[AT] Here's one for you Mattias

[Grant Brians]

Matthias, I understand and appreciate the issue with the poverty and social
differences for your wife. The US is NOT Sweden. It is easy for us
(residents of the USA) to become jaded on those subjects because there is so
much poverty and we recognize that some places there is huge social
stratification and prejudice, along with separation of the haves and have
nots. I know that anywhere the climate is less harsh, you find many homeless
people, some because of mental or physical health issues, some because of
poor decisions and some because of a VERY fractured social safety net.
     One can argue the politics and philosophy of whether government should
or should not take care of citizens/residents in need of help in these
situations, but it is absolutely inarguable that western Europe (especially
Scandinavia) has a vastly smaller number of people homeless and in hunger
because of the choices made by society in those countries to provide more
services and support to the populace.
     Another factor that plays into the difference in experience between
Sweden and Memphis is the climate and social makeup. Even Memphis (which I
think of as a cold place because I am a native Californian living here in
coastal central California) has much warmer temperatures than all or nearly
all of Sweden all year round. This has a number of impacts as far as both
the visibility and the ease of not doing more to reduce the problem. Here in
California, aside from having a cost of living that is higher than most
other parts of the country, we also have dramatically higher levels of
homelessness than the colder parts of the nation. There is much argument
about cause and effect, but all one has to do is to walk around the eastern
parts of San Francisco or parts of any other large city and this becomes
obvious....
     As anyone on this list knows, I am a farmer and luckily do not live in
the cities anymore. In certain senses it is possible to live much cheaper in
the country here than in the cities, but even in our county there are many
homeless who sleep in cars or makeshift shelters similar to slums in the
third world or in doorways or under bridges. I contribute each year more
produce value to feed the hungry than I make in monetary profit partly
because I believe it to be the right thing to do and also because I feel
better doing so. This is one of the benefits of being a vegetable, fruit and
nuts farmer from my perspective. We do have a tradition in this country of
privately helping people that predates government providing more services
and it is both commendable and absolutely necessary. A difference today from
the past is that there are fewer social connections than there were and a
vastly larger population than in pre-depression America. As the population
grows in a society, it becomes more and more impossible to personally and
privately manage issues such as mental health, medical care, hunger, income
inequalities and homelessness.
     I too sometimes think with nostalgia, especially when I am in church
back to a time when the churches were literally the centers of most
communities and they served as the connection point for vast parts of the
population. That is not our country today sadly. I personally think that
distraction and population growth are the main reasons. In any case I
remember when I attended a church service with my wife in a London suburb in
a modern but modest Anglican Church how I sensed how similar the changes
were there, and when I attended a Catholic church in Brazil and a Catholic
church in Munich, Germany, and a Lutheran Church in Wittenburg, Germany.
     I need to get back to the fields and check on the growing vegetables
and make sure our Beet (Beetroot to the British) harvest is going and how
the Spinach packing is going in the packing shed. Enough musings and
historical references to non-equipment and direct farming items for me
today.
               Grant Brians
               Hollister,California vegetable, fruit and nut farmer

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]On Behalf Of Mattias Kessen
Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 1:21 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Here's one for you Mattias


Charlie,
She made the trip and came back. She really enjoyed it. Nashville, Pigeon
Forge, Smoky mountains and Dollywood was great. Memphis wasn't that great,
she didn't like the poverty and the social differences. Worst was flying
home via Charles De Gaulle (those frogs). She really liked all the friendly
people and that all things was so well organized. She keeps talking about
the "Smokies".

Dave,
Since she begun the trip in Memphis and didn't like the poverty there she
decided against the Congressional Express Card since you seemed to need
every penny. But it felt good to have in case of emergency :-) Since it's me
that pays our credit card bills I can assure you that she really stimulated
the US economy and more likely the Chinese to.

Mattias
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