A Piece of the Earth
.jpg)
I have been given a brief time of joy
to tend a piece of the earth;
to consider the flora and fauna there
like children entrusted to my care.
Peace and Love ~ Patty:)
EARTH DAY/EVERY DAY
Farm Aid
.jpg)
photo by Craig SmithOn Farm Aid, I signed this wonderful informative petition. Please go to http://www.farmaid.org/ and sign it, too! US family dairy farmers are a big part of Hope 4 America, too. Thank You ~ Patty:)
To: Members of Dairy Industry Advisory Committee
Thank you for your commitment to examining price volatility and farm profitability for dairy farmers and for your efforts in providing the Secretary of Agriculture with critical recommendations on how USDA can best address these issues to ensure a viable future for our nation's dairy farmers.
As you know, family dairy farmers are in a chronic cycle of crisis. In January 2009 alone, dairy farmers faced a dramatic 30% decline in milk prices, the result of a defective milk pricing system that is vulnerable to extreme volatility and instability. This downward spiral has continued with some farmers receiving as low as $9 per hundredweight for their milk — less than half the cost of production.
The dairy industry needs a commonsense pricing formula for raw milk that pays a fair price and accounts for cost of production on farms across the country. Dairy price support programs must also account for total cost of production. Until a reasonable pricing formula is established, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack must use his authority to institute an emergency floor price of $18 per hundredweight for milk to keep farmers on the land during the current crisis.
Furthermore, any supply management scheme created must factor in total cost of production in order to truly address the problems that put dairy farmers out of business. Otherwise, such measures will be counterproductive and ultimately harmful to the health of family farms.
Thousands of family dairy farmers are at risk of losing their homes, their land, and their livelihood. Please, act now to set a fair price for milk and save our nation's family dairy farmers.
Sincerely
Patty Ann Smith
Environmental Protection
.jpg)
Protecting wildlife and all of their habitats is a very high priority for all of us to take part in.
(photo by Craig Smith)
My "Lily" poem
There is something about a Lily
that is so hope-filled;
the way the petals unfold
and the pistils and stamens push forward.
They grow so tall and bend with the wind.
They are so effortlessly beautiful
unafraid and accepting of all that life is.
FDR's Second Bill of Rights
Roosevelt’s Second Bill of Rights -1944
President Franklin D. Roosevelt created an "economic bill of rights" that would guarantee:
A job with a living wage
Freedom from unfair competition and monopolies
A home
Medical care
Education
Recreation
Roosevelt stated that having these rights would guarantee American security, and that America's place in the world depended upon how far these and similar rights had been carried into practice.
Excerpts from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944:
.....We cannot be content.... if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.
This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.
As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.
We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.
In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.
Among these are:
The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
The right of every family to a decent home;
The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
The right to a good education.
All of these rights spell security. And.....we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.
America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens.
The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life
.jpg)
photo by Craig SmithThe Particles of Light
photo by Emily ByWaterThe particles of light naturally align themselves with the ultimate efficiency of energy and movement. There is a common spiritual bond between all things in the universe that makes us all part of the genius of nature's intelligence ~ which is in the innate knowledge that all species help every other specie naturally evolve towards a more complex organism.
Climate Change
From Repower America:
“Global warming theory predicts that global precipitation will increase, and that heavy precipitation events… will also increase. This occurs because as the climate warms, evaporation of moisture from the oceans increases, resulting in more water vapor in the air.” – Jeff Masters, meteorologist
Fact: Climate change causes more frequent and severe snowstorms
Record snowstorms need two things: temperatures below freezing, and very high humidity. On a planet warmer by a few degrees on average, the Northeast US will still have plenty of days below freezing; the big difference will be warmer seas producing higher levels of moisture in the air — and therefore more severe cold-season storms.
Fact: We can expect more extreme weather
Scientists tell us that climate change has already led to more extreme weather in the United States and we can expect stronger hurricanes, more wildfires, heatwaves and droughts, to name a few. The cost of inaction could reach half a trillion dollars a year.
Fact: The world is warming at a quickening pace
Weather in one region over days or months should not be confused with climate or the patterns of weather over decades and centuries. And the science is clear here: the last decade was the hottest on record. And to put this year’s weather in perspective, January was warmer than average for the continental United States.
photo from: http://www.reallynatural.com/
