I wonder if any of the Supes (excluding Bob Nelson) bothered to visit any of the farms yesterday during "Farm Day". We visited 2 ... 1 small and 1 large. Speaking with Larry Ferini of Laguna Ranch Farms we learned that if minimum wage goes to $26.50 he will shut down. During harvest time, blueberry pickers average 5-6 boxes at $5 per box on piece rate pay. Nice pay. Sure they work hard, but so do construction and oilfield workers.
Also, thanks to Bonnie Donovan, I learned yesterday about UCSB’s Community Labor Center and their Labor Summer program. What an overt socialist indoctrination program! Please shed some daylight on this disgusting misuse of taxpayer funds.
The thing to focus on is it’s not about the pay, the migrants, or the grapes. It’s about the positioning at zero cost to the positioners: the vote. They do this as a county/supervisory to garner sentiment and votes. The unions do this to buttress their coffers. And ultimately both groups do it for power.
Votes are not even needed by the dominant supermajority party in this state - just bodies to count in population-based voting district allocations.
All they need is a concentration of "protected class" residents (legal or not) to get specially-formed voting districts that ensure they will win at least one or two full voting seats on certain elected boards (city council, school districts, community colleges).
Well said. But you left out the vast numbers of those immigrants who are members of drug cartels and other criminal organizations, such as human trafficking. Which our socialist states seem to adore since it creates the very chaos they quite obviously are looking for. What is happening is deliberate and not entirely due to ignorance. It’s just that it’s hard to imagine folks living in such wonderful places who are deliberately trying to destroy them. But they are. Look at the weather manipulation causing the massive “wild” fires. There is destruction of vineyards and farmland and home loss all ‘round. The fires themselves. As in Canada and other areas in the West are being used to charge the atmosphere with heat and air pressure changes and adding particulates into the air that can be nucleated to create ice or heavy rains (handy after a fire to start mudslides and what not.) And not just for local weather entertainment. All these fires are creating massive changes to the jet stream and Arctic air masses and this affects the entire country. This isn’t global warming. It is warfare on us at a massive level. Even those immigrants become a drop in the destructive-forces-bucket compared to what our military departments and uber wealthy folks are doing to our weather patterns. Sometimes just for play. Because they can. Because there is no regulation on weather experiments or manipulation. None.
We need to get our collective selves sorted out at many different levels. Like with Pharma, though, we have to wake up to what is happening. And it’s not out of ignorance. It’s on purpose.
Proving yet again no one person can speak for their entire class of people, when only skin color, or language spoken is used as their special class designation.
How can cartels be an automatically protected class simply by skin color as "hispanics"? AWFL's do not speak for me. Just the opposite. Why would it be the case for any other skin color? The huge flaw in any DEI assessment or racially protected voting allocations.
Absolutely agree with you. You nailed it. What’s happening isn’t random—it’s deliberate, coordinated, and far beyond coincidence. The chaos, destruction of farmland, vineyards, homes, and entire communities is exactly the kind of destabilization they want. And you’re right—immigration isn’t just about people seeking opportunity, it’s being weaponized too, with criminal organizations exploiting it to fuel more chaos.
The cartels are deeply involved in agriculture as well—buying up land through front companies, muscling in on water rights, and using farms as cover for money laundering and trafficking operations. They aren’t just moving drugs anymore; they’re embedding themselves into food supply chains, controlling labor through intimidation, and even corrupting local officials to look the other way. This goes way beyond the border—it’s creeping into our very ability to grow and secure our own food.
And the saddest part? We’ve got so-called “representatives” like Salud Carbajal and his lackeys who turn a blind eye, or worse—actively support policies that make it easier for these destructive forces to thrive. Instead of protecting the people who live and work here, they cater to the same interests driving this chaos, while pretending to stand for “community” and “progress.” Their silence and complicity are just as damaging as the direct actions of the cartels and the global elites manipulating our weather and economy.
Weather manipulation, fires, floods, mudslides—all of it ties together. It’s not about ignorance or poor management, it’s about intent. Like you said, they are deliberately trying to destroy the very places we live in, while pretending to care. It’s warfare in plain sight, and people need to wake up to how deep this really goes.
What our society needs is to teach age appropriate economics and business in our elementary, middle, and high schools. Our citizens need to learn that the laws of economics cannot be repealed or ignored.
Community Environmental Center, headquartered in prime downtown State Street downtown real estate, runs classes to train "social activists" in Spanish.
Funding sources for the CEC? The real funding; not just any possible pass-through NGO funding .
Well said, Andy. It is truly sad that so many, ignore the historical ( and current) rwality of the abject failure of socialism.
Wherever it is imposed, it ruins lives. Those who impose it, are fools who are convinced that they know better, that doing the same thing again, in the same way, will result in a different result.
Great article that brings up so many common sense points. My daughter, a US citizen who lives in Corcoran and works for the school district makes $20 an hour. But on top of that she has to pay taxes on that $20, she doesn’t receive free Medi-cal , she pays $700 a month for medical and is facing a huge medical bill because she had to pay 30% of a surgery bill. She gets no food stamps or any other special benefits that people here illegally get. And what really makes me mad is that I am sure the people not paying into our benefits system get to vote??? No ID necessary, just send in a mail in ballot. Why is this ok?
Excellent work, Andy. Once again you’ve brought to the surface the reality of what’s happening here on the Central Coast. Thank you for exposing the economic illiteracy and destructive policies being pushed by people like Salud Carbajal, Joan Hartmann, and their activist allies. Your perspective cuts through the noise and highlights what’s really at stake for our community — jobs, opportunity, and the future of working families. Keep shining that light; too many are content to look the other way while these misguided policies tear apart the very foundation of our region.
Stop calling people such as Joan Hartmann and Laura Capps "progressives". They are left/liberals at least; socialists at worst. They want people, especially adversaries, to refer to them as "progressive" because "leftist" and "liberal" have earned a toxic stigma in the public square. But more importantly, "progressive" includes the main root "progress". Who can be opposed to "progress"? Words mean a lot. If you can persuade opponents to call you by a nice-sounding label, all the better. It's more than giving the other side the benefit of the doubt, or a head start in the debating rink. Pardon me if you've heard me tell this story before but back in 1976, I was listening to an FM pop rock station in Pittsburgh, when the D.J. said the next song up is a disc just released yesterday by the "Amazin' Rhythm Aces" called "Third Rate Romance". It's a very catchy "American roots" tune, and for the next several weeks, all the pop stations, AM and FM, were playing the song. But every D.J. was referring to the "Rhythm Aces" as "amazing". I thought that was odd - until I discovered that "Amazin' Rhythm Aces" was the name of the band. They very cleverly incorporated the word "amazin'" as an adjective into the official name of the group. My hunch is that little cypher was worth an extra $1 million in sales and another $1 million in free publicity for live venue events. At least the "Amazin' Rhythm Aces" were - well - amazing in person live. As for "progressive" and "progressives", they're still dull and tired left/liberal socialists whose ideas, and their applications, have been in the "failed" column since Karl Marx.
The one thing I have rebelled against from the beginning is the myth that "All men are created equal". What a load of crap. You telling me that some stupid thug from who-knows-where has as much value to this world as Elon Musk, Steve Jobs or Jonas Salk?
Here's a poem about the illegal aliens flooding our country:
For once, I actually agree with Andy and his farm/oil and gas folks that support his lobbying. $26/hr is a lot of money. Probably too much.
But if we're going to whine (yes, that was kind of a grape-picking pun) about socialism, let's look at both sides. Workers and farmers. California farmers receive plenty of federal and state subsidies (money) in the form of crop subsidies, crop insurance subsidies, loan subsidies, etc.
So I'm betting farmers taking money from the government 'socialism' is fine.
Actually, our local farmers receive ZERO subsidies! What we grow here are called specialty crops- lettuce, broccoli, strawberries, etc. The crops that receive subsidies and price guarantees are in the Mid-West- corn, barley, oats, etc.
That's interesting, Mr. Caldwell. I didn't know that. Specialty crops! Come to think of it, I've never seen lettuce, broccoli or strawberries high-lighted on the Chicago Board of Trade!
How many SBC Farmer recieved this aid over the past 5 years? Short answer: for two of these programs (USDA Farm Loans and NRCS EQIP), the government doesn’t publish a clean, county-level count of unique recipients. One (CDFA Healthy Soils) does publish grantee lists you can hand-count.
Here’s what we can say with evidence today:
of Santa Barbara County farmers funded by the: Healthy Soils Program (HSP) in the last 5 years
FY2021 Incentives: 5 awardees list Santa Barbara County (e.g., Gaviota Givings/Orella Ranch; Hijas de la Fresa; Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard; Rancho Cortez; Wm. Bolthouse Farms).
FY2023–2025 Block Grant era: CDFA shifted much of HSP to regional block grants. Santa Barbara County is served by the Ventura County RCD (with Cachuma RCD as a partner); CDFA lists the block-grant administrators and the counties they cover, but does not publish sub-recipient counts. You’d need the administrator’s tally to know how many Santa Barbara farms were funded locally in 2023–2025. (Ventura County RCD contact is on CDFA’s awardee sheet.)
FY2024 Incentives: The official award list shows no entries with “Santa Barbara” in the county column (0 known direct Incentives grantees that year).
Bottom line for HSP (past 5 years): At least 5 Santa Barbara farmers (2021 Incentives). Additional 2023–2025 Block-Grant recipients almost certainly exist but aren’t centrally published—count requires the local block-grant admin’s list.
of Santa Barbara County producers funded by: NRCS EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program)
Public sources show dollars by county, not recipient counts. For 2017–2022, Santa Barbara County received about $1.43 million in EQIP payments (gives a sense of scale), but the database doesn’t reveal how many unique farms that represents. To get an exact count for FY2021–FY2025 you’ll need NRCS’s local office pull (or a simple data request).
NRCS’s official data portals (RCA Data Viewer and the Financial Assistance dashboard) also don’t expose county-level recipient counts publicly.
of Santa Barbara County borrowers: of USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans (direct/guaranteed/microloans)
FSA’s public “Program Data” pages summarize state/national obligations and loan types but do not publish county-level recipient counts. You’ll need the local Santa Maria FSA Service Center to provide a 5-year borrower count for Santa Barbara County.
Local contact (public): 920 E Stowell Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93455; phone on USDA’s service-center list.
Peter, I am not sure you read your google search item very carefully. Yes, the State of CA researches new varieties of fruits and vegetables and they also do research on pest and disease eradication. However, that is not the classic definition of crop subsidies and price controls which are given to crop that are not grown on the Central Coast as follows:
Crops in America get subsidies and price controls
The U.S. government provides subsidies and price controls to certain crops to support farmers and ensure a steady domestic food supply. The main crops eligible for these subsidies include:
Corn: A staple food and a key component of the U.S. diet.
Soybeans: A major protein source and a key ingredient in many processed foods.
Wheat: A widely used grain for bread, pasta, and other products.
Cotton: A significant fiber crop used for textiles and other products.
Sorghum: A versatile grain used for food, fiber, and fuel.
Rice: A staple food for many cultures.
Peanuts: A key ingredient in many snacks and other products.
Barley: A grain used for food, animal feed, and brewing.
Milk: A staple food for many diets.
Swine: Cattle and calves are also eligible for subsidies.
These subsidies are designed to support farmers and ensure that these crops are grown in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of the American population.
Andy did not mention subsidies to farmers so I would not "bet" I knew his position. I am opposed to any government subsidies or in general doing anything that upsets free market capitalism.
I'll make bets all day long that I figure are better than 50-50. But yes, I'll be fair and let Andy chime in on what he thinks of CA farmers getting 100 of millions in government subsidies each year.
Longer and more complicated issue than I feel like writing on a beach day. The short version is, I think there needs to be a minimum wage. But 26 dollars is too high. I think there should be limited and both strategic and tactical subsidies as well. Key word limited. I don't think paying farmers to grow corn to turn into ethanol is a good use of money. A well executed DOGE would have been a great thing. Despite picking on wacky statements on the current, I'm actually quite a centrist. Or at least I consider myself one. Who knows.
I have greater faith in free markets than man's ability to engineer the economy through wage controls and subsidies. Isn't it all just redistribution of wealth? Soft Socialism?
The workers who line up at The Wall down by the Rescue Mission to be hired for "day labor" (illegally) ask for that hourly rate or more. Migrants? Winos? Willing to work hard to better their life? Better keep an eye on them while they are at your property, and understand that having scoped out your garden gnomes and bicycles they can easily be back to procure them for resale. When you have an underclass with little to lose the society as a whole has much to lose.
Bad timing to make demands on the wine industry, when wine consumption is already dropping, with no relief in sight. Beef consumption going up, so there is a movement to convert high labor intensity vineyards into lower labor intensity grazing lands.
I wonder if any of the Supes (excluding Bob Nelson) bothered to visit any of the farms yesterday during "Farm Day". We visited 2 ... 1 small and 1 large. Speaking with Larry Ferini of Laguna Ranch Farms we learned that if minimum wage goes to $26.50 he will shut down. During harvest time, blueberry pickers average 5-6 boxes at $5 per box on piece rate pay. Nice pay. Sure they work hard, but so do construction and oilfield workers.
Also, thanks to Bonnie Donovan, I learned yesterday about UCSB’s Community Labor Center and their Labor Summer program. What an overt socialist indoctrination program! Please shed some daylight on this disgusting misuse of taxpayer funds.
The thing to focus on is it’s not about the pay, the migrants, or the grapes. It’s about the positioning at zero cost to the positioners: the vote. They do this as a county/supervisory to garner sentiment and votes. The unions do this to buttress their coffers. And ultimately both groups do it for power.
Votes are not even needed by the dominant supermajority party in this state - just bodies to count in population-based voting district allocations.
All they need is a concentration of "protected class" residents (legal or not) to get specially-formed voting districts that ensure they will win at least one or two full voting seats on certain elected boards (city council, school districts, community colleges).
Well said. But you left out the vast numbers of those immigrants who are members of drug cartels and other criminal organizations, such as human trafficking. Which our socialist states seem to adore since it creates the very chaos they quite obviously are looking for. What is happening is deliberate and not entirely due to ignorance. It’s just that it’s hard to imagine folks living in such wonderful places who are deliberately trying to destroy them. But they are. Look at the weather manipulation causing the massive “wild” fires. There is destruction of vineyards and farmland and home loss all ‘round. The fires themselves. As in Canada and other areas in the West are being used to charge the atmosphere with heat and air pressure changes and adding particulates into the air that can be nucleated to create ice or heavy rains (handy after a fire to start mudslides and what not.) And not just for local weather entertainment. All these fires are creating massive changes to the jet stream and Arctic air masses and this affects the entire country. This isn’t global warming. It is warfare on us at a massive level. Even those immigrants become a drop in the destructive-forces-bucket compared to what our military departments and uber wealthy folks are doing to our weather patterns. Sometimes just for play. Because they can. Because there is no regulation on weather experiments or manipulation. None.
We need to get our collective selves sorted out at many different levels. Like with Pharma, though, we have to wake up to what is happening. And it’s not out of ignorance. It’s on purpose.
Proving yet again no one person can speak for their entire class of people, when only skin color, or language spoken is used as their special class designation.
How can cartels be an automatically protected class simply by skin color as "hispanics"? AWFL's do not speak for me. Just the opposite. Why would it be the case for any other skin color? The huge flaw in any DEI assessment or racially protected voting allocations.
Absolutely agree with you. You nailed it. What’s happening isn’t random—it’s deliberate, coordinated, and far beyond coincidence. The chaos, destruction of farmland, vineyards, homes, and entire communities is exactly the kind of destabilization they want. And you’re right—immigration isn’t just about people seeking opportunity, it’s being weaponized too, with criminal organizations exploiting it to fuel more chaos.
The cartels are deeply involved in agriculture as well—buying up land through front companies, muscling in on water rights, and using farms as cover for money laundering and trafficking operations. They aren’t just moving drugs anymore; they’re embedding themselves into food supply chains, controlling labor through intimidation, and even corrupting local officials to look the other way. This goes way beyond the border—it’s creeping into our very ability to grow and secure our own food.
And the saddest part? We’ve got so-called “representatives” like Salud Carbajal and his lackeys who turn a blind eye, or worse—actively support policies that make it easier for these destructive forces to thrive. Instead of protecting the people who live and work here, they cater to the same interests driving this chaos, while pretending to stand for “community” and “progress.” Their silence and complicity are just as damaging as the direct actions of the cartels and the global elites manipulating our weather and economy.
Weather manipulation, fires, floods, mudslides—all of it ties together. It’s not about ignorance or poor management, it’s about intent. Like you said, they are deliberately trying to destroy the very places we live in, while pretending to care. It’s warfare in plain sight, and people need to wake up to how deep this really goes.
...to what the military and uber wealthy are doing...? U.C. education?
? I'm confused. What code are you writing?
What our society needs is to teach age appropriate economics and business in our elementary, middle, and high schools. Our citizens need to learn that the laws of economics cannot be repealed or ignored.
Community Environmental Center, headquartered in prime downtown State Street downtown real estate, runs classes to train "social activists" in Spanish.
Funding sources for the CEC? The real funding; not just any possible pass-through NGO funding .
Well said, Andy. It is truly sad that so many, ignore the historical ( and current) rwality of the abject failure of socialism.
Wherever it is imposed, it ruins lives. Those who impose it, are fools who are convinced that they know better, that doing the same thing again, in the same way, will result in a different result.
Socialism isn’t about uplifting people it’s about power and control for the elites.
Thank you Andy. As usual, another great read, when the facts be told.
Great article that brings up so many common sense points. My daughter, a US citizen who lives in Corcoran and works for the school district makes $20 an hour. But on top of that she has to pay taxes on that $20, she doesn’t receive free Medi-cal , she pays $700 a month for medical and is facing a huge medical bill because she had to pay 30% of a surgery bill. She gets no food stamps or any other special benefits that people here illegally get. And what really makes me mad is that I am sure the people not paying into our benefits system get to vote??? No ID necessary, just send in a mail in ballot. Why is this ok?
Excellent work, Andy. Once again you’ve brought to the surface the reality of what’s happening here on the Central Coast. Thank you for exposing the economic illiteracy and destructive policies being pushed by people like Salud Carbajal, Joan Hartmann, and their activist allies. Your perspective cuts through the noise and highlights what’s really at stake for our community — jobs, opportunity, and the future of working families. Keep shining that light; too many are content to look the other way while these misguided policies tear apart the very foundation of our region.
Stop calling people such as Joan Hartmann and Laura Capps "progressives". They are left/liberals at least; socialists at worst. They want people, especially adversaries, to refer to them as "progressive" because "leftist" and "liberal" have earned a toxic stigma in the public square. But more importantly, "progressive" includes the main root "progress". Who can be opposed to "progress"? Words mean a lot. If you can persuade opponents to call you by a nice-sounding label, all the better. It's more than giving the other side the benefit of the doubt, or a head start in the debating rink. Pardon me if you've heard me tell this story before but back in 1976, I was listening to an FM pop rock station in Pittsburgh, when the D.J. said the next song up is a disc just released yesterday by the "Amazin' Rhythm Aces" called "Third Rate Romance". It's a very catchy "American roots" tune, and for the next several weeks, all the pop stations, AM and FM, were playing the song. But every D.J. was referring to the "Rhythm Aces" as "amazing". I thought that was odd - until I discovered that "Amazin' Rhythm Aces" was the name of the band. They very cleverly incorporated the word "amazin'" as an adjective into the official name of the group. My hunch is that little cypher was worth an extra $1 million in sales and another $1 million in free publicity for live venue events. At least the "Amazin' Rhythm Aces" were - well - amazing in person live. As for "progressive" and "progressives", they're still dull and tired left/liberal socialists whose ideas, and their applications, have been in the "failed" column since Karl Marx.
The one thing I have rebelled against from the beginning is the myth that "All men are created equal". What a load of crap. You telling me that some stupid thug from who-knows-where has as much value to this world as Elon Musk, Steve Jobs or Jonas Salk?
Here's a poem about the illegal aliens flooding our country:
“I cross river, Poor and broke.
Take the bus, See employment folk.
Nice man Treat me good in there,
Say I need Go see Welfare.
Welfare say, 'You come no more
We send cash Right to your door.'
Welfare checks, They make you wealthy,
Medicaid, It keep you healthy!
By and by, Got plenty money,
Thanks to you, TAXPAYER dummy.
Write to friends In motherland,
Tell them 'come, fast as you can
They wade across river and beat up trucks,
I buy big house With welfare bucks.
They come here, We live together,
More welfare checks, it's even better!
Fourteen families, They moving in,
But neighbors' patience Wearing thin.
Finally, neighbor Moves away,
I buy his house, And then I say,
'Find more aliens For house to rent.'
In my yard I put a tent.
Send for family and their trash,
And they too Draw welfare cash!
Everything is going good,
Soon we flood the Whole neighborhood.
We have hobby It called breeding,
Welfare pay For baby feeding.
Kids need dentist? Wife need pills?
We get free! We got no bills!
TAXPAYER crazy! He work all year,
To keep our welfare paying here.
We think America Darn good place!
Way too good For U.S. race.
If they no like us, They can go,
There’s lots of room In Mexico!
For once, I actually agree with Andy and his farm/oil and gas folks that support his lobbying. $26/hr is a lot of money. Probably too much.
But if we're going to whine (yes, that was kind of a grape-picking pun) about socialism, let's look at both sides. Workers and farmers. California farmers receive plenty of federal and state subsidies (money) in the form of crop subsidies, crop insurance subsidies, loan subsidies, etc.
So I'm betting farmers taking money from the government 'socialism' is fine.
Actually, our local farmers receive ZERO subsidies! What we grow here are called specialty crops- lettuce, broccoli, strawberries, etc. The crops that receive subsidies and price guarantees are in the Mid-West- corn, barley, oats, etc.
That's interesting, Mr. Caldwell. I didn't know that. Specialty crops! Come to think of it, I've never seen lettuce, broccoli or strawberries high-lighted on the Chicago Board of Trade!
Andy,
Looks like local “specialty” farmers do indeed receive assorted direct & indirect federal subsidies;
https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=do%20santa%20barbara%20county%20california%20specialty%20vegtable%20farmers%20receive%20any%20federal%20subsidies&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5
How many SBC Farmer recieved this aid over the past 5 years? Short answer: for two of these programs (USDA Farm Loans and NRCS EQIP), the government doesn’t publish a clean, county-level count of unique recipients. One (CDFA Healthy Soils) does publish grantee lists you can hand-count.
Here’s what we can say with evidence today:
of Santa Barbara County farmers funded by the: Healthy Soils Program (HSP) in the last 5 years
FY2021 Incentives: 5 awardees list Santa Barbara County (e.g., Gaviota Givings/Orella Ranch; Hijas de la Fresa; Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard; Rancho Cortez; Wm. Bolthouse Farms).
FY2023–2025 Block Grant era: CDFA shifted much of HSP to regional block grants. Santa Barbara County is served by the Ventura County RCD (with Cachuma RCD as a partner); CDFA lists the block-grant administrators and the counties they cover, but does not publish sub-recipient counts. You’d need the administrator’s tally to know how many Santa Barbara farms were funded locally in 2023–2025. (Ventura County RCD contact is on CDFA’s awardee sheet.)
FY2024 Incentives: The official award list shows no entries with “Santa Barbara” in the county column (0 known direct Incentives grantees that year).
Bottom line for HSP (past 5 years): At least 5 Santa Barbara farmers (2021 Incentives). Additional 2023–2025 Block-Grant recipients almost certainly exist but aren’t centrally published—count requires the local block-grant admin’s list.
of Santa Barbara County producers funded by: NRCS EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program)
Public sources show dollars by county, not recipient counts. For 2017–2022, Santa Barbara County received about $1.43 million in EQIP payments (gives a sense of scale), but the database doesn’t reveal how many unique farms that represents. To get an exact count for FY2021–FY2025 you’ll need NRCS’s local office pull (or a simple data request).
NRCS’s official data portals (RCA Data Viewer and the Financial Assistance dashboard) also don’t expose county-level recipient counts publicly.
of Santa Barbara County borrowers: of USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans (direct/guaranteed/microloans)
FSA’s public “Program Data” pages summarize state/national obligations and loan types but do not publish county-level recipient counts. You’ll need the local Santa Maria FSA Service Center to provide a 5-year borrower count for Santa Barbara County.
Local contact (public): 920 E Stowell Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93455; phone on USDA’s service-center list.
Peter, I am not sure you read your google search item very carefully. Yes, the State of CA researches new varieties of fruits and vegetables and they also do research on pest and disease eradication. However, that is not the classic definition of crop subsidies and price controls which are given to crop that are not grown on the Central Coast as follows:
Crops in America get subsidies and price controls
The U.S. government provides subsidies and price controls to certain crops to support farmers and ensure a steady domestic food supply. The main crops eligible for these subsidies include:
Corn: A staple food and a key component of the U.S. diet.
Soybeans: A major protein source and a key ingredient in many processed foods.
Wheat: A widely used grain for bread, pasta, and other products.
Cotton: A significant fiber crop used for textiles and other products.
Sorghum: A versatile grain used for food, fiber, and fuel.
Rice: A staple food for many cultures.
Peanuts: A key ingredient in many snacks and other products.
Barley: A grain used for food, animal feed, and brewing.
Milk: A staple food for many diets.
Swine: Cattle and calves are also eligible for subsidies.
These subsidies are designed to support farmers and ensure that these crops are grown in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of the American population.
6
Andy did not mention subsidies to farmers so I would not "bet" I knew his position. I am opposed to any government subsidies or in general doing anything that upsets free market capitalism.
I'll make bets all day long that I figure are better than 50-50. But yes, I'll be fair and let Andy chime in on what he thinks of CA farmers getting 100 of millions in government subsidies each year.
Where do you stand on subsidies and minimum wages?
Longer and more complicated issue than I feel like writing on a beach day. The short version is, I think there needs to be a minimum wage. But 26 dollars is too high. I think there should be limited and both strategic and tactical subsidies as well. Key word limited. I don't think paying farmers to grow corn to turn into ethanol is a good use of money. A well executed DOGE would have been a great thing. Despite picking on wacky statements on the current, I'm actually quite a centrist. Or at least I consider myself one. Who knows.
I have greater faith in free markets than man's ability to engineer the economy through wage controls and subsidies. Isn't it all just redistribution of wealth? Soft Socialism?
Yeah, I'm good with a bit of 'soft socialsim". And free markets are never 'free'. And what the hell is going on in tarrifville?
The workers who line up at The Wall down by the Rescue Mission to be hired for "day labor" (illegally) ask for that hourly rate or more. Migrants? Winos? Willing to work hard to better their life? Better keep an eye on them while they are at your property, and understand that having scoped out your garden gnomes and bicycles they can easily be back to procure them for resale. When you have an underclass with little to lose the society as a whole has much to lose.
Yes, you realize that these same "efforts" by socialist in Michigan is what destroyed Deroit.
I thought the first brick that fell in Detroit was that our car makers were making cars no one wanted?
Bad timing to make demands on the wine industry, when wine consumption is already dropping, with no relief in sight. Beef consumption going up, so there is a movement to convert high labor intensity vineyards into lower labor intensity grazing lands.
Very good article, Andy. It is (but now maybe was) a great time to be an illegal coming to our country.