Letters to the editor, Oct. 23, 2021 | Opinion | rapidcityjournal.com – Rapid City Journal

Letters to the editor, Oct. 23, 2021

Producers lose while processors gain

I am not sure if our urban readers under or are aware of what has been transpiring in the agricultural industry in recent decades.Specifically the beef industry, where up to 85% of our cattle are processed and controlled by only 4 beef processing companies. This affects everyone, not just the rural communities and businesses that depend on local agriculture.

Look at the mergers and acquisitions that are occurring in other industries such as your local feed/grain coops, implement dealers, banks, health insurance companies, utility companies, gas/petroleum companies, cell phone companies, car dealerships, grocery stores, insurance companies, etc.

How important is it to have healthy competition in these industries. What if only one gas company, grocery store or cell phone company was supplying all the service to your area? No more price checking or negotiating power.

Whether you realize it or not this affects everyone. Look at the beef prices in the grocery store and the record profits the 4 beef processors are making while at the same time, the take home pay continues to decline for our independent cattle ranchers and feeders. Especially when you factor in inflation. Most are operating at or below break even margins.

People are also reading

Eric Iversen, White River

Clean energy helps veterans

One of the biggest hurdles for veterans is returning to civilian life after serving our country. The legacy of protecting national security is ingrained into the very hearts and minds of former service members. While it may not seem obvious, Americas clean energy industry offers the opportunity for veterans to reintegrate into civilian life while still supporting the mission of national security through energy independence.

Every single day, clean energy brings our nation closer to energy independence, whether it is through the production of wind, solar or hydro-produced renewable energy, or via energy efficiency upgrades that reduce waste, by reducing our need for foreign energy supplies. Moreover, an increased domestic supply of clean energy supports our veterans at home.

Nationally, clean energy hires veterans at a rate over 60% higher than the national average of all industries, providing high-paying, long-lasting careers for those who have proudly served our country.

By reducing greenhouse gas and strengthening Americas energy independence, clean energy is building a brighter, more sustainable future for our country and this carries down to the veterans who help carry out its mission.

Atlas Shrugged had it wrong

In the book Atlas Shrugged a fictitious economy is brought to its knees when rich capitalists running huge businesses go on strike. Their withdrawal from society into a hideaway meant that the brains of how to run an economy were gone, and things started immediately going to hell. When the economy got frazzled enough that the politicians declared complete surrender to the corporate titans, they returned and all was well again.

Ayn Rand had it completely backwards. The pandemic has exposed this clearly. Today we see that in the real world it is the truck drivers, nurses, trade workers, and laborers who are essential to a working capitalist economy. When these workers withold their talents, the gears of capitalism shudder and slow. Meanwhile in this real world, the rich titans of industry spend their time racing for glory and bragging rights in their space rockets, or scheming how to hide their wealth from the tax man. The Pandemic Papers show what the capitalist titans are really doing with their money to hide their profits. The rich corporate bosses racing to the stratosphere in their toy rockets shows that narcissism is a larger impetus for them than any thought of societal

Jeff Jacobsen, Rapid City

Headed toward communism

America passing through socialism on way to communism. Americans are at a critical point of choosing between communism and the freedoms of a representative federal democracy that has made us the most prosperous, generous, strongest, freest and fairest nation on earth. For years many in academia, media and politics have worked to indoctrinate our young people with the idea that socialism is compassionate and makes everyone's outcome in life equal through legislation. People are continually stripped of their rights until all that remains is a tyrannical regime with total control over the people. Just look at moron Joe Biden's mandates on vaccinations and wearing of masks after being vaccinated. His stupidity has brought us sky rocketing fuel, food, timber and steel prices. The moron pays people not to work and then wonders why there is empty store shelves and products not being moved. I didn't vote for President Trump because I liked him. I voted for him because he was the only person i can think of that would stand in the way of a movement designed to tear down and destroy our nation. May God bless President Trump and the United States of America.

Babies and snail darters

T-shirts with 1973 on them, demonstrators shouting things like my body, my choice, mind your own uterus, a sign about bullet shooting vaginas and other such nonsensical slogans etc. was seen and heard as the Womens March headed for the Supreme Court Building just weeks ago.

The abortion issue started when overpopulation alarmists decades ago argued the need for artificial contraception claiming that the population would be so dense that by now each person would barely have one square foot of space to stand on. Birth control didnt go far enough, so the hideousness of the abortionist was elevated in stature, given a nice gown, fine instruments and a sanitized space to work in, which for no rational reason I can think of, that by moving it into in the clinic made it less horrible, acceptable, desirable, and protected by law!

So here we are many years later. On a march defending the same ugly, shameful, sickening practice that was once considered back alley butchery.

Today the birth rate isnt keeping up with the death rate. We will soon be dying out, or to be more specific, committing self inflicted extinction. The Supreme Courts decision that created the legal abortion challenge has been kicked back and forth over the years between the lower courts, and State Legislatures ever since. But there might be a way to unburden the Court and the country of this scourge. Justice Roberts would know how to do it. He was able to find a way to save the Affordable Care Act from death by making health care a tax! In 1973, the same year killing babies became legal, the Snail Darter and field mice had more standing than did human life. Maybe the only way to save babies from death at this moment is for the Court in similar fashion to make them endangered and grant them protection from abortion under the Endangered Species Act of...1973.

Matthew Schmidt, Rapid City

Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!

Here is the original post:

Letters to the editor, Oct. 23, 2021 | Opinion | rapidcityjournal.com - Rapid City Journal