RSS Feed |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Thanks for the funding Often our Congressmen find themselves under attack for their efforts when working to secure funding for meaningful programs for the citizens of Georgia. I want to present the human side of this story. In Georgia Agriculture much of what we are today is a result of those programs. A couple decades ago the University of Georgia's College of Agriculture received almost sixty percent of its funding from government dollars. Currently, the college receives approximately twenty-five percent funding from government dollars. At the same time the food supply produced in the U.S. is the safest and cheapest anywhere in the world. This is largely due to the research that has been made possible through public funding. Agriculture is a serious economic engine which drives the economy of the State of Georgia. Growers invest billions of dollars in significant inputs to produce their crops. If the weather, disease pressures, insect pressures and other vagaries of producing a crop allow the farmer to end the year with a profit, which is his salary. This is the money farmers spend at the grocery store, the doctor's office, the car dealer, the department store. It is the same things on which we all spend our disposable income. Currently, with the low value of the dollar, significant increases in oil and all the inputs tied to energy, and a host of other issues commodity prices have had to rise in order to keep farmers producing the food and fiber we so desperately need. Consumers have seen prices increase in almost all aspect of their daily lives including food recently. Still, historically food has never been a significant inflationary factor in our economy. This is a testament to the investment that we as taxpayers have made in our own wellbeing. It used to be that Congressman and Senators were applauded for "bringing home the bacon." This was money that was invested in improving our way of life. It still is! Think where we would be in the U.S. today had we not had the investment of government dollars in these various programs. Think of the value the space program has had in developing technology. Had it not been for these investments we wouldn't have the kind of computers and space aged components that surround us in our homes and cars today. Most of us will never strap ourselves into a rocket and take a trip to the moon as Neil Armstrong first did in 1969. Still it was a good investment. Now, look at something critical to all of us, the production of food, fiber and forest products that feed us, clothe us, and give us shelter. Where would we be if the government had not made investments in research to improve the production of all of these critical needs?
I hope the next time you see a report where one of our Georgia Congressmen or Senators has worked to secure funding for initiatives in our state you will let them know how much you appreciate them working to keep America the greatest nation on the face of the earth.
|
for larger version       |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
