Comments on: A not so brilliant idea

By: SC

SC — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:57:55 +0000

During the Depression, farmers across the country banded together to try to drive up milk prices by trying to limit supplies, even going so far as to not only effectively go on strike, but also as far as blockading roads and stopping milk trucks to dump their loads on the road. The farmers warned milk distributors that if they did not stop delivery they would have their product dumped (and often followed through with the threat). There were violent clashes from time to time with law authorities (and occasional mobilization of National Guard units) resulting in wounded on both sides and one milk delivery driver was killed while trying to drive around a farmer blockade. In the end, the federal controlling of prices was at least partly an effort to end the strikes and violence.

An interesting and not very commonly known chapter of the Depression. Far too many people have the impression that history is boring. :-)

By: Stephen Gordon

Stephen Gordon — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:25:56 +0000

Jason, If they kill the cows they will lower their tax base.

By: Akston

Akston — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:17:08 +0000

Reminds me of the pilot announcement joke (abbreviated):

Pilot: “We’ve lost engine 1, but don’t worry, I can still fly the plane. We’ll just arrive 30 min late.”
[later]
Pilot: “We’ve lost engine 2, but don’t worry, I can still fly the plane. We’ll just arrive an hour late.”
[later]
Pilot: “We’ve lost engine 3, but don’t worry, I can still fly the plane. We’ll just arrive 2 hours late.”

Passenger: “I hope they don’t lose that last engine or we’ll be up here all day!”

Let’s hope they don’t try to “help” the dairy farmers even more by killing all the cows.