Editor:
In his book titled The Great Awakening, Jim Wallis relates the importance of integrity and accountability in doing what’s right and proper in finding solutions to our greatest challenges in life.
Unfortunately, wrong decisions have caused chaotic proportions from our depressed economy, scandals of pork-barrel spending, the ability of special interest money channeled to determine […]

Editor:
In his commentary, “Can’t feed the hungry without farmers,” in the March 26 issue, Denny Banister makes some very valid points.
His common sense reasons for continuing direct payments to farmers with one half million dollars in annual sales include:
1. Those farms produce 75 percent of the entire U.S. food supply and we will […]

Editor:
The AIG outrage is only an extension of the outrage that has been foisted on the American taxpayer for years and years by our elected officials who use the money we send them to buy our votes — only on a larger and more visible scale.

In 1967, an acquaintance of mine who lived on […]

Editor:
I’m writing today in regard to a recent Alan Guebert column regarding the soybean checkoff. As a long-time volunteer farmer involved with the soybean checkoff I want to provide some actual facts about the checkoff.
Mr. Guebert said chekoffs are mandatory. Not quite true. Every five years soybean farmers have the opportunity to request a […]

Editor:
We are opposed to a mandatory National Animal Identification System, NAIS, because it will be financially devastating to the small farmer and rancher.
Such a mandatory system will also further erode the rights of the small farmer/rancher guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
It is because of these concerns that we are continuing to monitor the […]

Editor:
Forgive me if I sound angry — but as I read your article, “Farmers face uphill climb in D.C.,” I have a hard time figuring out where to direct my anger.
Let’s start by directing some at the political hacks at the EPA who have decided that they need to now expand their control to limiting […]

Editor:
The question arises as to what the ordinary citizen can do regarding the economy, etc., realizing that the majority cannot comprehend the billions involved in the so-called bailout.
I would suggest as ordinary citizens we could affect a tremendous difference if we would just stop working, buying and selling on the Lord’s day.
One group of citizens […]

Editor:
In reference to the article titled “Obama: Cut direct farm payments” published in the March 5 issue of Farm and Dairy, I know a lot of family farmers in our area of Western Pennsylvania and just a handful make over $250,000 in annual products sold.
Does that mean we are inefficient, as the article implies? […]

Editor:
More credit is not the answer to America’s economic problem. Consuming beyond our means is what created our dilemma.
Thirty years ago, I worked part-time in a foundry in a non-union Columbiana County for $8.50 hour plus production bonus. Despite three decades of inflation, people are still working at all sorts of jobs for that […]

Editor,
I am a Farm and Dairy subscriber and an inmate in federal prison.
There was an article in your Jan. 22 issue titled “Millions behind bars at end of 2007.” One of the most telling statistics in that story read, “federal prisons operated at 136 percent capacity.”
That may sound efficient but a more accurate […]