Government.  If only we had listened to those who have gone before us.  Instead we have recreated the intrusive government entity that they fled from so many years to go.  Selfishly I look around and feel hemmed in.  Unlike the founding fathers I don't know where else to go.  Is there any undiscovered habitat in the world?    I'm fiercely proud of our American heritage and I am profoundly disappointed in what we are fast becoming. My heritage is comprised of European immigrants and Native Americans.  The need for freedom somehow flows in my blood.  The continued growth and dominance of a central government strikes fear in my heart.  Yet there is a glimmer of hope.  Texas has talked of seceding the union.  Hmmmm...there's something to think about.

Really, from the Austin music scene, the Dallas oil refineries, to the cattle ranches that dot the Texas landscape, the state has made a name for itself as being an example of "State's Rights" in the 21st century.  Heck, if they do end up seceding from the union, they may find the population grow by one family.

Oh, and by the way, did I mention that Chuck Norris lives somewhere near Houston?

Sweat Equity

You can’t live in America without noticing a change in industry.  It’s not secret that manufacturing has largely moved overseas.  Manufacturing, some time ago, replaced agriculture as the primary way to make a living.  Now that both of these powerhouses are disappearing, we are moving to a service society.  Again, no surprises there.  But one thing I’ve noticed is that the manual labor, or traditional blue collar jobs that are available are being taken by older adults. 

I watched the other day as a road crew was working on the side of the road.  I noted that many of them were older men.  In fact, I would guess 90% of them.  I started noticing that trend in most places where manual labor is done.  I’ve recently visited some manufacturing plants and airports where most of the manual labor is being done by older men. 

I want to be clear here.  There is nothing wrong with these men doing the labor.  They are strong, young enough to work, and experienced enough to work hard.  What concerns me are the young men.  I was recently in a restaurant where a young man waited on me.  While he wasn’t serving my table, he was at another table and talking with some other young men and young women.  Those who were seated were studying to become anesthesiologists.  They all agreed that they were looking for position where they don’t have to work outside, sweat, or in general get “icky”. 

That’s my word…and I am making fun of them.

I think we can learn something from this.  First, don’t have a casual conversation when I’m in earshot because I do eavesdrop.  Second, I think we can learn that the generation of today, my generation, in general has no intention of getting their hands dirty.

I am saddened by this.

I’m saddened by this because we have lost a valuable commodity that once was so rick in America.  America became a leading exporter of goods pre-19th century precisely because it was made up of farmers and land owners.  They fed the American people and kept them in work.  We could then, as a nation, focus on exports of our commodities because we were rich both in those commodities and in the sweat equity necessary to harvest those commodities.  When the Industrial Revolution hit, we became a world leader again because we were rich in commodities and in sweat equity.  Today, we are rich in commodities….and we don’t seem to know how to harvest them.

I’m not suggesting that there is anything inherently wrong with a white collar office job.  I have one myself and I’m thankful for that.  I am suggesting, however, that when we as a nation turn up our collective noses at good jobs because they are not clean and require sweat then we have failed.  We have failed because if we will not use our own hands to provide for ourselves and our families then we are at the mercy of those who will do the hard work.  We will choose slavery over freedom.

Rethinking Energy

By now we've all seen the horrifying pictures of Japan.  We've watched as freighters floated down main thoroughfares.  We've witnessed second hand as buildings and people have been swept away by walls built entirely of water.  In what may be the most horrifying scene of all, we've shuddered as healthcare workers, wearing little to no protective gear, take readings on the Japanese population to test their radioactivity.  Each scene looks like some surreal excerpt from a sci-fi or apocalyptic movie.

The disaster in Japan has prompted governments world wide to revisit their safety policies for nuclear energy.  Yet as I sit back in the comfort of my home and watch the drama unfold, I can't help but wonder what we really think we're going to do to prevent a disaster like this again.  No, I don't blame the Japanese at all.  Rather, I wonder at the collective fault of mankind.  Now, I'm no scientist.  If you spend much time with me at all, you'll know that science is not my strength so I don't pretend that I can speak effectively to that angle.  Rather, I'm looking at our great need for "energy".


Without waxing too political, when President Obama took office, his energy platform was off-shore drilling.  Whoops.  After the BP disaster in the gulf, it became clear a new platform was needed.  So, it seemed that the President then began to embrace nuclear energy.  Whoops.  And now the new platform seems to be bio-fuels.  That in itself is fraught with risk, but I'll leave that for a later topic.  I have stated my political observation without animosity to the President.  In his position, I'm not sure there were other choices.  He did not make a radical statement when he took those energy platforms.  He did what most analysts expected.  He took the safe road...which turned out not to be so safe.

Yet in all of that posturing and planning, who was standing up and asking the obvious question?  Where was the free thinker who saw that we have only approached this issue from one angle?  Which person with a voice in government looked at the other angle and said,  "Is there a way we can cut back on energy?"

Silence in the room.

It's not like those thoughts aren't out there.  They certainly are.  But it's not really popular.  Less energy means....drum roll please....less money.  So which politician, which political action committee, which CEO will stand and proclaim that they are for...less income.  It seems that such a statement would tend toward a shorter career.  Yet for all our talk of "green", clean energy, environmental awareness, and global climate change (formerly known as global warming) why do we continue to find fuel sources through avenues that destroy the very environment we supposedly want to help?

The answer, I believe, is simple.  Greed.  And I'm not just talking about the money.

The truth is that energy has brought to us a lifestyle that is, well, easier.  Think of the electric washing machine.  That wasn't invented by a health nut.  It was an invention that made the drudgery of washing a bit easier.  And what about the microwave?  Energy embodied, it cooks food in a fraction of the time required by more conventional methods.  Then there is everybody's favorite..the television.  'Nuff said.  These inventions were revolutionary in their day and they freed up our time and personal energy.  But it wasn't enough.  Our washing machines need to do more things faster.  The microwave just wasn't fast enough.  And the television just wasn't entertaining enough. Now we stream video across a variety of platforms instantaneously.

And it's still not enough.

So we have a government that subsidizes the sale of corn for bio-fuel and we applaud our "greeness" all the while demanding more energy sources.  We recycle our computer components and praise our environmental awareness while some person in China strips out the hazardous materials with their bare hands.  When will it end?

It won't end.  Greed is a worldwide epidemic brought on by the fall of man.  But as I look at our already over-bearing government, I ask why it's so wrong to begin to subsidize things that really are beneficial to the environment.  Why not offer incentives to corporations who allow workers to work from home?  Why not subsidize the income of a family, or groups of people, who live sustainably?  Why not give grants to those who grow their own food sources.  And for heavens sake, why not give a tax break to people who reduce their electricity usage to a bare minimum.

For all out talk about living in the land of plenty, I hope we see that we are bringing needless tragedy upon ourselves.  I encourage you, my friends, to implement these things in your lives, as much as possible.  We cannot expect the government to step in and intervene.  The government wants to stay as is and so it will continue to cater to the energy greed of its constituents.  We, however, have a choice.  I know that there is so much more I could do.  Yet as I reflect on the great tragedy that has occurred, and is occurring, in Japan it spurs me on to think a little differently about how I use energy.  It causes me to think a little more simply.

Depending on Food

I’m not one to really get into conspiracy theories.  I enjoy them as much as the next guy I suppose, but I’ve never been able to buy the story that something like three people control events of the entire world.  It’s certainly possible.  Yet as I look at history in an objective light, it looks to me like you have groups of people all trying to do what’s best for themselves.  This all converges to create the impression that world events are being tightly controlled. 

A classic example for those of us in America is our dependence on foreign food. 

This issue has been taking center stage of late as legal mandates require that produce distributors label their goods with the country of origin.  My family recently devoured a small crate of Clementine’s from Spain.  Those Spanish folks grow some tasty citrus.  Importing produce has been going on in America for centuries now.  It’s not new.  But in the past it was special.  It was a treat.  Chocolate from Spain, citrus from South America, Banana’s from Brazil, and Pistachio’s from the Middle East were special items purchased by those who could afford them for special occasions.  Today, in our global marketplace, these items are part of our every day diet.  They are expected in large quantities on our store shelves.  And when we go to someone else's home, we instinctively expect that those items will be present.

But it doesn’t end there.

No longer do we purchase specialty items from overseas producers, we now get our standard fair across our borders.  I submit, by way of example, the infamous corn.  While we produce tons of corn domestically every year, it has become law that grains producers set aside a percentage of that corn for ethanol.  Fuel refiners are offered incentives for mixing ethanol in their gasoline.  So the government subsidized corn production and then subsidizes the use of ethanol in gasoline.  Thus the American tax payer (that means you and me y’all) is paying for corn and gasoline over and above what we pay at the cash register.

 

Now, with all this corn being set aside for fuel, we have a hard time finding enough corn to make feed for our livestock (not to mention human consumption).  So, we supplement by purchasing corn in bulk from foreign countries.  One such country is Mexico.  While I am not against the Mexicans growing corn and supplying a demand, I have a hard time swallowing that I am now subsidizing corn, paying for corn, subsidizing fuel, paying for fuel, and paying import tax on corn brought in to feed myself.

Is it just me or does that seem like it’s asking a lot?

I know I’m simple minded.  Maybe that’s why I keep envisioning a Simple Life.  But why can we not just grow crops?  Let the farmers charge a reasonable price (including profit) and let the people buy them.  Let the government pay the same price.  I know…crazy talk.  But it’s a bit like a home budget.  If disaster strikes, I know where all the money is going and I can divert it to meet the immediate need.  If I’m dependent on others for my money, I may not know exactly what they can and will provide.

So you see that I don’t think that taking away food independence from the American people is a grand scheme of communism or something similar.  Rather it is people fighting for their own agenda rather than the good of all.  This can be seen in a very recent predicament we now find ourselves in. 

Still using Mexico as our example, we import a lot of produce from them.  Produce, in many cases that we could grow on our own soil.  But like us, they are working through unusual weather patterns.  A cold snap has been disastrous on their crops.  Thus, we pay the price with them.  Since we can’t divert our own corn to meet the crisis (since must be used for ethanol) we will start seeing food prices increase for our meat.  Why?  Because our feedlot system is based on corn.  We will now pay big money for corn.  And we will pay big money for meat.  If we could freely produce our own corn, we could meet this crisis head on and divert the corn from green fuel to meat. 

This is what it means to be food dependent.  We do not rely on ourselves to meet our needs, but rather we depended on other governments and economies to do our thinking for us.  Shame on us. 

So what can you and I do?  Grow our own food, even if it’s just tomatoes in a bucket on the back patio.  Support local farmers through farm markets and co-ops.  Think locally, buy locally, and support your local businesses.  This is the key to gaining back our food dependence. 

"If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as the souls who live under tyranny."
Thomas Jefferson (1778)

Freedom

Wow...big topic.  Yeah, I'm pretty sure that any blog post about freedom will come up short, but it's been on my mind the last couple of days.  Most of those who know me will hear me enter into a rant about the pains of "big government" in America.  That's why they avoid me in the halls.  Now, to be clear, I'm not an anarchist.  I don't think anarchy has done anyone any good and I do not see it as a Biblical model.  The early church set up overseers and servants to help govern the people.  But a common thread in the New Testament is clearly the concept of servant leadership, that is, a leader is nothing more than a servant of the people.  I think, in general, this was the type of government our forefathers had in mind as they drafted a government of overseers bound to a series of check and balances which involved the scrutiny of the people.  That thought leaves me to say "hmmmm....What happened?"

My thinking (such as it is) goes directly to personal rights.  We love them; we cherish them, I think we'd marry them if we could.  Even when our personal rights conflict with stated rules, opinions, or another person's personal rights, we expect our right to be met.  But whatever happened to serving the people?

Here's an example:  Let's say a university has a rule about living in the dorms and what criteria is necessary to live in the dorms.  A man for some reason cannot meet the rules and is therefore denied access to the dorms.  Yet he sues and wins the right to live in the dorm.

I know....hot button here...what if the person was disabled, had a dependecy, was in a unique situation, or just plain wanted to be cool.  Well, there are questions there, but look at it from another side.  A rule was clearly stated.  A man was unable to meet that rule.  So he sues (or somebody sues...the details are irrelevant to the example) and gains access.  Where would something like that end?  Should I be allowed to use the womens bathroom since I physically cannot become a women?  Is it not my right to use the womens bathroom? 

I fully realize atrocities have occurred where people who could not defend themselves have required assistance or intervention.  Yet that line continues to blur.  As each of us expects that our own personal rights must not be violated, we in turn know no boundaries.  Instead we break the rules as we ride upon the wave of our own self-justification.  But this is not freedom.  Freedom in not unbridled access to all things.  Rather, freedom speaks to us of release from slavery in all forms.  Freedom is about choice and that choice includes laying down my personal rights so that an order, a balance, can be brought about.  I seek not to enslave others to my personal rights by laying those rights down. 

If this understanding of freedom was universally held, we would ask questions like "How will my actions affect others?", "Will my actions hurt a person or institution?, and "Am I serving my fellow man by my action?".  I do not suggest a perfect society will come from these questions, but I'll bet it'd be a great place to live!!

What do you think?