Price parity
What the primary producer needs is parity of prices. How can any producer in the developed world, Third World or any other world for that matter, be expected to always make up the difference between the constantly increasing input costs and the ever-lower prices he receives for his produce?
This dichotomy is caused by the financial system. In this system, when you borrow money, the principle is created but nowhere in the system is the interest created. Parity of prices would make up for this shortfall.
Read Also
Worrisome drop in grain prices
Prices had been softening for most of the previous month, but heading into the Labour Day long weekend, the price drops were startling.
Free trade is Marxist because the aim of free traders is to take away all supports from the primary producer, leaving him in financial slavery.
Parity of prices would rejuvenate the system. Putting money that rightfully belongs to the primary producer back in his pocket would be one step toward the revitalization of the rural communities. Parity would be a way to keep the primary producer at home.
Parity of prices would bring sound money. Farmers the world over, seeking parity of prices from their governments, would allow them to compete first and foremost in their own domestic market. This would eliminate the excessive consumption and waste of the free trade drive to ship into someone else’s domestic market first.
The unemployment rate is eight percent. Parity to the farmer would create jobs. Free trade is nothing more than economic insanity. An excess profit tax could be set up to provide the money.
– Ralph Dawson,
Elmworth, Alta.
CGC responsibility
The other day I was reading the Western Producer and there was an article that got my attention. The headline read “Farmers sue grain commission.”
The article states that “a group of farmers has filed a statement of claim in Alberta provincial court against the Canadian Grain Commission, alleging it allowed a grain dealer to operate an elevator without a licence despite knowing it was in financial difficulty.”
The CGC knew that this person was operating without the proper licences for four years, yet they didn’t close the elevator.
On the CGC website it states: “The CGC regulates the grain industry to protect producers’ rights and ensure the integrity of grain transactions.” How are the farmers supposed to continue to trust the CGC if they aren’t doing anything about their “clients” when they aren’t following the rules?
The reason I am responding to this article is because I am one out of 17 to 20 farmers (there could be more) in Manitoba that got caught selling our grain to a grain dealer that wasn’t licensed.
Because the CGC wasn’t doing their job and this grain dealer wasn’t licensed, there was about half a million dollars lost between the farmers that came forward in Manitoba. When you’re a small farmer that really hurts.
Now within the past two years and other farmers coming forward with complaints from various companies not paying them, the CGC has changed the Canadian Grain Act. It now states that all farmers are responsible for looking into the grain dealers, elevators and plants that they plan on taking their grain to, to be sure they are licensed. They have done this to cover their behinds.
But what about the farmers that lost money before the new act was implemented? Why weren’t we compensated for our losses?
I don’t think that hundreds of farmers should suffer the losses of millions of dollars because a few people decided to break the laws.
– Grace Roy,
Bagot, Man.
Medical advice
We are writing in response to Dr. Clare Rowson’s Health Clinic column entitled “Risk of cholesterol-lowing medication” that appeared in your Oct. 9 issue.
As Canadian physicians, we find Dr. Rowson’s advice to readers to discontinue any medication without first consulting their physician highly dangerous ….
The evidence is clear: lowering the levels of LDL-C or “bad cholesterol” reduces the risk of heart attack and death. Statins, commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol, are safe and highly effective. The Canadian guidelines for the prevention of heart disease recommend appropriate use of statins to reduce heart disease risk.
In terms of the side effects, about one person in 2,000 may develop significant muscle inflammation and about one in 200 persons may develop a mild elevation in liver enzymes and these are reversible when the medication is discontinued. The risks of statin therapy are very small and serious consequences avoidable with appropriate monitoring.
If any of your readers are concerned about statins or any other prescribed medication, we strongly urge them to discuss these concerns with their own physician.
– Ruth McPherson, MD, PhD,
Professor, Departments of Medicine & Biochemistry,
Director, Lipid Clinic & Lipid Research Laboratory,
University of Ottawa Heart Institute,
Ottawa, Ont.
Car vs train
Every year hundreds of people get killed by not being able to stop before hitting the side of a truck or train. In many cases their vehicle is not moving more than 10 miles per hour when this happens. The front of the vehicle goes under the truck or train and the body gets decapitated.
I am sure that if the person steered in the direction that the truck or train is moving and rolled the vehicle, his or her chances of surviving would be many times better.
How would a person have this theory tested and adopted as defensive driving? My opinion is that it could save many lives.
– Mathew Wozniak,
Grande Prairie, Alta.
CWB & election
Canadian Wheat Board supporters, before you vote I hope you seriously consider what a vote for the Saskatchewan Party might mean to the future of our farmers marketing agency, the CWB.
On page 9 of the 24-page Saskatchewan Party mail out, right side, paragraph six, they write that they will negotiate the right for producers to have a choice in marketing. In other words, they would negotiate an end to the single desk marketing power of the CWB to sell our grain into world markets dominated by a few large grain companies.
What many if not most voters may not realize is that if we ever give up any of our traditional ways of protecting our way of life and business deals, the Free Trade Agreement or North American Free Trade Agreement deals federal politicians have signed will not allow us to go back to our old Canada-first ways.
In other words, once giving up a Canada first position, our trade deals do not allow us to go back.
– Lester Jorgenson,
Abbey, Sask.
Horner mislabelled
Re: Mouse and Elephant (Sept. 18) apology.
I seem to have suffered from a temporary case of writer’s foot-in-mouth disease. Thanks to a very kind phone call from Mr. David Orchard, I found that the hiding I gave Mr. Jack Horner, former minister of Trade, Commerce and Industry, was thankfully a forgivable error. Mr. Horner served under Pierre Trudeau, not (Brian) Mulroney…. I’m sure Mr. Horner took his share of hidings when Trudeau brought in the National Energy Policy and waved the bird at Western Canadians….
– Nancy Mereska,
Two Hills, Alta.
Golden Alberta?
With an election in the running, it’s very difficult to express controversial topics but we can try.
We keep comparing life here with Alberta. Six of our nine children, their spouses and children moved to Alberta. Two are educators, one works in the oil field, one is a veterinarian, two work at a hospital as a nurse and receptionist, a mechanic, a hair dresser, a plumber, a communications officer, two are bank officials,… a drywaller, a walking mailman, a reclaims officer.
Which of these jobs are not available in Saskatchewan? Why did they move? Perhaps the grass was greener on the other side of the fence? Then there is the search for the Holy Grail.
What’s the comparison in insurance, health premiums, telephone, power, heat, housing? Comparable housing is at least twice as expensive as here and 10 times more than in small town Saskatchewan.
Do they burn less gas crossing Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton or shopping 30 to 50 miles from home than we do? Are their services any more efficient …?
– E. O. Oystreck,
Yorkton, Sask.
