Do we really want to go there?

[Fransisco]

BTW- Why is it that you expect everyone else to just give their work away?

[liberty]

Posters like burnt seem to have a pretty sour view of life. They don't really like the idea that life itself is a constant parade of changes and challenges. Succeeding in life requires that you progressively improve the way you do things; you can't expect to excel by doing things the same way as you always did. Philosophically, that's the attitude that's behind the anti-gmo movement.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people still feel entitled to something for nothing, and get incensed when anyone challenges that proposition.

[burnt]

And exactly how do you define getting something for nothing?

Oh yes, that is always what the OTHER guy is trying to do, right?

[Hopperbin]

Burnt maybe you have good reasons for stating gmo does not make you any money. But for every farmer that states that green peace or the anti gmo crowd grabs that statement and tells one million consumers and then a lot of them consumers decide not to buy because they think they are eating frankenfood with the only profits going to monsanto. You are hurting yourself and other farmers not realizing the effects.

[checking]

So Franscis and co., are you on the happy delightful side of this that says there is always room for one more, or will it lower everyone's enjoyable hauling pay?

http://www.margaretrivermail.com.au/news/local/news/general/gm-canola-decision-anger-and-delight/1735521.aspx

[parsley]

liberty,
In the eighties, the asbestos people bought cattle, and their business was booming.

I don't have to tell you what happened to their business. heir lifestyle.

I so very much regret that their riches and their lifetyle tumbled.

But I learned something.

Caution has worth.

I am science oriented. And a foodie.

Caution in both is prudent.Pars

[burnt]

You know liberty, you make some good points. Maybe I do have a sour view of life. Maybe I am also a bit of a realist, I don't know. If I knew how to come up with the right answer and approach every time, I would be a lot wealthier than I am and maybe then life would be simpler.

I also believed at one time that every new innovation was a step forward and embraced it vigorously! The bible was growth, innovation and efficiency. But then I was left to wonder why I still had to keep struggling to stay ahead of the curve.

I got tired of having to watch my back so some other "aggressive" sonofabitch wasn't trying to take what was mine. I also had to learn that I couldn't have everything that I wanted if I was going to be able to live with those around me.

One thing that I cannot reconcile with is that fact that some technologies become so invasive that they cause the failure of perfectly legitimate, related segments of the industry. How will you react when your part of the industry is the one that gets pushed out because of your neighbor's abitious pursuit of the newest PlayStation?

It all became very clear to me what was happening as I sat at a growers meeting sponsored by - you guessed it - a fertilizer company. The speaker's solution was to up the inputs, it's the silver bullet! The agribusiness folks have us on a treadmill that starts to turn so fast that one no longer has time to think objectively, just respond reflexively.

The guys who listen to them are still growing, and they take their holidays regularly, although sometimes it involves a trip to the mental hospital - seriously.

So liberty, you just go grab that tiger by the tail and by god you better make sure you have a good grip because if you slip just the slightest bit, you know what will happen.

Of course you are at liberty to choose to let go any time, aren't you? Or are you?

[liberty]

I have to respond to some of Burnt's comments:

"But then I was left to wonder why I still had to keep struggling to stay ahead of the curve."

As opposed to what? Life itself is a struggle. There will always be a curve that we need to keep ahead of. You only have to examine the history of the former Soviet Union to understand what happens when a society gets rid of the innovation curve and makes it mandatory for everyone to sit and wait for permission to be inventive. That turns the struggle to innovate into a struggle to survive at a subsistence level. Which woul you prefer?

"I got tired of having to watch my back so some other "aggressive" sonofabitch wasn't trying to take what was mine."

I don't know what you mean by "mine". If you get angry about other farmers outbidding you for land or something like that, that's an inappropriate response. Your competitors do not owe you anything. They have no responsibility to desist from competing with you so that you can ease your struggles. Get used to it. This is all part of living.

"How will you react when your part of the industry is the one that gets pushed out because of your neighbor's abitious pursuit of the newest PlayStation?"

Equating new farming technologies with Playstation is an obvious attempt to smear innovation. Farmers do not invest in GPS and autosteer because they love toys; they do so because it improves their productivity and makes money for them.

[burnt]

Well liberty, it is pretty clear that we are pursuing two completely disparate lines of thought.

And one clarification - I was in no way referring to GPS or auto steer - it was simply a poorly chosen figure of speech to illustrate our natural inclination to be a consumer of the latest gizmo to hit the market.

And you have absolutely no right in judging whether or not my response is appropriate or not. Based on your words and ideas, you would fit the mold of the neighbor who inspired that reaction.

And if you think "life is a struggle" now, as you put it, wait until you see the effects of short-sighted, greedy actions spurred by glittering promises of better returns, yields,etc.

But by then you might have made your millions and you won't be affected . . . so who cares, eh?

[burnt]

Also, liberty, you failed to answer the question about how "you (will) react when your part of the industry is the one that gets pushed out . . . "