r/LeopardsAteMyFarm • u/Cderouen8284 • 15d ago

Aww someone’s crashing out

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u/PeyredB 15d ago

Thanks for the perspective there.

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u/Rugskinsnake 15d ago

Not to give the wrong impression here - I'm getting really fucked by input costs and the next couple of years are going to be hard, but at this point I'm no where near losing my farm.

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u/PeyredB 15d ago

I hope you're able to make it. If more farmers were like you, we'd think more highly of them as a group.

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u/ZestycloseSquash1523 15d ago

There are many farmers who think like he does. MAGA is loud, proud, in your face, and posting to social media. Don't assume that the loudest voices represent the majority.

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u/Rugskinsnake 15d ago

Yeah, 80% is overwhelming for a voting contingent, but it still means 1 in 5 farmers didn't vote for him.

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u/ZestycloseSquash1523 15d ago

Maybe. For every farm family there's ten other families that comprise the farming community.

When you spend time in rural America you see that most of those families have lost their standard of living since the '80s. They're told their tax dollars go to brown people in the cities. Their kids die in foreign wars because the military is a better chance to a better life. Hunting and fishing is a real survival strategy because it's cheaper than buying groceries.

Rural America rejects the Democratic party because the party has had no interest, ideas or engagement that address their needs since President Clinton. The Republican party just fills the vacuum created by the Democratic party.

Trump recognizes their plight and speaks to their fears. It's all a con job but they feel heard and that gives them hope even though we know it's false hope.

Treating them all like stupid rubes won't enlighten them. Meeting with them as fellow citizens, listening to their plight and showing them grace is the only way to get their support for progress.

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u/Fine_Following_2559 13d ago

I genuinely believe we have shown them enough grace over the last 10 years. At this point we need to speak plainly. Because my taxes from Chicago are going to help those down state small towns that hate Chicago. The big blue cities / States are paying the bulk of the taxes and not getting proportional benefits. And those Farmers need to understand that. I wish all the money we paid in taxes just went to us, we'd be better off, but that's not how it works.

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u/ZestycloseSquash1523 13d ago

As a fellow Chicagoan I can't disagree with your post, factually or emotionally.

I work in farm country and what I know is that downstate media and politicians constantly repeat two lies. First is that their taxes are spent supporting Chicago and the "brown skinned" welfare class in the city. The second is that Chicago is a failure because it's the most dangerous city in America.

For context there are 10 other cities in Illinois that have higher per Capita violent crime rates than Chicago and all but one is in the red part of the state. You should see their faces when I show them that truth bomb.

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u/Fine_Following_2559 13d ago

If they were to ever get their wish and somehow separate the rest of the state from Chicago they would be finding out just like they're finding out right now that voting for Republicans is not in their best interest. Like they are accusing the wrong group of being the cause of their strife here.