America’s “Win All, Lose All” Position Has Led to Invention & Innovation

“Freedom of choice” has been the American Way ever since our forefathers fought – and won – freedom from Great Britain. Little by little, however, our freedoms are being threatened. Obamacare is one case in point.

Believe me, I’m not trying to politicize this issue. I would oppose this U.S. healthcare law regardless of who authored it. As one Iowa congressman wrote, “… the law is not the common sense path our nation should be taking on much needed health care reforms.” It creates instability, restricts patient choice and explodes costs that will hamper the economy. Even the presidents of three of the nation’s largest labor unions, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, released a letter to Democratic leaders in Congress warning that Obamacare would “shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40-hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.”

Such comments were made before Obamacare became the law of the land. Now we’re seeing how much American’s freedom of choice is being restricted. “We have to break people away from the choice habit that everyone has,” said Marcus Merz, chief executive of PreferredOne, one of the largest Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) in the Upper Midwest.

What’s even more disconcerting to me than limited American’s ability to choose the healthcare plan that best suits their needs is how our government is paying to deceive us! Just last week I watched a video of a worker given a huge government contract to basically do nothing. While she was hired to sign up people for health insurance, she said most days she and her coworkers just sit around talking. They’re told to look busy when inspectors come in to ensure taxpayer money is being spent correctly. They pretend to type, look busy and put on a good show. Talk about government waste at its finest!

When government takes over a business like they have health insurance, the efficiency disappears. That’s just plain economics, and I don’t need a degree to understand.

I have always believed there must be risk for a business to succeed. To succeed big, there must be big risk. There should be the possibility to lose it all because that makes the drive to succeed much greater. “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” The goal of success leads to innovation, too. People have an incentive to try new ways to improve efficiencies and improve their lives. This drive to succeed has made our country great. However, the comfort of everyone being “comfortable” was not a part of making this country great.

The post office is another example of government waste and inefficiency. When there is unlimited tax money to spend – money that wasn’t earned, borrowed or associated with any risk – there’s no incentive to make the business lean.

My trip to Ukraine made it very clear how a country can change by a little push from free enterprise. Where there was risk and effort, that country was making much progress in agriculture. I’m really hoping the current crisis, including protests against corrupt government leaders who have mismanaged the economy, doesn’t ruin all the progress that has been made. Government intervention can undo overnight what it takes a life time to build.

Another example of government intervention being showcased on a morning radio shows is government-owned resorts. Why are we letting government parks and cabins compete with private enterprise? Some of these parks have been made to be super nice, but at what cost to tax payers? Does this resort property pay property taxes? It’s my contention that taxpayer money is being used to create resorts that will take money away from private enterprises, yet private enterprises return a large portion of that money to the U.S. Department of Revenue in the form of taxes.

Government agencies should not be making rules and regulations that control business. Unless America remains “government of the people by the people,” what is happening in Ukraine can and will happen here! We must remain watch dogs for government control.

What’s happening in health care is happening in many other areas of business. Look at banking, investments, and my favorite… agriculture! New water rules by the EPA are a blatant grab for control. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers proposed the rule in March to clarify which bodies of water — such as wetlands and streams — come under the agencies’ authority to protect under the Clean Water Act. Basically, they want to control every drop of water.

We can’t farm without water. If you don’t believe me, just talk with a California farmer suffering from drought. Water is needed to produce everything from milk, beef and wine to some of the nation’s largest fruit and vegetable crops, including avocados, strawberries and almonds. Because California accounts for one-third of U.S. vegetable output and two-thirds of fruit and nut production, lack of production will increase retail prices. Retail tomato prices jumped 10 percent in the 12 months. U.S. retail prices for beef, bacon, lettuce and broccoli posted double-digit gains last year.

Giving the EPA control agriculture gives the U.S. government control of FOOD! Many governments in this world control their populations by controlling the food supply, and we’re having a huge discussion about food in this country. Consumers want to know where their food comes from and how it’s grown. If we are not careful, you might not have any say about your food. Government control can come a little at a time. Freedom can slip away very silently.

Preserve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness! Stay informed about the issues. Research political candidates. Exercise your right to vote.

My wife, Janice, and I have been looking through family photos and gathering material to make a historical video for our grandson Zach’s high school graduation present. Seeing all of these old pictures made me reminisce about my farming career.

Growing up, I have fond memories playing with one of those little red wagons. I also remember spending my fair share of time doing chores. Multi-generations were involved on the farm, and I remember learning from my grandfather Jake. Mom had a chicken house full of laying hens that earned grocery money for our growing family that included seven kids. Gathering eggs in a wire basket was something we all learned at an early age!

In addition to fresh eggs, we drank milk from our cows. We also ate home-raised chickens, beef from our own cattle and pork from our hogs. That’s the way it was done.

Farming required lots of manual labor from lots of family members because we didn’t have modern technology! Plowing the ground black was somewhat a source of pride as you were considered doing a bad job of farming if there was a corn stalk showing after you plowed! We spread lots of manure, usually close to the barns because it took too much time with slow tractors to haul it to fields that were further away. No manure management plans were written. We needed lots and lots of tillage to control weeds because there weren’t herbicides and pesticides.

Sounds great… right? Not so!

Even though we used very few chemicals, the wildlife populations were scarce on our farm compared to now. We had more fox and jack rabbits, but I can only remember one deer as a kid.

I also remember seeing so much soil erosion, and black dirt filled the air when the wind blew. Soil filled the ditches, which needed to be cleaned. Each spring we’d have to plow the dirt “drifts” away from the fence rows, and we’d have to fill in gullies that washed through the fields. Yields were pitiful compared to today, too!

Do we want to talk about livestock? The weather was harsh and housing conditions were crude by today’s standards, so I don’t think we even need to go there!

I will say, however, that we thought we were doing a great job of raising food back then. Each year we implemented new ideas, and we got better! Agriculture has continued to evolve. Fast forward to today, and we’re even better. Of course, we’re not perfect but we are better than we were 50 years ago. And you can bet that every year we will continue to get better and better at raising food!

I loved growing up on the farm, but I wouldn’t go back to “the good old days.” We produce much more output (food), with much less input (herbicide, pesticides, erosion). There’s no doubt in my mind that farmers today are doing a much better job of taking care of the environment, our soil, and our water. After all, I’ve “lived” farming for 50-plus years!

While we were broadcasting live yesterday on 1040 WHO Radio at JDM Farms near Redfield in Central Iowa, Latham® dealer Michael Meyers was turning up a little dust as he finished planting corn. Around noon, he and his father were switching over to begin planting soybeans.

Meanwhile, many farmers in North Central Iowa were working ground in hopes it would be fit for planting today. We have yet to plant a seed at Latham HQ, and once we get in the field, we’ll likely have to plant around many wet spots. This Facebook post yesterday by Laura Cunningham of Skyview Farms near Nora Springs in North Central Iowa sums up the feeling of many locals:

Hear that? That’s a sigh of relief from all farm wives in the area with pent up farmer hubbies. Field work has begun, thank the Lord! Now if only we could miss this rain coming…

Today’s local forecast calls for a high of 80° with 20% chance of precipitation. Those numbers change tomorrow when a storm system is predicted to move into the area, bringing a 70% chance of rain that continues into the early hours of Friday. You can bet farmers will be making tracks, covering as much ground as possible while the skies are clear!

Giving to others, without any expectation of receiving anything in return, can be one of the most satisfying works in life. Even though I volunteer without expecting anything, the rewards have been so great! It’s hard to describe the feelings I’ve experienced while watching a child learn about life by doing a 4-H project or an elderly hospice patient enjoy one last time fishing.

The fact that fewer Americans are willing to give of their time may be leading to larger government. When I think about how much the U.S. government has grown, I wonder what society would be like with less government. Apathy grows as society decides to depend more on government and less on themselves.

Because I care deeply about what happens on my family farm, I began volunteering with farm organizations during the 1980s Farm Crisis. Times were very tough, and change needed to happen! I can tell you from personal experience that our government’s efforts at that time were a dismal failure. Huge amounts of money were thrown at problems, and often times, government involvement just making things worse.

No one understands the problem like the people living it! That’s why it’s so important to get involved at the grassroots level. Through the National Pork Board’s speaker corps, Operation Main Street, I have had the opportunity to present to groups such as the Kiwanis, Lions Clubs, and many civic organizations that I had never before heard of. The definition of a civic organization is “a structure that benefits a community.” It has been eye-opening to learn what civic groups can accomplish! One commonality between these groups, however, is the growing lack of volunteers.

Hospice also is in need of people. I began involved with this organization about five years ago. While it has been the most emotional volunteer work I do, it also has been most fulfilling.

Another area where volunteers are needed is farm organizations. Grassroots efforts lead to better representation. I have done much lobbying and have gotten to know many elected officials. What I can’t understand is why more folks don’t have a voice in “our” government! This process starts on the local level, so I started by attending our caucus in the little town near my farm where I was elected as a delegate to the county and district levels. At the district level, we developed an agenda to help us decide what candidates “fit” with our beliefs. Of course, not every delegate had the same belief system. Developing a platform definitely required compromise, but we worked together and got the job done.

It takes the involvement of many people to make a civilized society work. If like me, you prefer a volunteer society over government control and regulation, then I hope you’ll get involved in the policy making process.