BY JIM HIGHTOWER
“Arkansas Traveler” is an previous folks humor track a few rich dandy who will get misplaced whereas touring by means of the Ozark Mountains. He meets a farmer within the woods and shouts, “Hey, farmer, the place does this street go?” With out lacking a beat, the farmer says, “I’ve lived right here all my life, stranger, and it nonetheless hasn’t gone anyplace.”
It is a corny joke, however the present US Congress has been heading down the identical street aimlessly all 12 months in a fruitless try to succeed in an settlement on a rewrite of the essential US Farm Invoice. This failure could be very severe and completely irresponsible. The invoice is a five-year, $700 billion package deal that not solely delivers federal crop subsidies (which have largely gone to massive agribusiness operations) but in addition supplies meals stamps for hundreds of thousands of households. poor, cash for important agricultural conservation packages and financial growth work in hundreds of rural counties.
So why the useless finish? It’s attributable to the identical plutocratic/theocratic madness of Republican legislators who put their far-right ideology and company subservience earlier than all different wants of bizarre folks and our nation. On account of his inside chaos and political bombast, the previous Farm Invoice establishment needed to be prolonged for one more 12 months. It isn’t all dangerous information, nonetheless, as an entire new citizens has begun to come back collectively to draft a very revolutionary and forward-thinking local weather, agriculture, meals and labor invoice that advances the widespread good above all. from the exploitative greed of at present’s narrow-minded, monopolistic agro-industrial complicated. .
Let’s flip the useless finish 12 months right into a optimistic alternative to construct public help in 2024 for a basic democratic change in America’s meals course. The way in which to get there’s not by means of extra backroom offers in Washington, however by going on to the folks, mobilizing household farmers, meals staff, shoppers, local weather activists and others behind a revitalized system that works for us.
MY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR SOME POWERFUL PEOPLE
I made some New 12 months’s resolutions this week, not for myself, however as self-improvement concepts for a few of the individuals who run our nation. No have to thank me, glad to assist.
I wrote one for the complete far-right group of GOP lawmakers who proceed to dam passage of well being protection for the poor. “Resolved: We are going to quit the gold-plated, socialized well being care we now take from taxpayers, as a result of it’s only truthful that we’re in the identical leaky boat as our constituents.”
Then there are America’s 735 narcissistic billionaires who clearly have to discover a ethical compass. They’re so self-absorbed that they proceed to waste their cash and their “genius” on ghostly plutocratic schemes to separate their fortunes from the well-being of the remainder of us. Then they surprise why they aren’t beloved. So wealthy folks, let me assist. Resolve in 2024 to exhibit rather less conceitedness and somewhat extra humanity, much less preening and extra sharing. Observe in entrance of a mirror; attempt to see past your self to the widespread good. It’s a lovely and deeply rewarding place if you could find it.
And I did not overlook them, Washington operatives and large donors to the Democratic Celebration. Please resolve to camp out on America’s bases this 12 months, the place on a regular basis little Democrats need and wish your consideration and help. Not simply within the protected blue districts, however particularly within the rural, purple and even pink areas. They’ve deserted them in recent times, however they nonetheless yearn to construct a progressive ruling majority for America’s future.
In fact, the issue with New 12 months’s resolutions is preserving them, and you’ll’t depend on my honorees. Due to this fact, we have now to proceed to strain them to do the proper factor.