Farm Programs About the Same

HELLO FOLKS — The total rainfall for here during the month of July was 3.1 inches. That was considerably less than at Albert Lea and Austin. I understand Austin had about six inches.

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IT IS NOT what men eat but what they digest that makes them strong; not what we gain, but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read, but what we remember that makes us learn; and not what we preach, but what we practice that makes us Christians. – Francis Bacon.

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I DON'T write much about farm programs these days. The reason is that they have become so obnoxious with their political meddling that I feel they do more harm than good. An idea can be perfectly good, but before the 'cooks' get done, it is so messed up with political meddling that is it hardly recognizable, and probably as worthless.

I think it is about time the various farm organizations start using their back-bones instead of their wish-bones and agree to get the government out of the pricing business and decide to do their own supporting of farm commodities. These organizations have grown stronger in recent year and with a bit of help from our Congressman in the form of a revolving fund to help support commodities, to prevent disaster prices, these organizations can very well do more for the farmers than the government could ever hope to do.

If labor had gone to the Government to get the benefits that have received over the years they would find themselves in the same 'pickle' the farmers are in.

With the farmer's setting their own support prices they would not set them at levels that would create or perpetuate surpluses.

With no surpluses there would be no depressed prices. The consumer would not be irritated by having to pay tax money to support and store food they can't eat.

Hence, there would be better rural urban relations. Our farm economy and therefore our total national economy would be healthier and the "Gross National Product" would be higher, if the famers handled their own program, and they rightly should.

The whole history of farm programs proves that they have been a dismal failure.

It all harks back to the old adage: "If you want a thing done right, do it yourself."

Ed Viewed An Emperor

Hello Folks!! I saw the Emperor of Ethiopia (Halie Selassie) in Austin a couple weeks ago. I happened to be in Austin. I noticed a lot of people lining the street so I followed suit. After quite a wait he came from the Hormel plant.

The Parade was headed by a police car with signals flashing and as the procession entered Main Street the siren sounded. I saw his grand-daughter also. She looked pretty much like any other person from the glimpse I got of her. I was rather surprised that Haile Selassie looked as young as he does. Of course from the pitch of his hat brim to his chin there wasn't much distance, but I was less than 10 feet from him.

It is interesting to recall the recent history of Ethiopia. When Mussolini invaded the country Selassie protested to the League of Nations, but the politicians were too busy playing politics to listen to him. Mussolini ended his life in the typical fashion of all tyrants. Today Haile Selassie injoys the privilege of ruling between 10 and 15 million people. It brings to mind what the Savior said, "The meek shall inherit the earth."

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I think giving is the secret of a successful life. And I think we never reach the point of diminishing returns if we give the proper thing and in the proper time and place. However, I do think indiscriminate giving just for the sake of giving can be a terrible liability. For instance at one time our government was giving anything and everything to Russia without a thought of the consequences. The taxpayer was saddled with heavy burdens of taxes and federal debt to do so. Now we are being saddled with even heavier debts and taxes just to pay for our folly. The same way with dozens of other countries. They get the gifts then turn around and despise us for it.

It works the same way with children. While a proper gift at a proper time will help to show our love toward a child, if those gifts are given too often without the child earning them they almost invariably become selfish and fail to develop character. I have almost forgotten the quotation in "The Vision of Sir Launfall" "It's not what you give but what you share, for the gift without the giver is bare." I think when we learn to give properly we will have gone a long ways toward eliminating wars and bitterness.

A bitter tongue can burn up more people than an incendiary bomb. A winner never quits, a quitter never wins.

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The column I wrote two weeks ago sounded awfully hard-hearted when I read it. I imagine it did to you readers also. It was mostly because I left out one adverb. No wonder the editor gave it such a startling title.

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John Nyenhuis and family were heading for California. They were traveling across the hot Mojave Desert. They saw a tiny speck down the road. As they drew closer the discovered it was a man in a bathing suit. John, the ever courteous, stopped the car to see if he could aid the man. "Yes", the man said, "How far is it to the ocean?" "Oh! about 300 or 400 miles," says John. "My! My! It is a wide beach, isn't it?" exclaimed the man.