Consume Product

So, two important things have happened recently in the beef industry.

1. Trump is bragging he is going to import a ton of beef from Argentina.
2. Trump is going after the processors who are accused of using bribes and fraud to artificially raise the price of beef while denying any of it to the farmers.

For those who don't know, right now a handful of beef processors control the entire US market. If you want to buy beef, and you aren't buying direct from a farm, you are buying it through these processors. These processors are not good people, and I think some of them have already sold out to China.

It wasn't too long ago that the USDA made sure that the beef industry could not be dominated by a few big players. They made sure that farmers could get a fair price from the local sale barns because every processor had to buy from local sale barns. Then the people distributing the butchered meat had to buy from local processors, and so on, and all of this was done on the open market, meaning anyone could come in and buy and sell.

The net effect of thousands of different markets working together was that farmers got to take home a fair chunk of the final beef price and no one could really price gouge and such.

Anyway, currently, beef producers (such as myself) are seeing higher prices, but nowhere near what you are seeing in the grocery store. It's utterly ridiculous. I am paying about half of what you are for custom beef grown by a local farmer, and I'm paying more than I've ever paid for processing at a local processor.

Now, when it comes to Argentina, my first reaction was "GOOD." Why? Because most of the beef I grow does not end up on an American dinner plate. Europe and Japan are paying top dollar for American beef, as they should. Americans are notorious for buying the cheapest protein they can find. Bringing in tons and tons of beef from Argentina is going to force the price of beef down by a lot, and it won't affect my prices even a little bit.

For the record, BEEF IS THE CHEAPEST PROTEIN OUT THERE TO PRODUCE. Compared to chicken, sheep, goat, and everything else, hands down Beef cattle are way easier to raise and manage than anything else. That's why so many retired farmers raise beef cattle. Even in old age they can manage what needs to be done and still turn a decent profit.

And with innovations like Joel Salatin's that encourage people to stop buying inputs and feed, the price of beef should be *EVEN LOWER* than it is today. For my 20 head of cows, I spend probably around $10,000 in inputs TOTAL. Half of that is hay and the other half is supplements such as minerals and protein. A tiny fraction is vet services. Labor really doesn't make up much either -- I touch the cattle twice a year MAX. As long as I don't buy an ounce of fertilizer or seed, my costs are DIRT CHEAP. I should be able to sell 20 calves each year at $1,000 each and STILL make a healthy profit. A similar story for stockers (they raise calves to weight) and so on. To put this all in perspective, at the end of the day, I am spending about $1 per pound of beef. That's WAY lower than all other forms of protein I can grow.

So I really don't mind seeing the packers get SCREWED and exposed on this whole scam.

Every American who works a real job SHOULD be eating a pound of beef every day. Not just any old beef, but American-grown grass-fed no-vaccine no-antibiotic beef. We simply don't have the supply to do that yet, but we can. We can even beat Argentina because a good chunk of the US is PRIME beef pasture land. Remember, pasture land isn't good enough to grow corn and beans. It's just a step "up" from forest -- land that is otherwise useless.

10 years from now our supply of beef cattle will go back to "normal" levels. We got our butts kicked by the recent droughts and by packers who have been cheating us out of our "good years". Once that is fixed, once Americans realize how good beef is for them and how cheap it really is, we'll be back to feeding our nation again.

BTW -- the guys growing beef in Argentina are all American. They went down there for "greener pastures" AKA "less regulation". Don't imagine that Argentinians suddenly realized how to produce beef cattle that Americans will eat because they didn't. Americans did.

Someone on p.w thinks that tips are still taxed. This is technically correct -- but not really.

If the employer keeps track of tips for each employee, then they might have to report it to the IRS. Even if they do, tipped employees need to make a large amount of tips before they are even taxed. If you fill out your W-4 correctly, which for most hourly employees is "0" then the employer doesn't have to withhold for taxes. (Just SS and MC.)

HOWEVER, if no employee reports that they received tips, and the employer doesn't keep track of tips, then there is nothing to tax or report. I believe this is true for the VAST majority of people who are receiving tips. They never tell their employer, if they did they don't keep track, and if they did they won't report.

This is ESPECIALLY true for cash tips, since there is no record anywhere that the cash was received as tips.

So pay your bills in cash if you can, and leave a generous tip. The employees get paid more than if the employer would've given them a decent wage, and Uncle Sam gets less.

This sounds like a total ragebait post. And honestly, I wish it was. I take an hour to fall asleep, because guilt and indecision is on my mind.

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Most of my friends are girls, but by some really bad luck, they moved away, and now I have about two distant girl friends left in this town, and two guy friends. Anyway, I'm Christian, although a bad one, but maybe that's a very catholic thing to say. And by bad, it's because I argue with my sister sometimes or procrastinate. And they know I wait until marriage. Although, I think a part of me wanted to do that less out of religious conviction, but more out of never wanting to belong to anyone ever, and totally mistrusting men. (sorry for the boyphobia, but when my best friend got assaulted i just got so angry at guys, but im not like that anymore)
And both these guys know about each other, and that I only call them friends, but they both would marry me and talk wanting a future. I feel really terrible when guys like me, because then I'm responsible for how someone feels. That's why I only call them friends. I don't want to lead them on, I only wear my big brown sweater and big jeans, I am explicit in friendly intentions.

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But I would like to get married. Because then you can have a family, and also SEX (i unfortunately think of sex a lot and am a ball of hormones, and don't know if that will calm down). Although, I'd rather be alone than disappoint someone, maybe it's what I deserve. I have fun with my own company and my guitar and reading about diseases on wikipedia.
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Anyway, the first guy is perfect on paper. He's incredibly smart, like would learn a language by watching a show, or about a difficult concept by half heartedly watching youtube- he just isn't pretentious about it. We have the exact same sense of humour, and can talk for hours incessantly, and debate, and understand each other entirely. He threw up on me once, so we are close. He is of the same background as me nationality wise, and is tall so I guess my sons wouldn't sneed at me for their future height? Although I am a little tall too. However, I feel nothing for the first guy. Even if I would like to, it is more of a comfortable affection, like for my siblings. Maybe that came from the fact that I saw myself as a mother figure to him, despite being young and the same age. But he, along with the girl who moved away, is the best friend I've ever had, and I mean that very sincerely. He is empathetic, yet doesn't change for others, very intelligent, similar background, and we have a lot of fun.

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The second guy is from a different background but still european. We have a slightly different sense of humour, definitely kind of clever, but not as much as the first guy. He's the same height as me, even though he's a guy, but that's because he's not northern european like me, but southern, but I think brown eyes are really pretty because no one in my immediate family has them, they look gentle and thoughtful. I know he likes me a lot (and that makes me feel very guilty and responsible, even though I never tried to seduce him) and I like him too. When I sit next to him he says he thinks he might throw up, but he says it's in a happy way, and that's why his hands shake too. And my heart beats really fast when he's there, and hurts a little when I have to wait to see him again. And there is a pure affection, like wanting to make sure he eats and sleeps enough, and enjoying silence together. I feel quite cared for in a way I don't know what to do with, when he's there.


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So yeah. The first is my best friend, taller, smarter, hilarious, same background, very good companionship- but I feel no attraction. The second is a great friend, slightly different background, we have fun together, and I am attracted, even if we have less in common.

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I am going to have to pick one, or be alone. And If this 'love' feeling fades, and is unimportant to marriage in general, I'd pick the first- we have way more in common. If the 'love' feeling and mutual chemistry is important, even if it ebbs and fades, I'd pick the second. I really can only imagine kissing and stuff with the second one. Can one even build attraction?
And by the way, I would understand if either moved on from me and met someone. It would be a little saddening, but I would rest easier, because choice is a big burden, and I would not be angry, they both deserve happiness, I'd take the L. I feel almost sick that I have such an effect on two people. And guilty for being conflicted.
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(yes this is a hand wave account but i was here since day 1, i was a kid then and this place honestly raised me in a way. miss rightsidefunding posting, learned a lot)