WHY SO POLITICAL?

Sometimes people ask why Housewife Mafia is so interested in political things.

The first reason is it affects us all in more ways than we can imagine.

My interest in politics began with the Jelenick's asparagus farm.

During the Reagan administration the government struck a deal with South American
farmers. The deal was that if they started growing asparagus rather than drugs,
then the U.S. would buy their asparagus at a very generous price.

The thinking was that this was a clever way to derail the drug trade.
This policy may have limited supply to American citizens who making bad choices by
taking drugs, but its affect on the American Farmer was devastating.

It flooded the U.S. Market and dropped the price of asparagus well below what American
farmers could compete with. The result was that family owned farms, ones that had been
passed down for generations, were now at risk of foreclosure.

This is what happened to the Jelenicks. They were about to lose their farm because of this
Policy.    The rapid decline in profits created a situation where they could no longer afford
the farm labor to bring in the crops.

That's where the next deal was struck................

Somehow it was decided that all of us kids who lived in the area would go to work for the
Jelenicks.   The parents all thought it was high time we learned the value of work anyway.
I don't remember what we were paid, although I am sure it was less than what the migrant
workers wages were as the Jelenicks could no longer afford them.

We worked from 7:00 a.m. until around dinner time.    Heidi and I were 9 at the time.
I remember sitting around quietly eating our lunches, listening to the grownups. It was
terrifying and unnerving seeing grownups that scared. Pacing, always nervous......

As we began to understand our neighbors situation and the politics that caused it I was
outraged. How could the government, our government, make a decision that didn't
take in to consideration how it would affect us at all?

Yes it was good for those South American Farmers. Yes it was good to try to stop drugs
but this was clearly not very well thought out. Also, from a simple business perspective it
didn't make sense. The Jelenicks worked hard, took care of themselves and paid taxes.
The government ran on tax money right? Well, the South American Farmers didn't pay
taxes. The people who sell drugs don't pay taxes. The drug users don't pay taxes.
So wasn't the government cutting off it's nose to spite it's face? Shouldn't they be
thinking first of the solid reliable people whose tax money kept the government running
in the first place?

When you are young, your sense of right is stronger and clearer.
The injustice of this made me realize that there are probably many more decisions being
made every day that affect the American people every day in a negative way.

The people who are supposed to represent our best interests were making decisions
without using common sense and thinking how it was going to affect everybody first.

If they knew how badly this would affect American Farmers, why did they not offer a dual
aid, or offer to buy American farmers asparagus too for the same price.
That would have been fair.

My terrible fear then, and still is, that some lawmakers are willing to sell out one segment of
the population to serve some other interest. Maybe to make themselves look good, or as
though they are doing something important, and making great progress in some area.

They forget that every decision has to be weighed with how it will affect
everyone. People are counting on them, so they have to do the right thing every time.

I still don't think things have gotten better.

The government should be by the people, for the people.

That's why I urge you to become involved.

Run for any office, sit on review boards.
Use HousewifeMafia.com to try to be a little bit better informed, or to inform others.

If we don't get involved, then every miscarriage of justice is our own darn fault.