Scenes from small towns…

I’m driving along a two-lane highway along the country to the town my sister is in…these are the scenes along the way:

…a house standing alone surrounded by farm fields now has weeds growing up around it.  It appears to have been abandoned.

…an old brick farm house with a row of trees lining the drive now has a “for sale” sign out front.  It used to have fresh produce and a ‘fresh eggs’ sign out front.

…I pass by another farm house where an Amish father is walking out from the house to the barn.  Following him are three young ones… lined up just like ducks following their mother.

…wide open fields with farmers plowing, dust blowing huge clouds into the skies.  It’s hard to describe the serenity of the scene.  No noise.  Nothing but space to expand.  Nothing but you and your thoughts.

…A serene lake with Canadian geese and ducks paddling along…one of the geese comes towards me as I stand out on a pier.  Geese never do that, and he came just close enough to eyeball me, but no closer.  I wonder if someone has been feeding them?  Meanwhile, a crane flies overhead…and redwing blackbirds sing their song from nearby reeds.

…a young lady who cuts and styles the nursing home resident’s hair speaks of family who have taken in family members–grandkids, sons/daughters, and their friends because of the times we live in–she herself works four jobs.  She has the full time job of cutting hair, but also manages a weekly newspaper, and works a retail job, too.  I forget what the fourth one is.  She has a five month old son, and an ex who doesn’t appear to be helping much.  She’s a sweet person who is very caring towards the residents who should be able to stay home with her son, but doesn’t get that luxury.

…seen at an antique shop:  a refrigerator magnet with “I’ll believe corporations are people when the State of Texas executes one.”  Heh.

 

 

Republicans to the poor:

Eat Shit.  Because we’re going to cut food stamps by 11 percent.  Never mind that you can’t afford to buy food for an entire month on what you’re given right now–you’ll have to resort to eating shit to survive….

One of the commenters mentions the Titanic.  I watched it over the weekend on the anniversary of the ship’s sinking.  I couldn’t help but picture Mitt Romney as Billy Zane’s despicable character, a wealthy sociopath…

…and how much today’s economic times reflect those of that period.  And people talk as if those times were permanently relegated to history….ignoring what is happening all around them.

And I don’t believe for a second all the glowing reports of a recovery.  I don’t see it where I sit.  And I find it a little too convenient now that we are in an election year–that suddenly we’re in an upswing of jobs?  And jobs alone aren’t the total answer–GOOD PAYING jobs are the answer.  Martin Luther King was promoting the idea of a guaranteed income before he was murdered…everyone would have a minimum income.  Of course, he preferred that everyone have a decent-paying job.

I found this living wage calculator from Pennsylvania State.  I went to Allen County, Indiana, and found their low allowance for food: $236 per month for a single adult appalling.  Only if you eat unhealthy food: processed meat like bologna, hot dogs, etc., and if you stay away from organic and fresh vegetables can you afford that piddly amount.  Indiana only allows $200 per month in food stamps as it is…if the republicans get their way, it will be $178.

Promoting food exports

I was listening to the radio over the weekend, with agriculture reports,  and an employee of the USDA was enthusiastic about the increase of sales of food overseas.

They’re pouring $$$ into it-  $234 million in 2007.   Two hundred thirty-four million to promote it.

Link here:  http://westernfarmpress.com/usda-grants-234-million-promote-us-food-and-agriculture-products-overseas

Another link here: http://www.agri-pulse.com/uploaded/Jan2610H2.pdf

The same amount–$234 million was allocated in 2010.

This bothers me because of Tom Vilsack’s connections to Monsanto.  It also bothers me because of the tone of the radio program–

They were saying that exports of U.S. food were expected to continue to rise through 2020.  The biggest reason cited was the growth of the middle class in China, India, and Russia.

It popped into my head that their middle classes were swelling while ours was shrinking into oblivion.  This left me with a feeling of dread of empty pantries here in the U.S. because our folks are no longer able to afford food, while ships sail across the ocean to folks who could pay $$.  Not a pretty thought…