Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.

And now for today’s commentary—

On the one hand, it makes me smile, and on the other, it makes me scratch my head. A lot of people are not sure if this Congress will get their business done without shutting down the government. I think they will avoid a shut down,…

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Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you. 

And now for today’s commentary— 

When our country was founded, Thomas Jefferson had this to say about the U.S. government. “When the people realize they can vote themselves benefits, all is lost.” 

Well, we have arrived. The vast majority of people want our government to get…

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Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.

And now for today’s commentary—

So, the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker, went on food stamps for a week. Big deal! He has been on TV and interviewed by countless newspapers. Well, just for the record, I went on food stamps myself…

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Hello everybody out there in farm country.  This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Wal-Mart Stores, Monsanto, and John Deere.  They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America.  Thank you.  

And now for today’s commentary—  

It’s Saturday.  I just went to the mail box and brought the mail into the house.  We’ve always expected mail on Saturday.  But for how long?  The U.S. Postal Service is an…

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Hello everybody out there in farm country. This is Rick Frank sitting in for John Block who is on vacation. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Wal-Mart Stores, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.

And now for today’s commentary—

Recently, Congress enacted new laws to bolster food safety and to require calorie labeling for restaurant foods. Both of these…

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Is the war on fat going to tum out to be a big fat hoax? Now that the health care industry, the pharmaceutical companies, the media and yes the government have built obesity up into public enemy number one, there are questions yet unanswered.

It was my impression that obesity was becoming an epidemic. However, that may be an exaggeration. The average weight increase ofthe US population has increased about 7-10 pounds over the past 13 years. Thin Americans have not gained at all. And when we…

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Remember the lawsuit filed against McDonalds because that poor helpless New York City guy got fat eating all those Big Macs? Well, the judge threw it out and the guy altered the suit and filed it again. Trial lawyers save us from ourselves. Obesity, be gone! And that's the subject of my commentary today -- obesity.

You read about it. You see it on television. You see it walking down the street. I'm not here to suggest that we have no problem. I am saying that with the growing hysteria we…

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Give it to them and they will spend it. Take it away from them and they may exercise a little more spending restraint. At least that's what we could hope. Yes, the President's Economic Stimulus Plan may help to stimulate our economy. I hope it does. Ifit passes. But if you are listening, you can hear the criticism of the plan loud and strong.

Now, why would that be? They say they are afraid the deficit will increase. That it provides too much tax relief to the so-called rich. How about the…

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Don't miss it. If you care about the environment, if you want to sustain life on the planet, if you love and respect animals, you must attend. The subject is: "Revolutionary Environmentalism: A Dialogue between Activist and Academics." A star studded cast of speakers -- Gary Yourofsky representing People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). He has been arrested more than a dozen times for liberating minks. Paul Watson -- used to be with Greenpeace (They were too peacefuL), now with…

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Where does your money go? At USDA I believe that a lot of money is spent for a lot of good reasons. Farm support payments to help struggling farmers through tough times. Export funds to move our products into the international market place. Funding to care for our forests . Even food stamps to help needy families.

But I read an article last week that was shocking. According to the Inspector General, more than 20 million dollars of money at USDA that was designated to Natural Resources was…

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