If a Conservative and a Liberal could sit down and talk long enough...if the conversation didn't end in anger.....they'd find they have a whole lot in common; there is a common ground between some of the better ideas of socialism and the freedom that is the bedrock of a Democratic Republic. Both Conservatives and Liberals agree that Corporations have gained too much power in this country in too many aspects of our daily lives. Both Conservatives and Liberals agree that we should help our neighbor in need. Both Conservatives and Liberals agree that special interests have too much control over not only our elections but also the pockets of the career politicians we have been electing. Where we really differ is in how much the Federal Government should be in our daily business as we go through life in our chosen state of residence and what the long term consequences of too much Federal power will be for our country...and how to control the corporations that have allowed us to enjoy so much of the lifestyle Americans lead today as compared to the rest of the world.
Today I read an article that, in my opinion, shows the reality behind what I just wrote. It's opening paragraph sets the tone of the article - "IN THE NEW RED-BLUE LEXICON of American politics, the Red River Valley of North Dakota seems aptly named. This is football-on-Friday-night country, where Clear Channel Radio sets the tone, and patriotic themes blend smoothly with corporate ones. Broad and pancake-flat, with topsoil measured in feet rather than inches, it possesses some of the most prized agricultural land in America. The roads run straight, the pickup trucks are big, and the immense Massey Ferguson tractors that ply the fields come equipped with global positioning system guidance, satellite radio, and quadraphonic sound...."
The article shows a tentatively held balance of power between Corporate Capitalism, Government control and the power of the citizen to be protected from the over-reaching of the first two. If you can take the time to read it all the way through, you'll see what most Conservatives believe America should look like...with Corporations aiding the citizens through employment, services and products and the local government doing the same but ultimately, decision making falls on the people who reside there. "Socialist" enterprise can be found there in a publicly owned Grain Mill rather than a privately owned mill and evidence of corporate activity exists but, at least where it concerns farming (and feeding the world) corporations are banned (they cannot farm in North Dakota). In other words, the state operates on a non corporate economy.
The real subject behind the article is genetically modified wheat by Monsanto, the makers of Roundup and Roundup Ready Wheat and Monsanto's attempt to patent the Wheat. There are a lot of articles that could be googled and read on the subject of genetically modified "life forms" and the attempts of the large corporate seed industry to infringe upon the freedom that farmers have historically had to "seed save" or "brownbag" from harvest to harvest. But, the entire article echoes the cries being heard at Town Halls across this country as we all realize that something must be done to protect individual rights while still allowing our national economy to flourish. Its about decentralized power of our government and also about reigning in the power that corporations have over us when the government sides with corporations over its citizens.
If you read the whole article, you'll see how Federal power tried to worm its way into the local scene...under George Bush, a Conservative and how a corporation tried to affect the economy of an entire state at the expense of the local farmers. A corporation had, it seemed, found its way to block the will of the state with the support of a Republican administration, peopled with career politicians. But, the locals fought back with Town Halls...its not quite over yet but there is hope that the locals will be the victors when all is said and done.
When all is said and done, centralized power in DC is dangerous. When all is said and done, too much corporate power is dangerous. Both infringe upon the freedom we are promised in the words "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". When the greater good begins to deny those freedoms our Founding Fathers and brothers and sisters fought and died for, its time to go back to focusing on localized issues in our government. What is good for those in New York is not always good for those in the "Breadbasket of Democracy".
This article isn't just about our Democratic Republic and its economy...there are other things to be concerned about...like the ever increasing supply of genetically modified plant and animal life that is contaminating our food supply. While we fight over our national politics and disagree over global warming, there is a silent battle over our food supply being waged across the world...its time for all of us to start paying some attention. Organic farmers are being sued by corporations; our Federal Agencies are pouring non-pasteurized milk into the dirt while saying that there is nothing in our constitution that allows us to choose the foods we eat and the liquid we drink while allowing Dairy Farms to have diseases that are causing food born illnesses in our population, but hey, its pasteurized milk.
Its time to think local; its time for term limits; its time for public financing of campaigns. Its time to investigate what is really going on behind the national scene of our country....its time to band together politically and change our towns, our counties, and our states and then the national side of it all should begin to come together as well. One size does not and never will fit all....and the real beauty of these United States is the freedom to live in whatever town or county or state suits you best with nothing more than a change in Drivers License ... a way of life that we've enjoyed for more than 200 years is at stake with each new power grab that succeeds whether it comes from centralized federal control or multi-national corporations.....and so is our food supply.
http://www.homesteadersway.com/foodsafetywarnings.htm
BTW, you are aware that Monsanto produced Agent Orange right? Doesn't it make you wonder just a bit about Roundup Ready Wheat and other plant forms they're developing?
Read more about Monsanto:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Goliath_and_David:_Monsanto%27s_Legal_Battles_against_Farmers
Today I read an article that, in my opinion, shows the reality behind what I just wrote. It's opening paragraph sets the tone of the article - "IN THE NEW RED-BLUE LEXICON of American politics, the Red River Valley of North Dakota seems aptly named. This is football-on-Friday-night country, where Clear Channel Radio sets the tone, and patriotic themes blend smoothly with corporate ones. Broad and pancake-flat, with topsoil measured in feet rather than inches, it possesses some of the most prized agricultural land in America. The roads run straight, the pickup trucks are big, and the immense Massey Ferguson tractors that ply the fields come equipped with global positioning system guidance, satellite radio, and quadraphonic sound...."
The article shows a tentatively held balance of power between Corporate Capitalism, Government control and the power of the citizen to be protected from the over-reaching of the first two. If you can take the time to read it all the way through, you'll see what most Conservatives believe America should look like...with Corporations aiding the citizens through employment, services and products and the local government doing the same but ultimately, decision making falls on the people who reside there. "Socialist" enterprise can be found there in a publicly owned Grain Mill rather than a privately owned mill and evidence of corporate activity exists but, at least where it concerns farming (and feeding the world) corporations are banned (they cannot farm in North Dakota). In other words, the state operates on a non corporate economy.
The real subject behind the article is genetically modified wheat by Monsanto, the makers of Roundup and Roundup Ready Wheat and Monsanto's attempt to patent the Wheat. There are a lot of articles that could be googled and read on the subject of genetically modified "life forms" and the attempts of the large corporate seed industry to infringe upon the freedom that farmers have historically had to "seed save" or "brownbag" from harvest to harvest. But, the entire article echoes the cries being heard at Town Halls across this country as we all realize that something must be done to protect individual rights while still allowing our national economy to flourish. Its about decentralized power of our government and also about reigning in the power that corporations have over us when the government sides with corporations over its citizens.
If you read the whole article, you'll see how Federal power tried to worm its way into the local scene...under George Bush, a Conservative and how a corporation tried to affect the economy of an entire state at the expense of the local farmers. A corporation had, it seemed, found its way to block the will of the state with the support of a Republican administration, peopled with career politicians. But, the locals fought back with Town Halls...its not quite over yet but there is hope that the locals will be the victors when all is said and done.
When all is said and done, centralized power in DC is dangerous. When all is said and done, too much corporate power is dangerous. Both infringe upon the freedom we are promised in the words "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". When the greater good begins to deny those freedoms our Founding Fathers and brothers and sisters fought and died for, its time to go back to focusing on localized issues in our government. What is good for those in New York is not always good for those in the "Breadbasket of Democracy".
This article isn't just about our Democratic Republic and its economy...there are other things to be concerned about...like the ever increasing supply of genetically modified plant and animal life that is contaminating our food supply. While we fight over our national politics and disagree over global warming, there is a silent battle over our food supply being waged across the world...its time for all of us to start paying some attention. Organic farmers are being sued by corporations; our Federal Agencies are pouring non-pasteurized milk into the dirt while saying that there is nothing in our constitution that allows us to choose the foods we eat and the liquid we drink while allowing Dairy Farms to have diseases that are causing food born illnesses in our population, but hey, its pasteurized milk.
Its time to think local; its time for term limits; its time for public financing of campaigns. Its time to investigate what is really going on behind the national scene of our country....its time to band together politically and change our towns, our counties, and our states and then the national side of it all should begin to come together as well. One size does not and never will fit all....and the real beauty of these United States is the freedom to live in whatever town or county or state suits you best with nothing more than a change in Drivers License ... a way of life that we've enjoyed for more than 200 years is at stake with each new power grab that succeeds whether it comes from centralized federal control or multi-national corporations.....and so is our food supply.
http://www.homesteadersway.com/foodsafetywarnings.htm
BTW, you are aware that Monsanto produced Agent Orange right? Doesn't it make you wonder just a bit about Roundup Ready Wheat and other plant forms they're developing?
Read more about Monsanto:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Goliath_and_David:_Monsanto%27s_Legal_Battles_against_Farmers
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