810—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, May 10,1980
Lancaster Farming says...
Sunday, May 11, is a big day for
farmers, businessmen, and the
ordinary taxpayers of the United
States.
Sunday, you see, is the day that the
average person stops working for
Uncle Sam and starts working for the
family. Prior to May 11, ail of the
plowing and feeding, all of the in
come from milk checks, all of the
work done and income earned on the
farm went right back out for taxes.
That’s what the Tax Foundation,
Inc. says. But a number of groups
think the Foundation set its Tax
Freedom day as much as three weeks
too soon.
Last year Tax Freedom Day fell on
May 8, meaning the farmer had three
more day’s income to spend than he
does this year. But, as usual,
obligations to federal, state, county,
and local government are demanding
an ever-growing piece of the income
pie.
THE LUKEWARM
CHURCH
Lesson for May 11, 1980
Background Scripture:
Revelation 1 through 3.
Devotional Reading:
Revelation 3.1-6.
Most people think of the
To Be Careful no t left on the barn floor
With Left-Over or m the garage. Animals
have a habit of getting out of
Most seeds and grams their pens or stalls, and
used for planting purposes when this happens they may
are not fit for human or g e t mto these left-over seeds
animal consumption. They and become poisoned When
have been treated with stored properly, most seeds
numerous materials to can be used later this year or
control insects and diseases, even next spring. Don’t be
Several years ago, I recall careless and allow them to
some youngsters m Texas be consumed,
that were poisoned by eating Xo Beware
pork from hogs that had of Thunderstorms
been fed left-over com This The severe storm and
should not happen lightning season is at hand.
Seeds that are not planted With nearly every storm we
should be put m safe storage have buildings that get hit
RURAL ROUTE
Congratulations , Mr, Taxpayer,,,
Book of Revelation as a
puzzling book of enigmatic
visions and prophecies. We
often forget that there is
considerably more to this
book than that. For example,
the first three chapters of
Revelation are composed of
seven letters to various
churches of Asia Minor
(mostly that area within the
modem nation of Turkey).
Lest you think that reading
Revelation 1 through 3 is
comparable to reading a lot
of old mail that was written
to someone else ages ago, I
want to suggest that the
seven churches to which the
V-5-t-
Anyone who has watched the
economy closely knows that during
the past 10 years taxes have gone up
almost twice as fast as consumer
prices. .to the tune of 155 per
cent. Federal taxes alone climbed
140 percent. Local and state taxes,
on the average, went up 188 per
cent. But federal taxes take the
larger income bite.
The proposed 1981 Federal
budget, beginning October 1, 1980
will cost Pennsylvania taxpayers
$32.5 billion. Just a decade ago, the
Keystone State’s share of the
national budget was about $11.9
billion, says the State Chamber of
Commerce, figuring we pay about
5.27 percent of all Federal taxes
This expense comes despite
politicians' talk of cutting taxes.
The much ballyhooed tax cuts
we’ve seen in recent years are so
much hocus-pocus.
A 10 percent jump in a farmer’s
writer is addressing himself
are not so unlike your church
and mine. Written ap
proximately nineteen
hundred years ago, these
letters are just as timely and
current as if they had been
delivered in today’s mail.
“I Know Your Works”
Of the seven churches, all
but one, Laodicea, is com
mended in one way or
another. Also, with the ex
ception of one, Philadelphia,
all are criticized too. The
writer’s main purpose in
each letter might be sum
marized like this:
EPKESUS: You have
and people that get shocked.
To Make
We urge parents to canton H you S to3S the most
danger of lightning before
and during a storm. Instruct
them to seek cover in a
building or automobile.
Never under a smgle tree or
on high ground. No doubt the
tune of the greatest danger
from being struck with
lightning is just before the
break of a storm; this has
often happened. Folks that
have lightning rods on their
buildings, should inspect
them to be sure they are free
of trash and be sure they are
all connected and well
grounded into moist soil.
Thunder storm safety is very
much in order at this time.
income this year will raise his income
tax by about 16 percent, obviously
cutting buying power.
This "tax bracket creep” increases
government income as does the
general inflationary trend of the
economy.
There always is talk of a tax cut.
But meantime, Congress is adopting
a budget of about $547 billion
budget, one which will represent
about 22 percent of the total value of
all of this country’s annual output of
goods and services.
There will be about a $3O billion
deficit Government, despite all of
the fine campaign rhetoric, has not
learned that outgo can not exceed
income.
Taxpayers know it. It's just simple
economic sense.
Look, for instance, at Penn
sylvania’s share of the Federal tax
load The $32.5 billion share we
carry in Pennsylvania is equivalent to
“lost the love” you had
originally (2:1-7).
SMYRNA: You are not to
fear the suffering that is
before you (2.8-11).
PERGAMUM: You are
falling prey to pagan
customs (2:12-17).
THYATIRA: Following
wrong leadership, you are
prey to idolatry (2; 18-29).
SARDIS: Cease your
unmoral living! (3:1-6).
PHILADELPHIA: Hold on
in the time of trial; Christ
will sustain you (3:7-13).
LAODICEA; Neither hot
nor cold, you are
lukewarm...and useless!
rye, make it into silage this
spring. This is a very
common practice with those
who want a winter cover
crop and who want to double
crop their land. Winter rye
should be cut when m the
late boot to early heading
stage. This is earlier m the
stage of maturity than with
other small grams. Quality
of silage decreases rapidly
with rye when allowed to
mature beyond the above
stage.
Some producers will add
gram to the rye at the silo.
This can be 200 pounds of
ground com and cob to the
By Tom Armstrong
r l LI Iff THE SMELL OF A FARM AS
MUCH AS ANYONE . BUT cookin' A
MANURE SPn ACER WITH AN
A CETVLENE TORCH IS SOMETHING
J ELSE y
’^eoSr
(C) 1 r jBQ 'rl/vmLrvu^-
by curt harler, editor
(3:14-22)
You can read each of these
letters as addressed to your
church or even personally to
you. Which of them speaks to
you and/or your church?
Perhaps several of them do.
Maybe all?
Those Whom I Love
I find that I and my church
experience identify most
closely of all with the
seventh letter, to Laodicea.
Here the problem is not that
of immorality, idolatry,
wrong teachings or pagan
customs, but a fence-sitting
mediocrity that seems to call
forth the greatest con
ton or about 100 pounds of a
molasses feed mixture. This
extra grain adds flavor to
feed nutrients. Since the rye
plants are very tender, the
crop should be allowed to
wilt in the field before en
siling. In normal years the
rye crop will be ready to
ensile early to mid-May
which allows time for
planting either com or
soybeans.
To Mark
Wet Spots
Fields that need drainage
attention should be given
that attention at this time. If
the area can’t be drained
now, the wet spots should be
Farm Calendar
Saturday, May 10
Rodeo at the Buck, 272
South, 2pm and Bpm
Quentin Riding Club Spring
Horse Show through
Sunday.
South Central PA Eastern
Amateur Arabian Horse
Show; Lancaster Riding
Club
Oxford Area FFA Banquet,
7 pm.
Horse Sense 111, Animal
Industries Building,
Harrisburg.
30 percent of the total cash receipts
from farm marketings in the whole
nation.
The figures are mind-boggling, but
Pennsylvania’s total farm marketings
are only $l.B billion
The government spends that in a
twinkling.
In 25 of the last 30 years,
Republican and Democratic ad
ministrations alike have piled up
deficits totaling $450 billion.
At present our national debt is
over $BOO billion and growing.
The interest the government pays
on that debt is over one billion
dollars a week. Yes, a week.
It all must end. This year farmers
fed livestock, sweated and labored
for three days more than they did last
year to feed the government glut
tons. In 1981, let's try to force our
lawmakers to move our Tax Freedom
Day back three days. It could be the
start of a welcome trend.
damnation: “I know your
works: you are neither cold
nor hot. Would that you were
cold or hot! So, because you
are lukewarm, and neither
cold nor hot, I will spew you
out of my mouth” (3:15,16).
James Nace Gardner,
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first
Vice President, once when -
asked about the value of his
job remarked: “It isn’t
worth a thimbleful of warm
spit!” The writer of
Revelation seems to be
saying pretty much the same
thing about the church at
Laodicea and maybe
yours and mine, too!
marked with stakes. This
will permit more accurate
placement of the tile or pipes
do not give good production
and it usually pays to correct
them. Under present far
ming conditions every acre
should be producing it’s
maximum. This is notQ
possible in these wet areas.
Cropland can be drained
with tile or with dram pipes.
Pasture land can often be
unproved with open ditches.
The important thing is not to
put up with these wet areas
where maximum production
is needed. Dry up the wet
spots and reduce the
problem of getting
machinery stuck.
Adams County sheep clinic;
10 a.m. at the farm of Dr.
and Mrs. Charles Platt.
Montgomery County sheep
clinic; 9 a.m.-12.30;
Souderton.
6th Annual Western PA all
breed sheep and club
lamb sale; 7 p.m.;%*
Mercer County 4-H Park;
Mercer
Hunterdon County 4-H Day
at the Mall; Flemmgton
(Turn to Page A 39)
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