Soapweed
Well-known member
Burr Under the Saddle Blanket
The year 2014 is a great year in the cattle business. Grass is tall, hay is abundant, and cattle prices are at record highs. Yes, there was a drought two years ago. At that time, many ranchers had to change their normal ways of operating to compensate for the lack of rain and production. Now, with better times having arrived, the drought seems but a distant memory. Every face under a cowboy hat seems to bear a smile and a positive attitude, with great hope for the future of ranching.
Even with these good times, all of a sudden there seems to be "drought relief" money available from the government, up for grabs to all ranchers regardless of their circumstances. It isn't just pocket change, either--there are large sums of money to be had, merely for "signing up" at a local federal farm service agency. Disappointingly enough, most ranchers are flocking to the pay window like flies to honey. Many of these are fourth or fifth generation ranchers, having a net worth of millions of dollars. They don't need the money.
Federal subsidy payments have long been used by farmers, but ranchers are traditionally a pretty independent breed of people. They have spurned assistance from the government because they are proud of being self-sufficient, and they don't want Uncle Sam telling them how to run their outfits. Sure, there are some in dire need of extra income to stay solvent. Some went through much tougher circumstances than others, and are probably more deserving of a hand-out for that reason. The October 4th blizzard of 2013 was a terrible cattle killing storm. Folks that lost a large portion of their herds should have more access to relief funds than those who lost none.
Here is a bit of irony: Lyndon Baines Johnson was somewhat of a cowboy/rancher type of president, and wore a cowboy hat. He was a Democrat, and not a nice person. He only promoted and signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 1965 Voting Rights Act because he thought it was politically expedient. He disagreed violently and kept it a secret. He said at the time, "I'll have those blacks (not his exact word) voting Democratic for the next 200 years." Fast forward to 2014, and we now have a black president. Under his administration, the ranchers are eligible for free money. Our black president is probably smugly thinking, "I'll have those boys in cowboy hats voting Democratic for the next 200 years."
Have those of us wearing cowboy hats lost our moral responsibility? Can we, with any sense of honor or integrity, line up at the public trough and accept this "free" money? Yes, some need it. Most others don't, and their only justification is, "Well, if I don't take it, someone else will." This seems to be pretty flim-flam rationale. Let your conscience be your guide.
The year 2014 is a great year in the cattle business. Grass is tall, hay is abundant, and cattle prices are at record highs. Yes, there was a drought two years ago. At that time, many ranchers had to change their normal ways of operating to compensate for the lack of rain and production. Now, with better times having arrived, the drought seems but a distant memory. Every face under a cowboy hat seems to bear a smile and a positive attitude, with great hope for the future of ranching.
Even with these good times, all of a sudden there seems to be "drought relief" money available from the government, up for grabs to all ranchers regardless of their circumstances. It isn't just pocket change, either--there are large sums of money to be had, merely for "signing up" at a local federal farm service agency. Disappointingly enough, most ranchers are flocking to the pay window like flies to honey. Many of these are fourth or fifth generation ranchers, having a net worth of millions of dollars. They don't need the money.
Federal subsidy payments have long been used by farmers, but ranchers are traditionally a pretty independent breed of people. They have spurned assistance from the government because they are proud of being self-sufficient, and they don't want Uncle Sam telling them how to run their outfits. Sure, there are some in dire need of extra income to stay solvent. Some went through much tougher circumstances than others, and are probably more deserving of a hand-out for that reason. The October 4th blizzard of 2013 was a terrible cattle killing storm. Folks that lost a large portion of their herds should have more access to relief funds than those who lost none.
Here is a bit of irony: Lyndon Baines Johnson was somewhat of a cowboy/rancher type of president, and wore a cowboy hat. He was a Democrat, and not a nice person. He only promoted and signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 1965 Voting Rights Act because he thought it was politically expedient. He disagreed violently and kept it a secret. He said at the time, "I'll have those blacks (not his exact word) voting Democratic for the next 200 years." Fast forward to 2014, and we now have a black president. Under his administration, the ranchers are eligible for free money. Our black president is probably smugly thinking, "I'll have those boys in cowboy hats voting Democratic for the next 200 years."
Have those of us wearing cowboy hats lost our moral responsibility? Can we, with any sense of honor or integrity, line up at the public trough and accept this "free" money? Yes, some need it. Most others don't, and their only justification is, "Well, if I don't take it, someone else will." This seems to be pretty flim-flam rationale. Let your conscience be your guide.