Just waiting on ABP

[DiamondSCattleCo]

Its time that ABP/CCA lost their check off dollars. We're pouring money into an organization that is not representing cow/calf producers AT ALL.

Rod

[rkaiser]

They (ABP) talk like supporting something like Canada Gold Beef is not in their mandate, however, I think it is more of a pouty protest.

The other things that the B4 group agrees on and suggested to government include a directional levy and BSE testing for market access.

Like I say good riddence, and I hope someone other than yours truly starts a petition. If not - I may have to start that process up when this Canada Gold process moves beyond my personal involvement.

The following is an example of the kind of guy we are looking for to lead the "Canada Gold Beef" team.

Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from it's death throes?
He has a new book, and here are some excerpts.
Lee Iacocca Says:
"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage?
We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car.
But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say,
"Stay the course"
Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America,
not the damned "Titanic". I'll give you a sound bite: "Throw all the bums out!"
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the " America " my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged.
This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.
The Biggest "C" is Crisis!
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory.
Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A Hell of a Mess.
So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country.
We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense?
I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing.
Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when "The Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening.....But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity.
What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope and I believe in America.
In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises:
"The Great Depression", "World War II", the "Korean War", the "Kennedy Assassination", the "Vietnam War", the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.
If I've learned one thing, it's this: "You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action.
Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play.
That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to "Action" for people who, like me, believe in America . It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had "enough."
Excerpted from "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?".
Copyright (c) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.

[per]

Good inspirational morning message Randy. I heard Rick Burton on the Radio this morning explaining how not all the groups that the Minister of Agriculture mandated to get together and outline a plan could agree. He then went on to say that the Real group of the industry will meet in Feb and deal with the issue. I couldn't find the news clip on the radio stations web site. When it is available I will post it. He didn't mention that only One group stonewalled the process. I guess this is their hill to live or die on. I hope for their sake they come up with something brilliant from their brain trust.

[vagabonddreamer]

Hey guys!! As an outsider (not in Alberta..lol...) and relatively new to the site...i have been doing quite a bit of background reading with respect to hierarchy and associative memberships....in BC we have only the BC Cattlemen's (like em or hate em)...and to be honest we dont know HOW or if they are effectual....

i am very curious as to how and who the players are in Alberta as you guys seem to run the cattle show in this country...(again like it or not...lol)...

would one of you articulate members care to let the rest of us know what the infighting is about...and exactly who is (from and association standpoint) in the leadership role???

i take it there is a levy assigned to cattle auctioned that goes to Alberta Beef Producers??? what of these other acronyms i keep reading about??? thx...vs

[grassfarmer]

I enjoyed that post Randy, the quote
"We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind..." seemed most fitting in the circumstances.
We certainly don't have a Lee lacocca
heading up ABP or CCA - more like Coco the clown!
I don't know about starting a petition... was discussing with someone the other night the possibility of withholding ABP levy though.... any ideas on the workability of that?

[rkaiser]

Don't get what you mean grassfarmer. The auction marts take it off automatically. Have you been chatting with one of them? Private sales - you need to do it yourself and I can tell you that I personally send nothing their way and look forward to a challenge by ABP to collect.

[grassfarmer]

Yeah it's the auction mart stuff I'm talking of withholding!

[DiamondSCattleCo]

It would be nice to get a few of the auction markets to agree to withhold the levy, much the same as select RMs withheld the school tax a couple years back.

Hmmmm, perhaps its an idea with some real merit, grassfarmer. Hit them where it hurts and tell good ol' Hughey that we don't appreciate an organization who represents the packers more than the producers.

Rod