Pioneer Spirit-II

This is a repeat, but I think it is worth a repeat. We have been all thinking and praying a lot this past week. Many of us think we have lost our way.

Pioneer Spirit

By Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright February 2013

            Can you imagine the heroes in John Wayne movies if they saw what is happening in the country today?

            My hat’s off to those of you who still have that can do, pioneer spirit. This country was built, at least in the West, by those who faced enormous problems and made a go of it.

            Can you imagine a John Wayne character going to the government after problems with a cattle drive?

            Yes, I know life isn’t like a movie. Got it. That’s just an illustration. What I want to commend is the pioneer, ‘can do’ spirit that built this country. Yes, I understand all the criticisms of Manifest Destiny, etc.  I am not addressing that. I am saying there is an enormous, qualitative difference between the people who built this country and us today. In that comparison I’m not sure we look all that good.

The immigrants who came to this country in the 19^th Century faced tremendous hurdles just getting here. Can you imagine putting all your worldly belongings on a boat and sailing for nine weeks just to cross the Atlantic? That was only the beginning of the trip. Then they had to load up and start walking across the country. I’m tired thinking about it.

I think we still need some of that pioneer spirit to solve the problems we face today.

Pioneer Spirit II

By Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright February 2013

Recently I talked about the Pioneer Spirit.

The contrast is today’s response—one minor hiccup and people are suing each other or running with their hands out for government help. John Stossel criticizes himself and the government. Being a famous and rich reporter he has a beach front home that has been damaged twice by hurricanes. Each time the government---that means you and me---have helped him rebuild his beach front, luxury, second home. This is crazy. Even Stossel admits this is crazy.

            I get it. We are not a society of lone rangers. We live in community. Our high-tech world is more complex and inter-dependent than the world of the 19 Century. But, I think that calls for more, not less, of the pioneer spirit that made this country great.

            The world makes fun of Americans being a bunch of cowboys. People vote with their feet. Have you noticed where people all over the world are migrating to? They are not migrating to China or Cuba. People all over the world want to come to the U. S., not because it is like home, but because it is different. Today’s immigrants still see the U. S. as the land of opportunity.

A Simple Solution

As you can see my supervisor is out making sure I do a good job pulling petiole samples.

We almost have the cotton laid by. Then we can park the tractors for now.

A Simple Solution

By Paul H. Betancourt

July 2016

Dear Sacramento and Washington,

It’s actually a pretty simple formula. Where does your money come from? Taxes. Where do taxes come from?  A healthy economy. When businesses are making a profit and people are making money they pay taxes. So, if you want money for your social programs and environmental programs why don’t you help the economy by more productive? That way there will be more money coming in the form of taxes instead of crushing producers by doing things like cutting off surface water to farmers and piling on needless regulations.

There is time and a place for government oversight. That issue was settled during the administration of Andrew Jackson in the 1830’s. No one is seriously saying no regulations. But, this has been getting out of hand for a long time now. A friend of mine is doing what everyone wants. He and his wife are growing organic fruits and vegetables. She takes their kids around to the local farmers markets. Daniel was ready to quit five years ago because he was spending five hours a week doing paper work to certify his crops. Now he has had to hire someone who spends twenty five to thirty hours a week filling out forms. We should be pinning a medal on Daniel’s chest, not stretching him to the breaking point.

Why Are We Losing Jobs Overseas?

There is a lot of hand wringing and finger pointing about the loss of manufacturing jobs. The Left says business is going after cheap labor, and that is true. None of us want to pay more for anything than we have to, that’s human nature. Businesses complain about the cost of regulations, and that too is true. Years ago Bob Stallman, then President of the American Farm Bureau Federation said it was costing American farmers $20 Billion dollars a year to comply with government regulations. No matter how you slice it that is a lot of money. I know a family here that built a business enterprise here in Fresno at the same time they built an identical project in Phoenix. The one in California cost 25% more than the one in Arizona just because of the regulatory costs. The family’s conclusion? We will never build anything in California again.

            No matter how well intentioned, no matter how good an idea- every new tax, fee or regulation makes it harder for a business to survive. Every new tax, fee or regulation makes going somewhere else more attractive. Look at the story of Tesla’s battery plant. Tesla is a California company doing what we all want, creating a new electric car industry. And the government of the State of California pushed their new electric car battery plant out of the state. Tesla didn’t leave because of lower wages. Tesla left because of over regulation.

There is More to Life Than Making a Buck

I know there is more to life than making a buck, but if you can’t make the bucks the rest of the equation falls apart doesn’t it? Yes, we all want clean air and clean water. We all want high paying jobs. But, there is also reality and reality can be a real…bear. All of my crop prices are down this year. Two years ago I sold Pima cotton for $1.80 a pound. This year it is $1.27. That is not nearly as much fun. Last year wheat went for $300/ ton. This year it is $195/ ton. Last Fall almonds were $4/pound. This year they are just over $2. That is the reality I have to deal with. How does the government respond? More regulations. More taxes and fees. This past winter I had to attend a five hour class to self report my fertilizer use to the state. Seriously? The IRS lets me self-report my taxes without any required class. Do you want to know the funny part? The people who mandated the meeting were surprised I objected to going to a five hour meeting. They thought it was perfectly normal. Maybe for them it is, but I don’t make my living by going to meetings. I make my living by growing food and fiber for a hungry world. And now we are back to that healthy economy thing.

Dear Sacramento and Washington- You are doing it wrong.

I get it, we have problems to solve. We have done a lot to clean up the air, but we still have a ways to go. Poverty is too high in our area. But, we are not going to solve these problems by slicing the pie smaller and smaller. We need to make the pie bigger. If you want more taxes for your programs stop strangling businesses, help us create a healthy economy.