For those who’ve been following the Wheat Board debate, I ran across this blast from the past this weekend.
At its 1975 annual meeting, the Saskatchewan Conference of the United Church voted “to absolutely condemn inland terminals.”
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John Clark, editor of United Grain Growers’ Grainews wrote;
“things must be different in United Church Sunday Schools today from when I was a kid. In those days, the Kamsack Sunday School teacher (an RCMP constable and hockey coatch) used to threaten benching us the next five hockey games if we didn’t ‘pay attention’ … But I’ll bet kids pay attention nowadays. The threat isn’t Hell. It’s inland terminals.”
Weyburn Inland Terminal 30 years later.
Cartoon and exerpt from Just A Bunch Of Farmers. (Exerpts)
The United Church long forgot that what is Ceaser’s is Ceaser’s and what is God’s is God’s.
I just want to market the product I grow as I see fit. It belongs to me and to no one else. I believe the issue boils down to “who owns the grain I grow”. It is not a voting issue. If some people want to market through the CWB be my guest. I don’t want to. I don’t feel the guy down the road should be involved in our farms business. All the rest is just fluff. You do as you want but leave my families and my farm out of whatever collectivist plans you want.
OK Folks, this is off-Topic but I can’t resist.
The CBC website has announced that the Canadian of the Year is the Canadian Soldier!
They invite your comments. Please have at it.
nothing to do with this thread…can’t use your email thing…
cbc tv advertising ‘little mosque on the prairie’ complete with flying imam hardy-har-har advertisement. sickening.
here’s the link:
http://www.cbc.ca/programguide/program/index.jsp?program=Little+Mosque+On+The+Prairie
i have already sent a letter of complaint.
ben
tryingtofarm,
I find it amazing that the Liberals see no wrong in oppressing your rights and justify it by abusing a democratic system. I agree that even if 99.9% of farmers supported the single desk CWB in a vote it still would be wrong. However, it is probably very close to 50% of farmers who do not. But I believe the other deception going on is the fact 20% of the farmers are responsible for 80% of the production(at least in my area) and I know they would be dead against a single desk. Do you believe that this is the case across the province or at the very least in your area?
”I don’t feel the guy down the road should be involved in our farm’s business.”
At risk of sounding like a broken record/ one trick pony, with all due respect, every guy or gal down the road who earns a paycheck is already involved in your farm’s business.
MJ you are a broken record.
If you’re looking to reduce or eliminate the handouts to farmers getting rid of the CWB monopoly is a good way to start. It gets in-between farmers and their markets and individually costs them tens of thousands of dollars every year.
If you want them to make their living in the marketplace then you have to start by actually letting them do so. Not by throwing them in jail for having some initiative.
Ignore the Troll MJ, it sees farm subsidies as the cause of every evil facing mankind.
Albertaman; who is the troll? Am I misreading your post?
I see all marketing boards as an infringment on property rights. In a democracy, property is an individual right, not a collective one.
I have to suspect that the Liberal drive to retain these archaic leftovers of Keynesian economics is philosopical.
With todays economy, I can’t see the need for forced collective property ownership; if it ever worked for the property owner or the consumer to begin with.
Remember one thing, Canada does not have property rights in its constitution.
Remember one thing, Canada does not have property rights in its constitution.
Getting back to the topic of the orignal post, which is the merits of in-land grain terminals, I wonder how things have worked out….
Let’s see, the Sask Wheat Pool lost hundreds of millions of dollars on this construction project and has as much as admitted in their take-over bid for United Agricor that the system has too much built capacity.
Rural communities have lost commerce, jobs and a tax base.
Rural roads have been destroyed by increased truck traffic costing all of us more money in vehicle repairs and travel expenses, as well as future taxes to repair the damage.
….and farmers are paying higher shipping costs than ever….
Beyond the railway companies, who else has benefitted from the build-out of in-land grain terminals?
The UCC making the union of church and state a reality.
Whacky political crap like this is why I quit the UCC years ago….they are the theocratic wing of the Liberal party….not a word from them on SSM, home schooling, lying polititicans, government graft or any other dystopian foul up….just go with the flow right or wrong and keep them tax breaks rollin’
Albertaman; I don’t know for sure what the percentage of grain grown would be by larger farmers but it would likely be very high, in the 80% range. Or corse that is not my point, but that is probably the case.
Maryjane; Yes indeed governemnts worldwide have put farm subsidy programs in place. Are you suggesting because that is the case, farmers should have to market their grain through the CWB whether they want to or not.
Gunney99,
I am referring to Maryjane the Troll. It sees the world in a one dimensional way. By that I mean it believes that Farm subsidies add up to at least 5 billion every year and a result of these subsidies the immanent collapse of the Western World. It perversely implies a connection to farm subsidies on every topic on from Liberal corruption to the Iraqi war.
tryingtofarm,
My point with the 80% production by 20% of farmers tend to be farmers that are against the monopoly.This would make a vote even more distorted and undemocratic and ultimatley even more oppressive than it appears.
Ultimateley I still believe that even if it is 1% of farmers who are being prevented from selling their grain freely it is 1% too many.
I have the simple solution to the CWB. It would be something that the LIEbrals fear the most and cost the LIEberals seats in Central Canada. The Conservatives should say, “Alright, keep the CWB, BUT Ontario and Quebec -along with the Maritimes – MUST fall under their (CWB) umbrella.”
Why not a two level grain selling system? Those who want the Communistic LIEberal system (the CWB) and the “free-market system – no CWB. Can you imagine what would happen if ALL farmers were accountable to the CWB? There would be riots in the streets when the Ontario and Quebec’s grain was confiscated by the CWB.
If the (Ontario and Quebec) farmers tried to sell the CWB’s grain – for it wold not belong to the farmers but the CWB – they should be thrown in jail as Western Farmers presently are. If a farmer wants to be under the CWB, great! If the farmer wants choice, then give him/her the same opportunity as Ontario and Quebec presently have.
Albertaman;
I understand your point. Even though I support change, before the moves by the federal government it would have been about 50/50. Now it would likely go 70/30 for the wheat board. I think the feds have handled this very poorly and there will likely be a backlash.
tryingtofarm: I honestly am not sure what you mean by the Goverment handling it poorly, can you explain. What would you do to try and take down the CWB monopoly given the spin by pro-liberal pro CWB media? I am not trying to be argumentative I sincerely would like to know from your perspective what might be done.
Albertaman; This is an institution that as you point out has widespread media and left wing support. I think they should have started by trying to work with the CWB to bring about change. I know that would not have resulted in much. But had they at least started there they would have retained some support. From there they could have said they still want to move to a gradual opening of the board. Implementing a trail period for opting out a portion of your production perhaps 10-25%. The farmer making their intentions known well in advance of the new crop year. This would have been at least seen as reasonable. That would also have given the farmers time to learn and understand marketing. It would not satisfy the ones who want a total opt out or indeed it would not satisfy the ones who want no change at all. But in my opinion it would satisfy the majority.Then moving over time to appoint new directors to the gov’t filled directorships. This was not something that could be rammed through with a gov’t in a minority position. Firing Measner looks like desperation politics. This again should have been done over time. I truly fear now that the ham-handed fashion this has been handled will result in the oppurtunity for change has been once again lost. Farmers that want change are sometimes the worst people at understanding how to go about making those changes.
tryingtofarm: Thank you for the well thought out response. It remains obvious to anyone who respects freedom of thought and farmer’s right to market a legal product that the CWM monopoly must end. However being a non farmer I respect your position on how it should be brought down for two reasons:1)Those that desire that freedom have the most to lose if mishandled.
2)Only a farmer in your position would understand the subtleties on how to bring it down.
Good luck.
”Are you suggesting because that is the case, farmers should have to market their grain through the CWB whether they want to or not.”
I’m suggesting you employ some philosophical consistency. You rail against so-called collectivism as it pertains to your farm, yet you have no problem with the imposition of the collectivism of ag subsidies that confiscates the property of others to make your operation viable.
Albertaman; Now what we have is a debate that rages on about “allowing” only the farmers to decide through a vote. A one member one vote. So even though it should not be a vote decision that what we are likely going to get. We are seeing the scare tacits of the left having a big impact with the middle ground farmer becoming unsure if they want change. Both the left and right going crazy wanting an all or nothing approach. This is an economic and a question of free marketing choice. In a vote there is dozens of questions about the process. The question itself, who is eligible to vote, advertising, third party advertising and many more, all of which are very difficult to explain or debate in a overcharged and now very emotional environment that is the result of losing the media battle, at least to date. The left has outflanked the right on every move. It is very sad to see. I don’t know who is advising Minister Strahl but they should be let go. I would imagine they want to move this along fast in order to show results but it has been a disaster so far. As I said earlier I think there has been a very steady loss of support for change as a result of how the issue has been handled.
Again ignore the troll maryjane: It has for the past couple years railed against the same thing forming nonexistent links and exagerating the numbers. To this idiot 9/11, cancer,the Iraqi war, Saskatchwan poor economic performance were all caused by farm subsidies.
tryingtofarm: You have to admit when the left has the MSMedia behind it things are way more difficult for the Cons. By the way how do think the CWB paying bonuses to its employees play with farmers you know?
maryjane;
I never said that I supported ag subsidies, as I do not. Governments worldwide started that long before I came along even though I have made a living farming for 35 years. I don’t need farm subsidies but that is the game I’m in, as a result of left wing people who feel they know what best for me and everyone else. Now I’m in an enviroment that fosters medicority. Excellence is the result of hard work and iniative not left wing rectoric and farm programs that are forced down my throat like out dated marketing collectivist institutions like the CWB.
Albertaman;
Yes I agree fighting the MSM and the left is not easy but what we in the farm community have seen so far has been amatuer hour at it’s worst.
The bonus’s paid to CWB employees is not playing well at all. Just another example of the left using the farmers money to further their interests. I have to work everyday in this enviroment so over time nothing really surprises me anymore.
Many radical enviromentalists reject private property rights and want the goverment to take away own and control it all LETS TELL PETER BERYLE of the SIERRA CLUB to blow it out his fate green ear
”I never said that I supported ag subsidies, as I do not”
Then why aren’t you and all those other freedom loving, conservative voting farmers making the same amount of noise opposing subsidies as opposing the CWB? Or any noise? Because you’ve convinced yourself you’re entitled to your entitlements. You all talk a good game about collectivism and liberty and conservative principle and Librano corruption but in reality will take swilling in the public trough over principle any day of the week.
Maryjame, been on any picket lines lately or is it to cold for you this time of year?
entitlements, do you mean like the ones the cwb empleyees just stole out of farmers pockets to the tune of 500,000??.
or the court challenge to protect their cushy jobs and want the farmer to pay for?
That pot you puff sure clouds up your head! your memory sure is short! if i were you i’d be concerned.