When is a farm not a farm?
So Congress is at work for us – as the saying goes, “They’re here to help.”
We’re speaking of the Farm Bill, which might send a small piece of taxpayer money to a few folks in Sonoma Valley (see story on pages 20-21). While the money might as well go here as anywhere else, something about the mercenary aspect of “get what you can” bothers us.
The bulk of the money being spent reportedly would go to subsidize (“pay for”) price supports on commercial farm products (keeping them higher than they would be otherwise). In the extreme case, some farmers (or rather, some corporations in the farming business) are even paid NOT to grow food.
Is this a good use of our tax money? We think not. In fact, it hurts us twice: once when we pay tax at a higher rate, and again when we buy food at a higher price.
Is this humanitarian? There are people in the world without enough food. Wouldn’t it make sense to let food prices fall to their natural level, based on supply and demand? Wouldn’t if make sense to grow more food, if we can?
Thus, while we appreciate the help of our elected officials to watch out for their constituents’ interests, we just wish there were a chance that government intervention in the nation’s food supply could be curtailed altogether. Once government distorts a market, further meddling only succeeds in pushing the money different places. The distortions, and inefficiencies, and unintended consequences – all those remain.
To and Fro’
High school seems calm and even blissful to us, from the distance of several decades. But for the students, we know it’s a rush, literally. So the event at the high school this weekend is aptly named: Rush! (see page 35 for details).
We applaud the administrators and volunteers who’ve worked hard to make the high school run so smoothly. And actually, there will be plenty of time for students and parents on Saturday to pick up the students’ class schedules for the fall semester, to sign up for sports and other activities, to chat with classmates and parents, and to join the Boosters Club.
The Boosters have been funding all the costs associated with interscholastic sports and other extracurricular activities at the high school, following the budget cuts by the School Board three years ago. Funding has come from donations from parents, local businesses, and others who want to support a well-rounded education for our youth. The parcel tax that will be on our November ballots would, along with addressing other needs, restore the funding cuts for those important programs.
Even for those of us without students in school, the annual cycle is a part of our lives. The full bunches of grapes around the valley suggest that harvest will soon be upon us. We anticipate the smell of crush, the hordes of recreational soccer players, and the Friday night football games. There’s something reassuring about it all, knowing that the familiar patterns continue, with or without us … that there are natural forces at work … that helps us put our own lives in perspective.
Go, Dragons!
