A country boy

[loic]

On my way into work this morning I was listening to an ABC Radio National podcast about a farming family deciding to abandon the farm that had been in the family for generations. I had to stop because it was just getting me depressed. I remember the drought and collapse of the price of wool in the late 80s when we were trying to farm sheep

Comments

[rescviki]

As a fifth gen Australian allow me to say: US, Aust, Canadian and EU Citizenship: I HATE YOU!!!! *8). Does this mean you get to vote in the election?

Do you have to work on Saturdays?

[loic]

I have no US citizenship (that would take many years of residency post-green-card) and I don't have EU citizenship, just Swiss - they're too uppity for the EU. I don't get to vote (even in local elections) till I become a citizen, and I probably won't become a citizen till we decide we want to move back to Australia for a while anyway.

I have to work on Saturdays when there's a deadline. I'm going to work today (Sunday) for a bit too.

[redbraids]

I hear you on the suddenly missing the smells and warmth of the Australian bush in the summer. In all of the time I was overseas I never stopped missing that.

[loic]

There's something so harsh yet comforting about it...

[jakie_em]

the problem I have with 'farmers' is that when they had the booms in the 60's, they wasted all their money so when the bad times came, they went around asking for handouts.

I don't feel sorry for the people who have lost a farm that was in their family for generations because these are people who managed their money poorly. I do sometimes pity the suckers who bought a booming farm and then felt the bad times.

I do hate the water management in this country, but thats really it

[loic]

Shit, you sure do sound like someone who doesn't want to eat :)

Fact is there's been a drought for most of this decade. If you lost your job, couldn't find a new one for ten years and eventually had to sell your house would we consider that you had "managed money poorly"? The trouble with farming is that it's a big gamble. You work hard, you invest hard into your livestock / fertilizer / etc and then if it rains you're good, if it doesn't you're fucked. But you still had to work the land just as hard to get there.

[jakie_em]

interesting that you accept that it is a gamble but you support the handouts

[lithboy]

you should watch the docu “King Corn”. it's relevant to your post, and quite edutaining.

[loic]

Thanks! I added it to my netflix queueueue.