----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Webster"
Newsgroups: sci.agriculture
Sent: Sunday, October 20, 2002 11:32 AM
Subject: Farming in South Dakota


:
: Gordon Couger wrote in message
: news :
: "Jim Webster" wrote in message
: ...
:
: Gordon Couger wrote in message
: ...
:
: "Jim Webster" wrote in message
: ...
: Just had a message from our Agricultural Buying Group Secretary
: that
: there is a trip to South Dakota for farmers from the North of
: England
: who are thinking of emigrating to farm somewhere with less
: paperwork
: I know that out of our 40 strong buying group we have already
: had to
: go
: to Canada.
:
: I would look hard at Ecuador. Some west Texas farmers were
: thinking
: about
: going there to find a place they could actually farm profitably.
: The
: government has a good reputation for stability for that part of
: the
: world
: and land, labor and equipment is cheap.
:
: I'll mention it to them.
: Over here some are putting money in Eastern Europe. Hungary and
: Poland
: are apparently quite popular, further east you have problems in that
: there is virtually no concept of private ownership of land.
: Also many have doubts about the stability of the Ukraine and Russia
:
: Eight gauge shotguns, mouser and AK47's are spoken there. Good gun
: control
: is the answer. Being able to put two taps in 4 incises at 200 yard
: with the
: rifle and 50 yards with a pistol. The Ukraine has good land and a
: farming
: heritage. Mafia control of a armed rural area is a short term problem.
: Russia and the Ukraine know how to make some one pay for the
: privigalge to
: rule them better than any one in the world.
:
: Organize as greenpiece march in the rural Ukraine or Siberia. You can
: save
: money booking one way tickets. If I had some money to risk the
: Ukraine
: looks good. China better yet if they would let you in. Cuba is a
: sleeper as
: well.
:
: Poland et. all. are just short term stop gaps. The will be feeding at
: the
: same troughs as the rest in 10 years. I would be politically incorrect
: for
: Government to get on price for labor and pole another.
:
: My solution is to reopen the Newburg trials and give all Europe to
: Germany
: and tell then to make it work in 15 years or we hang you as a penalty
: for
: loosing the war, Screw up quicker and we hang you. And ask for
: volunteers.
: and every 5 years they sand election to see if the are hanged or not.
: The
: politicians are not properly motivated. The also have to walk the
: streets of
: town with out guard or armor. If an office is open two week draft some
: one.
:
: I bet the government straighten up and flies right then.
: Gordon
:
: I wonder if you have ever come across a really established very senior
: civil service. In the UK a minister (who is the political one) will
: perhaps stay in his job a year. Everything is run by an entrenched civil
: service. Remember that with a general election, very few people actually
: change position, there are comparatively few political appointees that
: actually matter. Politicians have political advisors who sometimes try
: to get into the line of command but are not real civil servants.
: So really European politicians have very different powers etc to
: American ones.
: Interestingly enough, when the UK Prime Minister has his chancellor
: stand up and announce the budget, he is telling you what will happen,
: unlike in the US where as far as I can tell, the Presidents budget is a
: basis for discussion and the final bill can be different to his
: proposals.
: On the other hand, effectively the UK Prime Ministers budget has already
: been vetted and passed by the civil service because they are the only
: ones who can work the system and understand the figures.

Our budget is prepared by civil servants the generaly added on to by
politicians adding their pork barrel issues or special deals. Most of the
core budget gets left alone. Unless some particular Item is shaved off of
it.

Our budget is wild assed guess with suplemtnenal bills passed, and money
tacked on other bills when needed. Money is freely stolen from the social
security fund or borrowed via treasury bills if there is a problem. There
very few agencies that can account for where the money went and those are
small.

In times of real crisis the fed just increases the money supply. When the
stock market tanked they lowered interest rates and turned on the faucet
http://www.thecapitalmarkets.com/Mac...y_supplym2.htm
I wonder what inflation really is?

The ones that can account for it will at the end of the year either have an
austerity program or a money burning spree to come in on budget. It is far
better to go over budget than to be under budget. If you are under budget
you didn't need the money and they take it away.

Your very effective civil service would be the death of our political way of
life. Some one might ask where the money went.

The bureau of Indian affairs has been in contempt of court for some time for
not being able to give an accounting of the monies they are supposed to be
holding for the Indian tribes. It is a story of continued misconduct for
centuries right up to today. One of the all to true jokes about Indian
claims is we stole this country from the fair and square. It is quite
possible that one of the presidents cabinet may go to jail for contempt to
get this off high center. It may take that to get the government to admit
that they don't have any records.

Our political system is supported by civil service just as yours. Some of
ours are excellent. the USGS United States Geographical Survey the oldest
science civil service organization over half the scientist never retire even
though they stop paying them at 70. The still come to work every day. A
scientist that works for government pay is really dedicated. The USDA is a
lot the same I know people well into their 70's still working. They know
their work is important and there are not new people to take their place.

The we have the damn social services that run the spectrum of dedicated
saving lives to ruining peoples lives on a whim. People end up on a web page
as child molester for sparking a kid harder than some social worker thinks
they should and the offender wisely takes a misdemeanor plea rather than
loose his life saving in a court battle.

Our agriculture civil service that interacts with the farmer has a local
board of farmers that has a great deal to say in how things are run. In
practice they have veto power over the employees in the offices including
the director. The same with punishments for infractions of the rules unless
it get to the point that really amounts to something. They would ride the
inspector that hassled OZ over a cracked window and a piece lumber on the
ground out of town on a rail were I live and have been. The area I farm it
was one of the freer running places but they all were more interested in
being sure the sprit of the law was being followed and that it is working
than looking for cracked widows.

Our acreages are farmer reported and spot 10% spot checked.

When the Soil conservation Service had a program that required a lot of
written plans the director asked me if there was any way to make it easier
on a computer. Well there were about a dozen common problems with about 3
way of solving each we wrote each up and he and the farmer would cut and
past most of the plan togeater and only have to do the work on the unique
problems and not on the same damn thing over and over. If some one came up
with a new idea for handling a problem that was agreeable it went in so it
was available to others.

Gordon