http://www.democraticunderground.org/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x2204The plight of the American farmer is usually a pretty dull topic for most, but this bonfire has a spat in it.
Morpheal (134 posts) Thu Dec-11-08 02:10 PM
Original message
TIME FOR A FARMING REVOLUTION IN AMERICA = A CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUE
One of the main problems with farming in North America, particularly the USA, is political ideology.
Farmers are encouraged to be increasingly competitive with each other, and with big agro business.
They are encouraged to be strictly independent operators, free enterprise businesses. That is the problem.
The system is so politically rigid and blasts so fiercely at any deviation from its ideas as to how everything MUST be done, that there are no alternatives allowed in thought or action. This has become increasingly worse in the past 30 plus years.
The same problem is now plaguing Washington in other areas of economic activity.
We see the results of that rigid, ideological, approach, every day in the news. Where too are the billions to bail out the farming industry ?
First plan of attack..............
The constitution demands that farmers, who have more to do with the "general welfare" of "we the people" get first dibs on any federal money, long before for profit mega corporation manufacturers get a hearing in DC as to federal handouts. It's the law, not an option.
The people and their good must come first, according to the preamble of the constitution. Any farmer can make a case for precedence in getting federal money
at handout and bailout time. Simply by referring to the preamble. A class action suit by farmers to gain those billions, precedent to large corporations, is arguable, and long past due.
Every farmer knows how hard it is in America the way that governance as treated the independent farm operator, owner. It is worse than tough and yet the constitutional challenge remains to be made as billions, trillions in fact, are
allocated to big for profit corporations that do not produce food, and do not directly meet the constitutional criterion for precedence in government action.
Farmers as a class of legal entity should have constitutional precedence over and above GM, Ford, Chrysler and so forth. So what has gone wrong ? In that case it is time for farmers to hire on some good constitutional lawyers to put government back in its place, in proper relation to "we the people", not "we the big corporations". A dust bowl is not an option but even that could happen if nothing is done. That can be avoided and solved with federal money.
Now, second plan of attack.......
Back to that ideological bind. Farmers have been discouraged from forming collectives, to decrease the amount of investment needed for quality and productivity. Collectives are "communist" or at best 'socialist" and America wants none of that.
Well, actually that closed mindedness is the problem. You have to break
with Washington's ideological screws being tightened on thinking and action, to do things in more pragmatic and effective ways. It's not only about money, but it is about the quality of product and quality of life, necessitating change.
Communal farming, collectivized farming, real sharing of knowledge, and the means of production is a way out of increasing pressure to give it up and let big agro business take over, and it is also good environmental and conservation sense.
Big business tends to ignore the environmental issues, when it comes to maximizing profits. The smaller operators tend to have more traditional sensitivity, even if less technically progressive savvy, but even the latter can be more readily gained by a communal or collective farming approach. Certainly more bang for the hard pressed buck.
The freedom to pursue non free enterprise, less narrowly capitalistic modes of function, and to organize more communally and collectively is a constitutional right that has been denied to the American farmer for far too long. It is time to reclaim that inalienable right.
So we have a two pronged attack plan against the DC strangle hold on farming.
Yes it can change, but it has to change at the grass roots. It has to come from the grass roots farming communities, and the organizing of farmers into a political force, against the Washington dictatorship, which is leading American farming into ruin and disregarding the long term general welfare of "we the people" in favor of "we the big corporations".
Cheers.
It's time for a farming revolution in America.
Blaze Diem (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-11-08 02:42 PM
Response to Original message
1. Great Post. I grew up on a small farm/ranch. My parents, lifetime members of National Farmers Union realized early on, and fought for solidarity and parity for their product, that their survival and success would be realized only in union with others in the business of independent farming.
It is this spirit I recall, that needs to be returned to the American people, small business owners, and the only way to break the corporate stranglehold which has succeeded in ripping the unified middle from our America.
This is a fight for the future of our working class.
Those Senators who stand and advocate loudly the final blow to the American Unions, as to the Big 3 Bailout, need to hear loud & clear from the American workers that we well know what their true intent is and we intend to fight to restore American business to its rightful owners.
We will no longer tolerate unfair labor, nor the greed of Corporate power.
The election of Barack Obama was our victory. One of many we still must fight to return this great Nation to the American worker.
We unionize our efforts against those Senators and Corporate cronies who oppose workers rights, just as we unionized our efforts to elect Barack Obama as our US President.
Make some serious noise. This is OUR America.
HereSince1628 (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-11-08 02:46 PM
Response to Original message
2. Are you a farm owner?
Which Constitution is it that you, a Canadian, wants to change?
Blaze Diem (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-11-08 02:52 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. Canadian farmers are free to grow hemp. We in the USA are still banned from growing hemp as a farm to market product since every State law in favor of it is forbidden by an archaic Federal law.
But we can import Canadian hemp products. Just cannot grow it ourselves.
sucks for the USA farmer.
HereSince1628 (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-11-08 03:01 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. As a small farm owner and operator, I really don't care about hemp
Because of where my operation is located I really don't care about sugar beets, or sunflowers either.
Where is your farm that hemp is so important to you?
Blaze Diem (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-11-08 03:28 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. I don't have a farm. I live in the City. HOWEVER..in support of farmers, and in particular, to the hemp issue, I am referring to the State of NDakota.
Federal regulations have prevented farmers there from growing hemp although the State may have supported this industry.
The bitch of it is, directly across the border, in Canada, farmers are free to grow hemp and ship the products made from hemp, directly to US consumers.
There were two farmers from NDakota who took their case for growing hemp, to the SCourt. but it was rejected because of archaic Fed laws.
I may be able to locate the article, was posted here on DU while back.
Politics involved, no doubt.
Just to note that Canada is somewhat ahead of the US when it comes to common sense in their ag business.
In this respect at least.
Blaze Diem (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-11-08 03:37 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. Here is the DU Link -from proceedings in 2007.........DEA Simply Ignored the request.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
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Perhaps with a new Sec of Ag, and a new President Obama in 09, common sense will be restored to our working class.
HereSince1628 (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-11-08 03:54 PM
Response to Reply #6
8. I'm aware of the happings in the Dakota... but in keeping with the gist of the OP...
communes and collectivization are not a burning desire of many a small farmer.
Blaze Diem (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-11-08 05:38 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. yes, that's true. The poineering spirit and pride of individual ownership reigns supreme.
Unionizing for their very survival against corporate farming is about as collective as they want to get.
Like fighting walmart.
I dunno.
There's much nostalgia about the old "small family farm," especially among the primitives who for some reason equate it with simpler, easier, gentler times.
That's all well and good, and for the primitives who want to go back to the "good old days" of yore, yes, such is possible.
But for that to happen, we would also have to go back to the system of taxation that existed when the small family farm to flourished and prospered.
As that would inevitably mean DECREASED taxes, the primitives wouldn't want any part of that, oh no. No way.
