Argument

11-10-09 Exercise Your Right I can still remember the very first time my dad took me hunting with him. I was probably five years old when he bundled me up in several layers of warm clothing, a camouflage coat that was entirely too big, and an orange vest and cap. We trekked into the wilderness, practicing all of the gun safety rules he had taught me in the months prior to our hunt. I remember being anxious, nervous, excited, and full of energy as we climbed up in to our tree stand and waited for the sun to rise to get our shot at a deer. The mystic animal never stepped out of the trees that beautiful morning, but the love for hunting and being in the wilderness has been with me ever since.

We, as Americans, have the right to hunt, because of the Second Amendment in The United States Constitution. It states... “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” Unfortunately, we must deal with people who believe gun control laws should take effect to make our nation a safer place to live. Gun control will take away our traditions, our heritage, safety, and leave us defenseless to all intruders. What is gun control and why do government officials want to enforce it? Gun control is the effort put forth to regulate sales and ownership of firearms and ammunition. The ultimate goal of politician’s who believe in gun control, is to take away our gun’s indefinitely. They believe taking guns out of the hands of civilians will decrease the crime rate in The United States. This is similar to their belief of banning all street drugs from being consumed and sold. We all know how badly that effort has failed. The truth of the matter is this; law abiding citizens are the only citizens who will turn in/destroy their guns. Criminals will find a way to manufacture and distribute firearms, leaving “the good guys” defenseless. How will this better America? It won’t. The proof lies in other countries that have enforced strict gun control laws. Germany is said to have some of the strictest gun control laws in the world. Handgun Control Incorporated wants to enforce similar laws here in the United States. “Before being allowed to have a firearm for protection, a German must prove "need." Yet the annual number of firearm-related murders in Germany rose 76% between 1992-1995 (NRA-ILA).” Similar laws have failed drastically in other counties as well. In 1977, Canada passed a law making it illegal for civilians to protect their homes with firearms. “From 1978 to 1988, Canada`s burglary rate increased 25%, surpassing the U.S. rate. Half of burglaries in Canada are of occupied homes, compared to only 10% in the U.S. From 1976 to 1980, ethnically and economically similar areas of the U.S. and Canada had virtually identical homicide rates, despite significantly different firearm laws (NRA-ILA).

These are only a couple of examples of what gun control has done to other nations. The results are all the same. Gun control will not help in the decrease of crime. One step to gun control, is to ban all hunting. President Barrack Obama’s czar Cass Sunstein “is a rabid enemy of Americans’ Second Amendment freedom, and harbors radical ideas about animal rights that only the most ardent PETA activist would love. Now he will run the federal office that oversees all government regulations (Editor).” Cass Sunstein has insane views on hunting and animal rights. “In a keynote speech at a 2007 Harvard University conference called "Facing Animals," Sunstein said, "We ought to ban hunting, if there isn't a purpose other than sport and fun. That should be against the law. It's time now (Robbins).” Sunstein went on to say that "Animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human beings as their representatives, to prevent violations of current law ... Any animals that are entitled to bring suit would be represented by (human) counsel, who would owe guardian like obligations and make decisions, subject to those obligations, on their clients' behalf ... (Robbins)." It is unfortunate that we have people like Cass Sunstein hand-picked by our president to help him in running this country. Only the people who take pride in America’s constitution see the ignorance and shame in statements like these of Sunstein’s.

Don’t be misinformed by bogus statistics of gun control in other countries. The decrease in crime rates due to firearms are simply made up in other forms of crime. Don’t take pride in leaders that believe animals have the right to take humans to court. Exercise your right as an American citizen to own and use a firearm. Know that the right to keep and bear arms was issued to us to protect ourselves and our families. Stay true to the roots of this countries foundation. Join in to help protect the second amendment of our constitution.

November 10, 2009

Cow Tax A family of 5 had 80 beef cattle that were used for breeding, showing, leisure, and producing food. The family relied on these cattle for money, food, and for the kids show animals. When the government decided to pass the methane tax, the family had to fire their workers, sell their equipment and cattle, and sell their land. To have kept their beef cattle, they would have had to pay an extra $7,000 per year in taxes. With feed prices and fuel so high, there was not enough money or profit to pay the taxes and feed all their cattle. The family sold everything they ever knew and lost all they ever had.

“CH4, methane, is emitted into the air by many different sources. The human related sources are things such as fossil production, animal husbandry, rice cultivation, biomass burning, and waste management. 60% of global methane emissions are due to human relates sources. The different natural sources are wetlands, oceans, freshwater bodies, and wildfires” (US EPA).

The government thought taxing farmers for their cattle and hogs would help with fixing the methane “problem” that was leading to global warming. “Many farm and ranch owners suggested that the idea of a methane tax was particularly nettlesome for them because the gas causes no obvious disturbance to the local air” (Galbraith). They were trying to tax farms with more than 25 dairy cattle, 50 beef cattle, and 200 hogs to pay the fee of $175 for each dairy cow, $87.50 per head of beef and $ 20 for each hog (Johnson).“Global Warming is an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth's surface and in the troposphere, which can contribute to changes in global climate patterns. Global warming can occur from a variety of causes, both natural and human induced. In common usage, "global warming" often refers to the warming that can occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities” (US EPA).

Global warming is a problem that cannot be prevented, but can be slowed down. Scientists say that the glaciers are getting smaller, temperatures are higher, sea levels are rising, and arctic ice is disappearing. Is global warming even a problem we need to worry about? Many people think that it is a hoax and nothing that people need to worry about. Matt Gray says, “The Earth is NOT overheating, but is actually going through natural cycles between warm and cold periods. Our planet is totally dependent on the SUN for its energy, and right now, the solar radiation output from the Sun is diminished. The result is that the Earth is right now cooling! This is a natural cycle, and after a period of time that some scientists say lasts around 30 years, the Sun will go into a period of increased solar radiation output and therefore our planet will go into a period of warming” (Matt Gray).

Will it really help with preventing global warming if we tax the cattle for too much methane production?

Closing down farms not only affects the farmers, but many other people as well. Many people depend on farming for food, money, and jobs. If the government passed the “cow tax,” there would be job loss for farm-hands, money problems for farmers and their families, and there would not be as much beef or pork to eat. Of course, some of the larger companies make enough money to pay the tax, but some do not. If the “cow tax” did pass, what would the government spend the farmer’s hard earned money on? Possibly, war or health reform?

They say one of the biggest problems is burping cattle, which is part of the digestive process to relieve pressure from their hard-working stomachs (Rancher). Depending on what the cattle are being fed also depends on the amount of methane produced also. “The more efficient the feed ration, the less methane produced” (Rancher). Many dairies are already using generators to capture methane from manure; they can then sell or use it. Dairies are built on concrete whereas beef lots are on dirt making it impossible to capture methane. Most of the methane problems come from smaller farms with too many cattle. If you have a 3 acre piece of land with 20 cattle on it, they will all poop in one area and the “methane” will sit in one spot. Someone proposed the following, “Tax the steak at the point of sale and let the end users pay the price… (Paul).” Why not tax meat rather than the cattle producers?

There is no good solution to the problem of methane being produced. If methane is coming from burping and passing gas, how do you prevent that? Those are both parts of the digestive system that help with living. There is a reason that our bodies do what they do, and it cannot be prevented. If they want to tax cattle and hogs, why not tax horses? Horses produce much more methane than any other animal. They poop in one general area in larger quantity, and they pass gas more often and with greater capacity. Why not tax dogs and cats while they are at it? Dogs and cats poop after eating also. As you can tell, no one will end up happy in the end. It is all a part of life and the people who do not know how farming works are the people proposing the “cow tax.” Without the methane producing cattle and hogs, we would have no steaks, bacon, or milk products to eat.

Like the family from the beginning of the story, many other families would have to sell their lives away if the methane tax was passed. There is no good solution to this problem because it is nothing we can prevent. Who knows if global warming really is a problem to be concerned about or if we should be worried about it anyways? Cattle and hogs have to use the bathroom just as humans do. There have been cattle around for a long time, and there has not been a problem with too much methane. There is no reason to tax the families who are doing nothing wrong. Proposing to tax the meat at the end of the line is a very good thought that should be considered.

Works Cited Galbraith, Kate. "Farmers Relax (a Little) After Cow Tax Scare - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com." Energy and Green Business - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. . Global Warming. "Basic Information | Climate Change | U.S. EPA." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 09 Nov. 2009. . Gray, Matt. "Global Warming Is A SCAM!" Northerntruthseeker. Web. 09 Nov. 2009. . Johnson, Bob. "Proposed Cow "Gas" Tax Angers Farmers." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. . Paul. Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com. . Web. 27 Oct. 2009. Rancher. Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com. . Web. 27 Oct. 2009. “US EPA - Methane: Sources and Emissions." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. .