Sticks and Stones
- L.M. Costello
- Oct 18, 2015
- 5 min read
Years ago, when I was a child, I heard the expression at school that "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me!" I learned over the years that this was completely untrue. Words can make or break you.
Words can uplift, inspire, educate and words can cause great pain, they can anger and deeply hurt. Words can pierce your soul and destroy your psyche.
For me the battle to save the wild horses of the America's stems around the use of words. Words which are slung about with little thought of the damage they do, or with practical thought. It is time everyone sat down, gathered those words and put them all to good use.
To begin we need to define the wild horse. What it is and it's future. By putting these words together a status for the wild horse is created. A status that will stand up to inspection in the halls of government and of the law. A status which makes the wild horse a living, breathing and very free creature.
Next we need to find the people to create and represent those words. People who work for the whole and not for the special interests of the few. People who can both write and speak the words needed to convincingly save the wild horses.
There are many organizations of good hearted people working to save wild horses. A few are national but most are localized and are small. They consist of selfless people who pour their hearts and souls into saving the wild horses with little results. The reason... power resides in numbers and small groups, with small memberships, have none.
To give voice to the words which will save wild horses, a single and all powerful organization needs to be formed. An organization which encompasses all the wild horse interests in all areas of the America's. Thus a single powerful voice with powerful words will represent a united voice of the people, a united voice to save the wild horses.
Words are also serious weapons. Words hurt and if we are to save the wild horse we need to stop using those words to hurt anyone who thinks differently or who opposes our own opinions. We need to treat everyone... everyone... with respect and only when people are respected will they respect us.
Using words to insult and vilify will never get the sympathetic responses needed to rescue the wild herds. Disagree yes, but insult and anger... no.
The term "Welfare Ranchers" is very demeaning which is what it was mean to be. It implies that those who ranch for a living; are lazy, shiftless, exploiters of the land. Untrue.
If we turn back the clock to the days of the family plot of land and each grew or raised their own food, we'd be fine. But the majority of us live in cities. We nether grow or raise anything. That task is left to a few.
About a hundred years ago the government took control of land creating "public" lands and then leased back those lands to individuals for ranching. It was a dealt that made politicians happy. An initial fee was paid for the lease and then modest yearly fees thereafter. The government, those people elected by the people, created the system and if changes need be made in 2015, then the current people need to change the system by changing the government. All it takes is words.
The ranchers of today, most of whom are just family groups, are not taking any kind of handout. They pay the fees, designated by the government, and go from there. They pay to lease public land, agree to land stewardship and are authorized by the government of the United States to do so. What most don't realize is that these lease agreements are a commodity which can and do change hands from time to time. Some are passed down through families and others are sold. These agreements (Leases) from the government to lease a section of public land, can be very expensive and come with specific animals use terms. They can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and can be sold legally by the holding party to another.
A small ranch of 100 cows can pay $150,000.00 for the lease and then the small yearly fees. This is a huge investment for a family, even before they buy their first cow. It often takes a generation of a family ranch to recoup that first investment.
Why does it matter. Because it takes a lot of land, a lot of grass to raise cattle or even sheep. Purchasing the necessary amount of land to raise the same cattle is financially not viable for many and a ten acre plot of land won't keep many cows.
Ranching is one of the very few businesses whereby a paycheck or income comes in but once a year or possibly twice for some. It is a business of speculation... buying a cow, buying a bull and impregnating the cow. Hopefully in one year there is a calf. Hopefully in almost another year it is big enough to sell. A cow costs around $1,500, a bull around $3,000 and the calf may sell for $500 to $1,000. These amounts may change slightly but it takes time to recoup that initial expense.
Ranching is a business of gambling on futures. Putting in lots of money and hoping all will be well. Gambling on fertile animals, few predators, lots of grass, good weather ( a couple of years ago over 30,000 head of cattle died in one freak snow storm) and the bank not calling in your loan before you sell the calf. When the God's are with the rancher a profit is made but more often than not, ranchers make enough to survive another year. They live a life of 12-16 hour days, 7 days a week. A life exposed to every kind of weather. A life of budgeting a year in advance, of growing your own food, of every family member helping because you can't afford staff this year. It is a hard and yet wonderful life and one of the toughest in the world.
DO some do better at it than others. Yes. DO some abuse the system. Yes. DO some prosper while others fail. Yes. ARE most just average citizens. Yes. Calling these people "Welfare" recipients because they use the system AS THE GOVERNMENT wrote it to be... is totally wrong. Just as Social Security is not welfare, then leasing public land is not welfare.
Many oppose the system as it stands. Many think leasing public lands should be stopped or that the fees should be much higher. Then words are needed to change the system as it is, change the government rules, change those who manage the system and change the entire industry.
IN so doing, many small ranching interests will fail. That is the free market system. In those failures will come shortages in the meat supply and the cost will skyrocket. Wealthier interests will take control and monopolies could be left.
Can this all be fixed?
Words could be used to fix the system. To make it work for everyone. To balance the freedom of wild horses with the need for livestock and wildlife as well. All it takes is words, lots of words designed to bridge differences and create a commonality of interests. Words... they can save or they can destroy the wild horses.
Words with their unlimited power can let our wild horses "Run Wild.... Forever Free!"
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