Here is a good article about change - not climate change- but change nonetheless:
'Jail's better than kissing my banker's ass'
Martin O'Malley
CBC News Online
Kronau, Sask
While provincial party leaders engaged in a nationally televised election debate in Regina, farmers in this hamlet half an hour's drive to the southeast met in a three-sheet curling rink to plan a Saskatchewan version of the Boston Tea Party.
The talk was angry - one farmer called a visiting school trustee a "cockroach" - and the threats were real. In the end 75 of the ratepaying farmers of the Rural Municipality of Lajord No. 128 voted to withhold their property taxes until governments do something to help farmers who are suffering their worst times in 60 years. Only nine voted not to withhold their taxes. There were two spoiled ballots.
The meeting began respectfully, with talks from various experts on taxes, education and government. There was perfunctory applause after each speech, but when the meeting was opened to questions one farmer strode to the microphone in the centre aisle and said, "I'm goddam tired of being poor. I'm sick of this crap. Jail's better than kissing my banker's ass."
Barry Farr, who farms with his two sons near Lumsden, just north of Regina, said he knows of five farmers who have killed themselves this year because of the crushing costs of production, poor payments and body-blow tax hits that feel like they are reeling out of control. "One farmer went to his bank, threw all his keys on the banker's desk, then drove home and hanged himself," Farr said in an interview at the end of the meeting.
The farmer who complained of kissing his banker's ass publicly challenged Craig Melvin, representing the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association, asking him what he earned as a school official. There was an embarrassed silence, then Melvin replied, "Enough." Undeterred, the farmer asked what Melvin paid in school taxes. Melvin said he paid $3000. "You must have a nice house," the farmer said, adding in a hiss: "You cockroach."
The tax revolt meetings at the rural municipality level are spreading, and growing. The farmers are exhibiting desperation and a feeling of futility in dealing with provincial and federal governments, and now school boards. As more and more farmers are forced from the land and their property is absorbed into larger and larger spreads, the school tax burden hits disproportionately hard at the fewer remaining farmers.
Rod Flaman, a young farmer 65 kilometres to the north of Kronau, told of his court battle with the Canadian Wheat Board for trying to sell his wheat independently.
It's a battle he'd like to win, and one that may go as high as the Supreme Court. Flaman belongs to a group known as "Farmers for Justice."
He said he expects 20,000 farmers to go out of business within a few months, when the results of the 1999 season come in. That would leave Saskatchewan with only 30,000 farmers. "The feds want us to go out of business," Flaman told the meeting. He said if all farmers are driven out of business, it would lead to the creation of "tenant-farmers" being paid a wage to grow food.
"They're trying to get rid of us," Flaman said, "so why ask them to help us?"
Flaman's campaign now is to support tax revolts like the one in Kronau. Three other such meetings recently have resulted in farmers voting by margins of 74, 76 and more than 80 per cent to withhold property taxes. He calls the $1.5 billion federal/provincial aid plan a "placebo" designed to placate the farmers without really helping them.
"The program is a disaster," Flaman said. "I believe the intent of the program was to…lull farmers into a false sense of security, to make them think that there was some help coming. Some are getting money but a lot aren't getting money, and the ones getting money are getting way less than they thought. It's a pittance compared to what was promised."
He says farmers no longer have any clout with federal and provincial politicians.
"Any semblance of power left is a tax revolt at the municipal level," Flaman said. "The pressure will mount and flow upward. This pressure will manifest itself at least on the provincial government, perhaps even at the federal level."
He says the Kronau tax-revolt will have results. Already the sentiment is snowballing as farmers realize they can have an impact, starting at the grassroots, municipal level. "I pretty much guarantee it," he said. "These people voting for a tax revolt, a lot of them are unable to pay their taxes. The ones who are able to pay their taxes are telling me, 'If I pay my taxes when my fellow-farmers can't, I'm just driving them into the dust. Instead of supporting them in their hour of need, I'm hurting them.'"
Flaman hopes that a genuine tax revolt will fashion a psychological makeover among farmers.
Farmers who are delinquent in taxes for a year get named as a delinquent, which has always been a source of great shame. Flaman wants delinquency on taxation to become "a badge of honour" among farmers.
Even if it comes to threats of foreclosure, Flaman says farmers should hold fast and not be frightened into submission. He has some practical advice: it takes a year before one is named, another year before any legal action is started, then probably another year before a farmer is taken to court.
If the judge decides the farmer is making an effort to pay - if he hands over a couple of hundred dollars - the judge may give him more time.
At the least, Flaman figures the farmer has three years on his side before steps are taken to foreclose his property.
Flaman also wants farmers to seriously diversify, whether it's raising elk for the velvet in their horns, or growing ginseng or hemp. "Why are we producing all of this wheat for export? It's not helping producers. The starving people of the world aren't benefiting, because they can't afford to buy our grain."
Hemp is a perfect Canadian crop, Flaman says, though he himself isn't growing it. He wants Canada to cut down importing cotton, rayon and nylon and grow hemp for a made-in-Canada solution. "Let's start producing something that we can consume here in Canada.
Overnight we could displace 50 per cent of our wheat exports. And it would create jobs. The hell with exporting. We're just feeding the transportation system."
End of CBC Online.
_____________________________________
The Freedom of Information Act will allow scrutinzation all Director's dealings with the CWB before and after they were elected.
How is that for change Chuckchuck?
You can give the computer back to your twin now.
'Jail's better than kissing my banker's ass'
Martin O'Malley
CBC News Online
Kronau, Sask
While provincial party leaders engaged in a nationally televised election debate in Regina, farmers in this hamlet half an hour's drive to the southeast met in a three-sheet curling rink to plan a Saskatchewan version of the Boston Tea Party.
The talk was angry - one farmer called a visiting school trustee a "cockroach" - and the threats were real. In the end 75 of the ratepaying farmers of the Rural Municipality of Lajord No. 128 voted to withhold their property taxes until governments do something to help farmers who are suffering their worst times in 60 years. Only nine voted not to withhold their taxes. There were two spoiled ballots.
The meeting began respectfully, with talks from various experts on taxes, education and government. There was perfunctory applause after each speech, but when the meeting was opened to questions one farmer strode to the microphone in the centre aisle and said, "I'm goddam tired of being poor. I'm sick of this crap. Jail's better than kissing my banker's ass."
Barry Farr, who farms with his two sons near Lumsden, just north of Regina, said he knows of five farmers who have killed themselves this year because of the crushing costs of production, poor payments and body-blow tax hits that feel like they are reeling out of control. "One farmer went to his bank, threw all his keys on the banker's desk, then drove home and hanged himself," Farr said in an interview at the end of the meeting.
The farmer who complained of kissing his banker's ass publicly challenged Craig Melvin, representing the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association, asking him what he earned as a school official. There was an embarrassed silence, then Melvin replied, "Enough." Undeterred, the farmer asked what Melvin paid in school taxes. Melvin said he paid $3000. "You must have a nice house," the farmer said, adding in a hiss: "You cockroach."
The tax revolt meetings at the rural municipality level are spreading, and growing. The farmers are exhibiting desperation and a feeling of futility in dealing with provincial and federal governments, and now school boards. As more and more farmers are forced from the land and their property is absorbed into larger and larger spreads, the school tax burden hits disproportionately hard at the fewer remaining farmers.
Rod Flaman, a young farmer 65 kilometres to the north of Kronau, told of his court battle with the Canadian Wheat Board for trying to sell his wheat independently.
It's a battle he'd like to win, and one that may go as high as the Supreme Court. Flaman belongs to a group known as "Farmers for Justice."
He said he expects 20,000 farmers to go out of business within a few months, when the results of the 1999 season come in. That would leave Saskatchewan with only 30,000 farmers. "The feds want us to go out of business," Flaman told the meeting. He said if all farmers are driven out of business, it would lead to the creation of "tenant-farmers" being paid a wage to grow food.
"They're trying to get rid of us," Flaman said, "so why ask them to help us?"
Flaman's campaign now is to support tax revolts like the one in Kronau. Three other such meetings recently have resulted in farmers voting by margins of 74, 76 and more than 80 per cent to withhold property taxes. He calls the $1.5 billion federal/provincial aid plan a "placebo" designed to placate the farmers without really helping them.
"The program is a disaster," Flaman said. "I believe the intent of the program was to…lull farmers into a false sense of security, to make them think that there was some help coming. Some are getting money but a lot aren't getting money, and the ones getting money are getting way less than they thought. It's a pittance compared to what was promised."
He says farmers no longer have any clout with federal and provincial politicians.
"Any semblance of power left is a tax revolt at the municipal level," Flaman said. "The pressure will mount and flow upward. This pressure will manifest itself at least on the provincial government, perhaps even at the federal level."
He says the Kronau tax-revolt will have results. Already the sentiment is snowballing as farmers realize they can have an impact, starting at the grassroots, municipal level. "I pretty much guarantee it," he said. "These people voting for a tax revolt, a lot of them are unable to pay their taxes. The ones who are able to pay their taxes are telling me, 'If I pay my taxes when my fellow-farmers can't, I'm just driving them into the dust. Instead of supporting them in their hour of need, I'm hurting them.'"
Flaman hopes that a genuine tax revolt will fashion a psychological makeover among farmers.
Farmers who are delinquent in taxes for a year get named as a delinquent, which has always been a source of great shame. Flaman wants delinquency on taxation to become "a badge of honour" among farmers.
Even if it comes to threats of foreclosure, Flaman says farmers should hold fast and not be frightened into submission. He has some practical advice: it takes a year before one is named, another year before any legal action is started, then probably another year before a farmer is taken to court.
If the judge decides the farmer is making an effort to pay - if he hands over a couple of hundred dollars - the judge may give him more time.
At the least, Flaman figures the farmer has three years on his side before steps are taken to foreclose his property.
Flaman also wants farmers to seriously diversify, whether it's raising elk for the velvet in their horns, or growing ginseng or hemp. "Why are we producing all of this wheat for export? It's not helping producers. The starving people of the world aren't benefiting, because they can't afford to buy our grain."
Hemp is a perfect Canadian crop, Flaman says, though he himself isn't growing it. He wants Canada to cut down importing cotton, rayon and nylon and grow hemp for a made-in-Canada solution. "Let's start producing something that we can consume here in Canada.
Overnight we could displace 50 per cent of our wheat exports. And it would create jobs. The hell with exporting. We're just feeding the transportation system."
End of CBC Online.
_____________________________________
The Freedom of Information Act will allow scrutinzation all Director's dealings with the CWB before and after they were elected.
How is that for change Chuckchuck?
You can give the computer back to your twin now.
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