You are right. There is definately a disconnect between "big city types" and the ag sector. A generation ago everyone had a connection to the farm -- like parents, uncles or grandparents. Now the only connection is the grocery store. The story (see popcorn article in http://jplovescotton.wordpress.com/) about the person who had no idea where popcorn came from -- just "pops" up on the grocery shelf. The ag sector needs to do a better job of educating those "in the real world". Not too sure what in the cities is "real". How many times do I still read how the government pays farmer not to plant. When was that the case -- 1989???
You are just jealous that I get an "income tax refund", i.e. government welfare ag pmnt, so I don't have to cover all those non-essential government programs, e.g. Humanity for the arts, studies on the snail darter, a walking bridge beween Omaha and Council Bluffs, etc. Go back to the founding fathers (especially Jefferson -- not John Adams) and see what the original puropose of the federal government was for.
Since most farmers are self employed they don't have the mentality that health insurance is a "right' and has to be paid by their employer (who is rapidly becoming the federal government). By the way, this was just a scheme set up so employees get pre-tax insurance premiums. Lets decouple insurance from the employer and everyone pay their own directly or can't the real worlders save money from their pay check for insurance. Ours has to be paid by our business which comes directly from our bottom line. So we shop around, take big deductables to keep the cost down and don't go to the emergency room for a sniffle.
I must go check the mail to see if my "inconme tax refund" has come today....
Good luck out there in the real world. I wouldn't change places with you for anything. We like to tell you "how rough" it is out here in fly over country -- to keep the riff raff out.
