#122
IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray
September 5, 2012
“Sin of Omission”
Do you shake your head when you read about government regulations these days? They are endemic and intrude into even the most mundane of our everyday activities.
Forget about warning labels. Almost any tool has a danger, but spelling out every conceivable mishap and putting it on a product is stupid with a capital “S”.
The smallest category of workers in America is probably farmers. At two percent of the population or less, these hardy individuals not only place their very lives on the line because of the dangers inherent to the machinery itself, but they also qualify as the biggest gamblers. Farm families invest huge amounts of money every spring when they plant the crops and hope that the weather cooperates to reward their effort at harvest.
Most media spokespeople focus on farm subsidies, yet they ignore the bulk of the Agriculture budget by failing to mention the key expenditure for the entire department.
This year that doesn’t hold true and the poor yields due to the drought will rebound in food prices nationwide. The slings and arrows aimed the annual Farm Bill fail to tell Americans that 80% of the annual Farm Bill is allocated for food stamps, allied welfare programs and foreign aid.
To say that welfare fraud is absent is to be blind to the situation. When you calculate the high percentage of the American population that receives some sort of government aid, you should shake in your boots. Moreover, many of us have been behind a well-dressed person checking out of the grocery store with food stamps only to walk out to a late model car and stop to use a cell phone. Please…. There are people who need these monies, but there are those who take advantage of the system and use it with zest.
However, we cannot ignore the fact that many of us do need help. The question is why does our government put so many stumbling blocks in front of business to discourage hiring? Why did our Congress pass a bill that they never read that will cripple the wider economy and put us on an equal footing with countries where people clamor to come to the USA for medical care? In Canada, you would be lucky to be seen in 18 hours in an emergency room. This bit of information came to us from fellow campers this summer, residents of Ontario. They say they are lucky to be well and hope that good health will last and they are not involved in an accident.
Unless, and until, government steps out of the driver’s seat and allows the people to drive the economy, this will not improve. When push comes to shove, people react.
The Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is actually proud of the fact it is distributing the greatest amount of free meals and food stamps ever!
Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, issues this decree: “Please Do Not Feed the Animals.”
Their stated reason for the policy is because the animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves.
This ends today’s lesson. Think about it.