1/09/2009

Flatulence !?!

I sit here looking out the window at a fresh blanket of snow. I remember back to the 1980's when there was a big to-do about the possible new ice age that was going to come down and bury Canada along with the top third of the United States. Whatever happened to that dire prediction? All the scientist of the day were in a frenzy.

My how things have changed in a mere 25 or so years. Global warming is the new boogie man. Now all the talk is about "greenhouse gases" and how if things don't turn around, we are going to be roasted alive or die from undiluted radiation from the sun. Where do these folks live? Haven't they heard that for the most part, the world is going through one of the coldest winters on record?

As with most folks, I often dismiss this craziness as just another wild idea that will come & go with the changing times. I figure that these suit & tie folks need to make some noise every now and then so they can justify their big salaries. Over the past few years, some politicians have gotten on-board with this idea and started writing books & making movies about the demise of society if we don't clean up the air & stuff. After being a famous Vice-President, I guess Al Gore couldn't stand becoming obscure again. Some folks live for the spot light.

For the record, I believe that God commissioned man to be a good steward of the world He has given us. I also believe that we've done a poor job at keeping our air, water, and earth clean. It wasn't long ago when some folks ended up in the hospital here because they decided to take a summer dip in the local river. California is always putting out smog alerts; and the last I heard, the air in Houston Texas isn't in very good shape either. But, "global warming"?

The suit & tie folks convinced the politicians that exhaust from autos is making the "global warming" worse. The politicians got together and are looking for ways to inspire the people into finding an alternative solution to automobile exhaust. The media got on board and now there's a big push to go green. That idea has some merit. In time more folks will be driving those funny little hybrid cars. (I'm not sure that the hybrid car is going to be a big hit where I come from. It'll be awful difficult to get those glass-packs to rack off in a car that hums.) My personal solution for the excessive greenhouse gasses is to stay home. I venture into town a couple of times a month; but I look out my window and watch the same cars go by a dozen times a day.

There has been drum beats over the past few months to the effect that there is methane gas in cow flatulence. This methane gas is suppose to be a big contributor of "greenhouse gases". When I first heard this, I laughed. I guessed that some suit & tie lived down-wind of a dairy or stock yard.

I was reading in the news a couple of days ago that the politicians have taken this new knowledge and found a way to use it in their favor. According to the Cattle Network, the EPA proposes a "Cow Tax".
USDA stated that any operation with more than 25 dairy cows or 50 beef cattle would have to obtain a permit.

The last I heard, these permits would run about:
$175 per dairy cow
$87.50 per beef cow

Honey and I started doing the math ~ his sister & her husband own a small dairy. As a rule, they keep about 30 dairy cows along with some replacement calves. Under this EPA proposal, they would have to pay at least $5,250.00 in taxes just to stay in business. That's a lot of money for a small dairy operation. A ranch with 200 head of beef would fork over $17,500. I read the proposal, but I couldn't figure out if this tax was supposed to be yearly or as a one-time payoff. Has our government gone completely mad? I would have figured that they had enough to do without finding ways to tax our farmers out of business.

After letting this roll around in my head for awhile, the thought occurred to me. All you folks who enjoy comfort foods that have a Southwest flair, particularly red beans & cornbread, had better watch out. If they can tax cow flatulence, there is no stopping them from going after people.

Don't you think it's time to fire some of these folks and replace them with someone with a little common sense? Honey often says that common sense isn't so common anymore.

May the Lord bless you.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am not sure how to PROPERLY make comment but the idea of taxing someone cause of their livestocks natural functions ought to take place, but i also believe that the tax (even though they say it is for "go green") is for the lining of their pockets and their "relief" of dire circumstances in the economy. In a movie I watched called the "Replacements" an entire football team went on strike and the star quarter back told the press, due to the strike, "Do you know how much insurance costs on a brand new Porsche?" I guess being in power entitles you to splurge a little in the good times but in bad times i guess everyone owes you so you can pay off for all the splurging you have been doing. Even if it does get rid of a few "mom and pops" places. Me personally I would sew my livestocks rears up and tell the tax dudes see no flatulence no bill.