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.