Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Turning Sacred Cows Into Steak

Ask any cattle rancher if they are emotionally attached to their herd.  Ask them if they have named their cattle, or if they consider their cattle as "pets."  Once they quit laughing at you, they will probably ask you what city you came from.  While ranchers generally  treat their cattle humanely, feed them well, and care for their health, they also fully understand that their herd is "what's for dinner" in America.  To a rancher, cattle are money on the hoof. 

Unfortunately, the average American is no where near as practical as a cattle rancher.  Many Americans have developed an emotional attachment to elements of our society and "pet programs" that have been separated from the rest of the herd as "sacred cows."  These sacred cows are generally very well fed and provided with the finest of everything, all at the expense of the American taxpayer.  Even though a portion of our nation may be "starving," it is unthinkable to even imagine that these sacred cows could be turned into "food for the hungry."

While many breeds of the American sacred cow have been developed, the most visible and prevalent breed is easily recognized as government-run social programs.  Our nation has allowed this breed to grow into enormous, overweight monstrosities feeding at the trough of the American taxpayer.  They have been milked beyond their usefulness long ago, and many of these sacred cows have become so obese that they are barely able to move.  They generally wallow in their own waste while they continue to feed on American taxpayer dollars.   

Although many of these sacred cows are in extremely poor health, they continue to live in spite of themselves.  Emotionally-charged special interest groups have been successful in averting any attempts to alter their diet, and any talk of euthanizing them is met with incredible noise and resistance.  While "culling the herd" would certainly be an efficient short-term solution, I believe a less drastic and more humane approach will provide a better and more acceptable long term solution.    

An initial comprehensive health assessment is a good place to start.  From that point, common-sense adjustments to the sacred cows' diet should be strictly enforced.  Rather than constantly feeding at the American taxpayer's trough, I submit that these sacred cows should be systematically put out to local pastures.  In this setting, these cows can graze on local fields, drink freely from the local streams, and be fed locally-grown grain as necessary.  

Before long many of these sacred cows will likely regain their health to the point that they will be able to rejoin the local rancher's herd.  This common-sense, practical approach will require Americans to relinquish our emotional attachment to our sacred cows.  This will require some very difficult initial sacrifices for many Americans who have developed a co-dependent relationship with these cattle. 

Is it wise to continue feeding these unhealthy cattle?  While it is certain that emotions will run high across the land, I submit that we will all be much better off when we put our emotions aside and allow our sacred cows to become "what's for dinner" in America.

Brian Buckta
103 S. State St.
La Farge, WI  54639
(608) 625-6372 / cell (608) 606-2062







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