This is the Insurgent Radio Kiosk for Tuesday, October 29th
Hightower Commentary
Action Calendar
******
Sonny and Donnie: Down on the farm
Government by the rich is called plutocracy. Government by police power is autocracy. Government by thieves is kleptocracy. Government by Trump and gang, however, is all of the above, which adds up to something called kakistocracy – government by the very worst people in our society.
The media have covered the antics of many of the kakistocrats he’s appointed, but it’s time to shine a light on one of the obscure characters in the Trump cabinet: Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue of Georgia. Hailing from a state renown for its peanut crop, Sonny turns out to be the biggest goober of all! He had been a non-entity, blithely sitting in his ornate office while farm prices plummeted, bankruptcies spread, and farmer suicides surged.
But on October first, Sonny suddenly spoke out about the distress of farm families – not to offer assistance, but to slap them right in the face! “In America,” he smugly lectured, “the big get bigger, and the small go out.” Goobering on, Perdue explained: “[We don’t] for any small business have a guaranteed income or guaranteed profitability.”
What a heap of pious BS! Family farmers are not asking for a guaranteed profit – just a chance at making a profit. Today’s ag system has deliberately been rigged by policy makers so bankers and other corporate giants that farm farmers can stiff those who actually produce our food, then grab the profits for themselves. Indeed, the median profit of farmers last year was – get this – minus $1,500!
There’s nothing natural or inevitable about the big getting bigger and the small “going out.” All it takes are inept or corrupt do-nothing public officials to turn their backs while agribusiness powers plow under thousands of good family farmers. That is the essence – and shame – of the Donnie and Sonny farm policy.
“Trump agriculture chief: No guarantee small farms can survive,” https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/463955-trump-agriculture-chief-no-guarantee-small-farms-can-survive, October 1, 2019.
“’Unacceptable’: Family Farms, Ag Advocates Hit Back After Sec Perdue Says Small Dairy Farms Destined to Die,” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/10/02/unacceptable-family-farms-ag-advocates-hit-back-after-sec-perdue-says-small-dairy, October 2, 2019.
Hightower’s commentaries are brought to you by The Hightower Lowdown, the monthly newsletter with Hightower’s take on what Wall Street and Washington are up to. For information, visit hightowerlowdown.org.
******
It’s today’s Action Calendar!
A Public Information Meeting to discuss the City’s Phase 1 Bus Rapid Transit project is scheduled for this evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Madison Senior Center, 330 West Mifflin Street. Project leaders will present details about the overall project and review specific station locations and route options for the downtown portion of the service. For information, phone 267-1148.
The Moms Demand Action group gathers this evening to discuss strategies for ending gun violence in our community and how to support common sense gun laws. The meeting will run from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. at the Goodman Library, 2222 South Park Street. For information, phone 913-708-4247.
A panel presentation addressing “What is Food and Who Decides? Current Debates About Milk and Meat”, will be offered this evening starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Oregon Public Library, 256 Brook Street in Oregon. The panel will address issues such as: Are plant-based milks milk? Is meat really meat if it’s grown in a lab? Which stakeholders will have a say in making these decisions about our food? How can the public get involved in making these policies? Sponsored by the Holts Center for Science and Technology. For information, phone 263-2927.
The Insurgent Radio Kiosk welcomes your commentaries on subjects of interest to the W.O.R.T. listening community. Commentaries are limited to two minutes. If you’d like to do a Kiosk commentary, visit wortfm.org/kioskcommentary.
The Kiosk is available online at wortfm.org/kiosk.
This has been the Insurgent Radio Kiosk heard weekdays at 5:00, 6:30 and 9:00 AM and at 2:00 PM. I’m Greg Geboski. Submit announcements at least ten days in advance of the event at wortfm.org/announcements.
The post Kiosk for Tuesday, October 29 appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.