We just fought a war in Iraq, to among other things, bring freedom to a population that has been oppressed for 30 years. Here on the home front it seems that everyday we find the pressure building for government and the courts to tell us what we can do, can't do, can eat, can't eat. What is happening to our freedom of choice here at home?

More than 125 jurisdictions nationwide have banned smoking in bars and restaurants. I have never smoked in my…

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The Congress finally has given us a budget. The budget is a broad outline that gives direction to the Congress as they pass the many spending bills for the year. The big fight was over how much to cut taxes. And that is still a little bit up in the air. President Bush wants a 550 billion dollar cut but the Senate says 350 billion is their limit. We'll see.

There was a lot of worry about what kind ofreduction the agriculture budget would face. Well, as…

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It's been a long time since we went into a planting season with more uncertainty than we face today. We have a war against terrorism, a war in Iraq, a soft economy and drought in many parts of this country. A budget deficit forcing Congress to cut spending -- maybe ours -- and farm prices continue to languish.

Where do we go from here? Is there any other way to go but up? First, I think the war will be a net plus for agriculture in both the Sh0l1 term and long term. Short term, President…

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Although I am not very optimistic about the new round of global trade negotiations, I am much more optimistic about negotiation of bilateral agreements. It is so difficult to get every country in the world to agree on a single plan to reduce duties, to harmonize regulatory standards and not get bogged down in an endless harangue about the environment, labor and even animal rights. However, country by country we can and are making progress.

We just concluded a free trade agreement with…

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We are always looking for an easy way out -- a painless solution. Can I stay in shape by simply avoiding fast foods? By taking some magic herbal dietary supplement? By going to some shrink to curb my appetite? Where is the silver bullet?

I have in front ofme the health section of the Washington Post. The headline reads, "Sweet but Not So Innocent." Not talking about the girl at the truck stop! Talking about sweeteners made from corn -- high …

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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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The tragic loss of life in the space shuttle Columbia disaster brings up an important question. "How important is this exploration of outer space and is it worth the soaring cost -- more than 100 billion dollars and the risk" A lot of finger pointing is going on to place blame for the loss of Columbia and its crew. I would submit that you can't spend enough money to make shooting into space more than 200,000 miles a safe journey. It's not like driving down the street to the grocery store.

I…

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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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Closing out the books on 2002 and starting to focus on the New Year. What will it bring? Will the Congress cut our farm bill supports? Will the long sough after 2002 disaster relief that wasn't in the Christmas stocking yet appear? Will we suffer draught or floods or another chicken embargo? I guess if we knew all ofthese answers, we wouldn't have to work.

I realize some farming regions struggled with devastating drought last year. Still, I doubt that the congress will find very much…

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