ST. VALENTINE'S DAY IDIOSYNCRASIES

The universal day of love passed last week. February 14 is the magic day each year. The facts surrounding the holiday are not as well known as most think.

 

History provides several St. Valentines. Most historians attribute St. Valentine's Day to a third century Roman priest. His name obviously Valentine.

 

The popular concept is that Valentine was executed because he was promoting Catholicism. In the course of spreading the word, Valentine married many people. His conducting of a large number of marriages was the problem. Not his Catholicism.

 

Claudius was emperor at the time. He needed a large army. Wars were common place. Married men were exempted from service. Claudius proclaimed a ban on new marriages. Valentine was warned. Stop marrying people. He continued. Claudius warned him repeatedly. Valentine opted not to listen.

 

Valentine was arrested and sentenced to death. He was to be beaten with clubs and stones. He was. He would not die. Claudius ordered him beheaded. The date of Valentine's execution was February 14.

 

The centuries have added an aura to the day. It is for lovers. Recognized as such universally. Even Pope Frances spoke of love this St. Valentine's Day while carrying a red rose. Red has become the symbolic color of St. Valentine's Day. Together with gifts of red roses and chocolate candy. Everywhere today, except for one place. Saudi Arabia.

 

Most areas of Saudi Arabia frown big time on St. Valentine's Day. The day of love is considered immoral. Red roses cannot be sold. Some merchants do, however. From the back room of their shops. Heart shaped chocolates are sold from under the counter. The color red is prohibited. Reminiscent of the 1950's and 1960's when condoms and porn magazines were sold from under the counter.

 

 Valentine Day gifts of red roses and chocolate candy are considered immoral under present day Islams. Obviously illegal also. The two are intertwined. Imagine gifts of sexy female underwear. I am sure the reaction would be explosive

 

Saudi Arabia maintains a secret police. A religious secret police. The group is commonly referred to as the religious patrol. Ever vigilant, they hawk the stores looking for red roses, chocolate candies and the color red being used in displays during the time surrounding February 14.

 

They also are on the look out for any public display of affection. A cleric recently stated that those who celebrate Valentine's Day ".....want to copy the infidels." You and me.

 

Pope Frances has it right. We should all love one another and express that love. Change is a constant. Perhaps some day the men of Saudi Arabia will be openly able to bring their wives and lady friends red roses and chocolate candy. Purchased in an open market place.

 

ADDENDUM to last week's column concerning the new Farm Law. This information came to light after the column went to press.

 

I am beginning to suspect not everyone reads bills before they are voted upon by Congress. Perhaps they do and keep quiet about certain items since they do not want us to know.

 

One of the biggest problems with the Farm Law is that certain Congress persons who vote for the bill thereafter receive monies under the bill. They own farms or a portion thereof. Through subsidies and/or crop insurance, they walk away with significant chunks of money.

 

My problem with the system is that the law does not require those Congress persons to be identified. The new law as drafted contained such a provision. It was deleted prior to final vote.

 

The new law was signed by President Obama on a Friday. The following Tuesday, it was revealed that the new law contained a provision barring the disclosure of the names of corporations receiving benefits. We live in an era of big corporations in the farm business. Corporations like Monsanto.

 

Why hide these things? What has happened to transparency? Obama promised transparency when he first ran. It seems we are getting less rather than more today. Secrecy seems to cloak more and more governmental operations.

 

We live in a time of economic depression. Every taxpayer dollar is important. Never the less, government waste is rampant.

 

On the same Tuesday the corporate ban came to light, it was announced that under the previous Farm Law, $36 million was paid to dead farmers over a four year period. Some 4,000 plus deceased farmers.

 

Who is watching the cash register? This death issue is a common problem for Washington agencies. How do they find out who is dead that was receiving benefits so they can be terminated?

 

A simple system has been devised where most federal agencies are hooked up to the Social Security computer. Death information is instantaneous. Not the Farm Bureau.

 

How do these things happen? Why do they happen? Are we being had?

 

NEW FARM LAW.....A GRAVY TRAIN

The American people should be furious. Furious about the farm laws of old and the new farm law. Furious that the farm law provides subsidies to the rich and food stamps to the poor. The people being shafted once more by their elected officials.

 

Farm legislation came into being as part of the New Deal back in 1933 when things were worse than today. Roosevelt made sure farmers could survive by having the government pay them even though they did not grow food. Roosevelt was also concerned about the poor having food to eat. A nutrition program was part of the farm package. The precursor to the present day food stamp program.

 

The life of a farm law is five years. Every five years, a new one must be adopted. The new one this week when President Obama signed it into law.

 

This article is concerned not with the entire law. Rather a few basics that suggest questionable activity.

 

The farm bills through 1996 were not bad. Though the paying for not growing feature had increased. Then in 1996 the government added a new method by which farmers could protect themselves. Crop insurance. Crop insurance paid if a crop failure or price drop occurred. From 1996 forward, direct subsidy payments and the crop insurance program were available to farmers.

 

The crop insurance program has resulted in the highest subsidies paid in history. Crop insurance premiums are paid substantially in part by the government.

 

What a deal! Either way, by direct subsidy or insurance, the government is guaranteeing the success of the agricultural industry. There is no other business receiving such a benefit.

 

What is bothersome is that many Congressmen have benefited from the law. They vote in support of the law, together with its subsidies and crop insurance programs, at a time when they also own farms. Farms that will benefit from the legislation.

 

What is most bothersome is the secrecy that comes into play. The farm law does not require the names of Congressmen and members of their immediate families who receive benefits under the law be revealed. The law extends to Cabinet members also. The identity of such Congress persons was a part of this year's law as originally drafted. However, it was removed prior to the final vote. So much for transparency. Makes you suspect something stinks in Denmark!

 

Following are examples of Congress persons and/or their immediate family who received benefits in 2012 alone. This information purportedly secret and supposedly not available. However certain open government groups have come up with the following. Rep. Doug La Malfa (R-Ca) & wife $62,857, Rep. Frank Lucas' wife (R-Ok) $14,584, Rep. Stephen Fincher & wife (R-Tenn) $70,574, Sen. John Tester & wife (D-Mt) $21,281, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-In) $9,935, and Sen. Orin Hatch & wife (R-Ut) $10,506.

 

Note that the new farm law cuts $8 billion from the food stamp program over the next 10 years. Eight hundred fifty thousand poor families will receive $90 per month less while the above Congressional persons are receiving subsidies in far greater amounts. It does not make sense.

 

The rich and/or famous also benefit. Those receiving monies under the farm law include former President Jimmy Carter, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Alan (co-founder Microsoft), Leonard Lauder (former CEO Este Lauder Companies), S. Trist Cultry (founder Chick-fil-A), Charles Schwab(founder brokerage firm Charles Schwab Corporation), and David Rockefeller, Sr. (former chairman and Chief Executive of Chase Manhattan Bank).

 

Lobbying dollars come into play. Monies paid to assure legislation is passed consistent with the desires of those paying. Government for money.

 

Recall that each farm law is for five years. Monsanto is a major agri-farmer. One of the biggest. The American Farm Bureau lobbies for the benefit of its farmer members. Over a five year period, the two spent a total of $57.9 million for lobbying efforts. Monsanto $36 million and the American Farm Bureau $27.9 million.

 

Some of those dollars ended up in the coffers of those most able to help. The House Agriculture Committee Chairman received $744,000 from agribusinesses in the 2012 election cycle. The Senate Chair received $346,000 from the crop production industry. These monies were generally paid into their political war chests.

 

Such is a brief part of the farm law story. The rich getting richer and the poor, poorer. The government permitting a crop insurance/subsidy program to continue for which there is no practical need. Congressional persons who voted for the law benefiting from it. Secrecy clouding specifically who they were.

 

Only in America? No. It has been this way in most other nations over the years. The United States has merely caught up with governmental abuse of the electorate.