Hungry Cows

Many of the lessons I have learned in life come from growing up on the farm and working on neighbors farms around livestock.  I equate recessions in the economy as the winters of life and growing up in Northern Indiana, the winters can be harsh. In the winter, livestock no longer having the ability to graze in pastures, would survive in filthy feed lots, covered in mud and filth, eating silage, hay and dried grain.  The amount of work needed to keep a feed lot full of food and water, and shoveled out, was an everyday job, just to keep the cattle happy. When I think of members of society on public assistance, I think of “Hungry Cows” in the winter.  The amount of effort and resources to keep those on public assistance resembles the efforts in keeping the mangers full of hay, silage lines clear and grain bins full and the endless residue piling up.  When spring finally arrived and the pastures greened up, we would open the gates and watch many cows leave the feed lot to head to the “greener pastures” while a few waited in the filth of the feed lot to eat the dried hay and silage.  When the last stems of hay were gone and the last pieces of silage licked up, the hungry cows would walk around the feed lot, bawling, to get our attention, so we would bring more food.  We would switch them and try to direct them to the gate to the pathway of greener pastures, but they would just run away from the gate and head back to the empty mangers and bawl even more.  After a couple of switching’s, they turned on us when we entered the lot and would attempt to attack us. Finally, after all efforts to get them to leave on their own, we brought out the cattle prods.  After several shocks and attempts of retaliation, they wised up and headed for “greener pastures”.  So why tell this story?  People on public assistance do not have the incentive to get off public assistance.  It’s easier to live off what is handed to them versus heading to greener pastures.  It’s time to give the many on assistance incentives and time frames, to get off the system and better themselves.  Just like the hungry cows in the feed lot, many people need additional coaxing to head to greener pastures, but it takes courage to stand up to the public and give them the prod.
  So when you look at the numbers of the many on public assistance, you too can think of “Hungry Cows”.  The gate is open; all they have to do is head down the path to greener pastures.