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Bedford Ramblings
Steve Mills
Steve Mills and his wife have one daughter. They previously owned two coffee/ice cream shops, currently operate an internet sales company and teach classes, but his primary job involves the paper industry worldwide. Hobbies and interests lie in gardening, photography, recorded music and of course, their pets.
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My opinion on Mr. Trump (and a few other things)

Posted Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at 11:08 AM

I rarely commit to voting one particular party, although on a National basis it is usually Republican because no one produces a viable candidate and the Democrat agenda scares the ever loving crap out of me. Not always the promoted agenda but what I see/hear coming from their lips BEFORE they knew they would be a candidate. If you are a Trump Hater, AT THE VERY LEAST, don't let the Democrats control both houses.

Does that mean I love everything about President Trump? Not likely, although I suspect I could like him on a personal level, not a public one. Why would I say that? Look at all the acts of kindness he has performed BEFORE the press started picking him apart.

There are many that not only say he cares about blacks (Herschel Walker, when she was alive so did Whitney Houston), the Jewish people, the average guy, etc., but he acts on it like integrating Palm Beach society at Mar-a Lago.

But wait! "He does not like blacks and Jews!" What a well scripted lie by the Main Street Media and the Left. Did you fall for it? MANY have. Look back and see if it was his actual words or someone interpreting them for you. Do you really need someone to tell you what to think?

So, if the private Donald J. Trump does not add up to the brash, loud spoken public figure we see as President, why? Well, I questioned that as well until recently. I was reminded what it is like to do business in NYC. I have friends and family from the area so I know their public side and their private side.

Not to run down the folks from that section of the U.S. but to exist among 20.3 million people you have to have a certain toughness to hold your own. While many privately live their lives quietly, they often turn into what we in Middle Tennessee would consider tough-as-nails, loudmouth bullies.

My wife experienced that when she stayed a few weeks with family to introduce our daughter. One night we were talking and she said “wow, otherwise sweet ladies turn into fire-breathing dragons when they are driving or if someone cuts them off in the grocery line.”

What is my point? Trump deals and operates in NYC a lot. It shows.

Another question that arises with Trump is his bravado and tendency to state how good things will be. Be positive. Would it have really helped if he told everyone to hunker down, don’t go out, don’t , don’t, don’t? Does it really help now? EVERYONE is still learning about COVID and most realistic scientists acknowledge that it will not just disappear or be beaten.

Our economy would have collapsed as many have, with little hope to pull it back up for many years to come. How many would die/suffer from a severe depression with our dependence on mega farms, high density populations, reliance on electric and gas utilities and general inability to fend for ourselves? Should we throw up our hands in despair or should he lead with positive encouragement?

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  • I you are concerned about high density populations, dependence on mega farms and a switch to renewable power; policies that the Republicans have advocated are the antitheses of your concerns. Our Congressman, Scott DesJarlais is on the House Ag. Committee, what has he done? Middle Tennessee and specifically Bedford County is at a tipping point, where we preserve the small farms, the rural influence and have smart growth; or we become just another bedroom community of Nashville metro. Environmental polices is at the center of addressing these issues.

    -- Posted by tcreek on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 10:08 AM

  • tcreek, I remember some of our discussions about agriculture concerns. Can you share what GOP policies you think are hurting the small farmer?

    It hurts to see good farm land become subdivisions and I would bet that it hurts long-time farmers to sell their land knowing the probabilities that a subdivision fate is in the future.

    I would like to see more assistance helping young farmers establish themselves and a plan to encourage farmers to diversify into ares that will cut down on the need to truck everything long distances.

    Our environment has definite seasons but there are many season extending efforts that could be encouraged to provide fresh produce much longer and in some cases depending on the varieties grown, all year long production.

    Sorry, I get a little wordy at times. What has the GOP done to hinder farmers and what do you think they could do to help slow the "bedroom" trend?

    -- Posted by stevemills on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 12:03 PM
  • *

    Thank you Steve! You just gave everyone a RED PILL and didn't even know it!

    Here is some more good news.

    The Swiss Banking System has been dismantled. Many Goldman Sachs Bankers were arrested for trying to beat the Swiss system before it went down. The take down of the central banks is Happening.

    Banks closed until after the election due to the Reset. What banks I don't know, I assume the Central Bank and leading banks around the world.

    2021:

    All the rest of the Evil will be arrested in 2021. GOD said, "Watch the Freedom Tower in New York City". The Freedom Tower is actually called; "One World Trade Center".

    Churches will be taken down as well who are in bed with the devil. Remember what Unique Lies was all about?

    A change over the whole Earth will come in 2021.

    Remember this ? Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!

    It is coming to earth after Trump gets re-elected and drains the rest of the swamp. It sounds like the Book of Revelation, but I do not think this has anything to do with the book of Revelation.

    God is stepping in to save the people who will listen to him before he send Jesus Christ as explained in the Book of Revelation. It is like a practice run. God did prophecy a couple months ago that said people will not survive this great awakening if they don't turn back to God. So it sounds like many will die and it won't have anything to do with covid-19.

    -- Posted by sui on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 4:23 PM

  • Interesting that tcreek blames Republicans for mega farms when democrats are the party of subsidy.

    Who created the very first farm subsidies, the Agricultural adjustment Act? FDR

    In 1938, this morphed into the omnibus Farm Act that is renewed every five years.

    QED For people believing what they're told to believe rather than doing a tiny bit of research.

    -- Posted by quietmike on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 6:59 PM

  • As for agriculture issues, there are no silver bullets. As for the GOP and agriculture, their policies are consistent with supporting market consolidation, production consolidation (efficiencies of scale, farms getting larger) and anti environment. Additionally, one of their solutions was to promote exports - which did not fare so well with the Trump tariffs. Landowners and farmers have to compete economically with those who desire to develop their property. For one, landowners can be part of the solution to curtail global warming. Of course believing it exists would be good start.

    -- Posted by tcreek on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 8:42 PM

  • While not an activist, I remain concerned about the health of farms and the smaller family farm in particular. My organic commitment puts me at odds with different politicians at times but I still want to know what the politicians are doing and what the ramifications are.

    Years ago we wanted the Federal government to take organic efforts more seriously but a member of our group warned us to be careful what we wished for and boy was he right.

    When the Federal government got involved, paperwork and costs went up dramatically. Most of the smaller farms could not justify the expense so they either gave up or had to start marketing their product using different terminology. The very small, part-time farmers we exempt unless they met a certain dollar amount of sales. I forget what that was.

    -- Posted by stevemills on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 8:43 PM

  • Ok let’s talk about global warming. You may be surprised that I believe in climate change and that the change is causing issues in our living patterns.

    It may also be causing extinction of some animals, insects and birds. Being organically inclined I cringe when I hear/read about Monsanto and Bayer adding new products to our insecticidal or weed arsenal.

    I cringe with genetically modified seeds because it usually has a dark side, such as seeds that grow cotton or corn that is resistant to glycophosphate (roundup ). It sounds efficient and good for good production but it cross pollinates with weeds and makes super weeds, The gm seeds cross pollinate with other corn and then farmers cannot save that seed as they used to because the gene violates patents held by the big companies.

    There is more but the point is that RepublicanS support business and companies developing new technology Can get sideways with the environment. So which is better, new developments or more benign products?

    Now take oil. Everyone wants lower gas prices and as long as the major economies run of fossil fuel, it is advantageous to be energy independent.

    But low gas prices translates into lower costs for plastic and the manufacturers would much rather buy virgin plastic At lower prices than recycled that costs more to collect, clean up and separate. Which is better?

    Republicans favor business which lowers prices, while Democrats say they favor the environment which raises prices. Raising prices means less profit for the business and less profit means lower wages or less employees. Not good for the health of the economy.

    I really liked the phrase Bush coined of being a compassionate conservative but with both side warring like they do, it seems almost impossible to let your guard down and work on balancing those issues.

    Maybe if politicians could not make a long-term career of it they would buckle down to make their promises come true because they know they have a finite time to do it in and are not always posturing to run their next campaign.

    How to get the foxes to limit their access to the henhouse?

    -- Posted by stevemills on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 9:16 PM

  • Steve. The United States is an urban society; this is a result of a continued move from rural to urban areas partly as a result of efficiencies and consolidation in agriculture. With that, potential markets lie in listening to the needs and wants of those consumers; this is where the organic and sustainable ag. efforts have made progress. As for raising prices, for several processed foods, the cost of the raw ag. commodity is minimal. In several instances there is no relation between the price the farmer receives and what a consumer pays for the product. This spread has widened over the last 50 or more years. For farmers and landowners the objective should be to reduce that spread between farm gate prices and what the consumer pays and capture some of that for the farmer. Organics can do that. Farm policy should reflect that.

    -- Posted by tcreek on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 9:59 PM

  • I've got to think about your comment for a while tcreek. I am not a fan of price fixing but would that not be needed if we insure higher prices for the farmer while holding food costs for the consumer? Is there another way around this? When it comes to numbers, economics and statistics my eyes glaze over.

    -- Posted by stevemills on Thu, Oct 29, 2020, at 10:42 AM

  • Price fixing is not the answer. What will work is a higher return on investment, because the farmer is processing and marketing their products or they are producing a higher value product (i.e. organics). With that, there are only a few processors and marketers in each of commodities. Some of these are owned by foreign entities - a Chinese entity owns 25% of the swine production in the US.

    -- Posted by tcreek on Thu, Oct 29, 2020, at 3:06 PM

  • Who is denying climate change?

    At one time there were 1000ft. tall glaciers over Ohio. That necessarily means a lower global temperature and lower sea levels.

    The Sahara desert is littered with whale fossils.

    That means there were higher global temperatures and sea levels.

    Those two prove the climate changes. But those two extremes happened well before the industrial revolution, internal combustion engines, and likely before bovine flatulence.

    -- Posted by quietmike on Thu, Oct 29, 2020, at 10:14 PM
  • *

    I'm pretty sure it was mastodon flatulence that caused the first global warming. And we know what happened to them.

    -- Posted by fair share on Fri, Oct 30, 2020, at 5:46 AM
  • *

    God is moving on the earth today, so I believe we should just sit back and let God do His thing while he is here. Why would He stop all the corruption and Children Sacrifices and Human Trafficking and take down the churches that are evil and then not tidy up the rivers and streams and oceans and air. Sit back and watch the show. All this is happening now within the next 3 months. Certainly we can wait that long to see what takes place. When you remove the evil and the corruption things can start taking care of itself. God created the climate but the humans here on Earth started changing the weather and causing Floods, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Forest Fires and Earthquakes along with Chem trails in the skies.

    It is the evil ones causes these things to change the climate. God is removing the evil this year and into next year. Once the evil are gone, things will become Great Again all around the world. Be patient and Pray since God is here moving on the Earth.

    -- Posted by sui on Fri, Oct 30, 2020, at 5:27 PM
  • *

    What would Jesus do? Remember that? It still holds true. What would Jesus say when he sees you wearing a mask and killing yourself and bowing down to the Deep State's Puppets, the GovNors and Mayors? Didn't God tell us that all we have to do is call on Him and he would save us, yet we refuse to call on Him but expect God to lift you up out of the Trials and Tribulations? Well, the Trials and Tribulations are upon us. People are dying everywhere from suicide to Covid-19.

    It's strange you don't hear about Deaths by Breast cancer, Ovarian cancer, Lung cancer, Brain cancer, Smoking, or the #1 cause, Natural Death. It all seems to be Covid-19.

    You don't suppose God is only Rapturing up the Covid-19 patients do you? Those seem to be the Majority of deaths according to the lying Main Stream Media, which everyone likes to listen to instead of God.

    -- Posted by sui on Tue, Nov 3, 2020, at 12:36 AM

  • Steve, I appreciate hearing why it is you are so attracted to Trump. Because his attraction has been something that absolutely baffles me.I guess there is really nothing I have seen that would give me the least inclination to think he sees "regular people" as anything except marks. The guy has never been anything more than a con man and a swindler. But, charming the marks is how a con man makes his way. Sure, he is nice to Herschel Walker and Whitney Houston... celebrities. That is one thing he has accomplished. He has made himself a celebrity. His business record is one of failure and defaulting, except the reality TV show.

    The bravado, the boasting, all the loudmouth bully crap. That is not "just the way New Yorkers are." Sure, the norms of behavior are different. New Yorkers definition of rude is a lot different than ours. But a loudmouth braggart is the same thing there as it is here. It is an insecure weakling trying to compensate.

    But what really floors me is the perception of the absolute failure in dealing with Covid as "being positive." I guess that comes with being so insulated here from what is going on everywhere else. Yeah, they endure periods of lockdown and inconvenience during flareups. But that is while they use the tools of modern society to keep things under control All we have done is drift along, leaderless, faring worse than almost anyone in the world (hey, we are doing at least as good as Brazil.) The rest of the first world used to envy us. Now they pity us. We have let things get so out of control, that I don't think it can be salvaged. However many hundreds of thousands will die from his incompetence are just going to die. 300,000+ so far, regardless of the attempts to hide the numbers. Altho there would have been some deaths even with competence and leadership. And the sad thing is, it is completely unnecessary. Dealing with something like Covid is not rocket science; we have more resources than anyone in the world and had a two month opportunity to get ahead of it. Unfortunately, it would seem that there is no "real" thing that he has the competence to deal with. All we will ever get is campaign stunts and spin. He truly is not the typical politician. Even the worst politician at some level has substance. Believes in something. can perform the simplest task. Unfortunately we have nothing but politician. I guess the analogy for the Covid "response" that comes to my mind is taking your car to a mechanic because it has bad brakes. If the mechanic does not repair the brakes, but instead just promises you that everything will be OK, do you praise him for being positive and reassuring?

    -- Posted by lazarus on Tue, Nov 3, 2020, at 1:05 AM

  • Still waiting on Laz to name the metrics of a successful presidency. It's been three years, and multiple posts, since he said he was too busy post them.

    As for taking your car to the mechanic for bad brakes, what if that mechanic had your car for 47 years and the brakes still hadn't been fixed,but the mechanic said just give me 4 more years?

    As for covid deaths, dems should simply tell themselves those victims were going to somehow force them to take responsibility for their choices and they could be ignored like millions of unborn babies.

    -- Posted by quietmike on Tue, Nov 3, 2020, at 4:54 AM
  • *

    Biden probably thinks he has a magic wand he hopes to wave 1/20/21 and make covid go away. He won't have that opportunity, but I really wish he had told us what specifically he would do more than what Trump has already done. Maybe he just plans to bungle covid like he did with H1N1.

    Laz, I understand your lack of attraction to Trump. It is because you are mired down in the toxic brew of the left. DC business as usual for decades. The demonrats, supported by the RINOs and to a somewhat lesser degree by the(used to be) main stream Republicans have pied pipered you and your cohorts down the primrose path towards socialism. Understandably, anyone trying to reverse course must be very unattractive.

    -- Posted by fair share on Tue, Nov 3, 2020, at 9:06 AM

  • lazarus, I am not sure "So attracted" is a fitting description but with a little digging you would find Snopes agreeing that he help a military man (his last name kind of said he was not in the aristocratic bloodline, at least not of this country) who was jailed in Mexico while Obama apparently did little to nothing to help.

    You would find that Trump helped a Jewish family by loaning his jet when no one else would carry them for medical treatment, and awarded a cash prize to a black man who helped save a suicidal woman about to jump from a bridge.

    I am not sure they qualify as celebrities and it sure shows a lack of xenophobic, racist and anti-military tendencies that the Press and Liberals tried to paint on him.

    At least I HOPE "tried" is the correct word. Liberals did not hate him when he was free with money for their causes but when he disagreed with their excesses and liberal thoughts, he became the "HATED". Of course, beating the "anointed one" (Clinton) made it even worse.

    What will occur when he beats the lamb they have offered up this time. I am sure the peace loving liberals will accept it calmly. That is why cities and retail outlets in particular are boarding up their buildings to accommodate all the "peaceful" looting and arson that will result. NOT because they are all that upset, they just want to loot and burn things and the Liberals too gutless to stop it.

    Just as you are mystified about our support for Mr. Trump, many of us are mystified of support for Biden. Or is it really Biden they support? I truly believe the Party leadership does not expect Biden to lead, nor do they expect him to be in office that long, if they somehow win.

    Just as Democrats ask Trump about his medical insurance plan, Republicans are asking about Biden's/Harris' plan for beating Covid when ALL the science says we still have a lot to learn. How can you have a plan to defeat it when the solution keeps changing? So what plan could Biden have, that won't put the country into a tailspin?

    Or, is a tailspin what the Socialists are hoping/planning for so they can tell us what is best for us and enforce what THEY think is best for us. Covid may be a good example of what control they want.

    You must wear masks (even if the science really does not add up), you must shut down restaurants(even though the science shows they are not the main events that spread the virus), elderly must be put into nursing homes (even though they are the most vulnerable and bringing new cases into such an enclosed environment is dangerous to them).

    Biden is a pawn and Harris might think she will be in charge, but if by some God awful chance they win, she will be in for a big surprise, from her own party leaders, not from Conservatives.

    THANKFULLY the campaign season is over. While I obviously hope for a conservative win, I wish that whomever wins, it is by an overwhelming majority that will silence the other side. Let them plan for four years from now, but give us peace.

    I will go back to my garden, photography and warm fuzzy topics, I HOPE! The only ongoing effort I can see me getting involved in is continuing to show how the mainstream media and social media tried to hijack our country and will probably continue through manipulation of information.

    -- Posted by stevemills on Tue, Nov 3, 2020, at 1:08 PM
  • *

    Steve, I think you can count on 4 more years of the same out of the LSM, BLM, and antifa. Which will just dig their hole deeper for next time. But, on the off chance that the dimcrat socialst party does win, expect a milder version of the same, not counting LSM. Reasonable people have spent the last 4 years watching what the left considers proper behavior. Whether it be tomorrow or some time down the road, don't be surprised when the left gets a dose of it's own medicine.

    Speaking of BLM, we all should be supportive.

    Biden's

    Laptop

    Matters

    -- Posted by fair share on Tue, Nov 3, 2020, at 4:02 PM

  • Yeh, I saw that his request for another laptop for Christmas has been denied.

    I wonder just how many Americans are at least aware that there was some questionable emails? We KNOW what exposure it would have gotten if it was a Trump child's laptop. LMAO

    This is something that needs to be trumpeted long after the election, which ever way it goes. Not because we need to prosecute Joe but we need to prosecute the press and let the American people know just how much their news is "managed".

    -- Posted by stevemills on Tue, Nov 3, 2020, at 4:41 PM

  • You can rest easy, Steve. This election has never been in doubt. I have long been certain that Russian hackers will deliver the votes needed to push your guy over the top at the end. This election has always been rigged.

    As far as the laptop, it is just a repeat of the pre-election "bombshell" of part real and part fake e-mails Julian Assange (now in the process of becoming a Russian citizen) delivered up before the last election. This time it was delivered by a genuine Russian agent to Trump's fool Giuliani right before the election. Business as usual in a third-world country. Lets hope we don't go full on third world and start jailing political opponents with manufactured "evidence."

    -- Posted by lazarus on Wed, Nov 4, 2020, at 12:04 AM
  • *

    🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

    -- Posted by fair share on Wed, Nov 4, 2020, at 1:52 AM

  • The hypocrisy of leftys is unbelievable.

    Laz laments third world practices of using manufactured evidence on political opponents while he had no problem pushing the Russian collusion hoax.

    -- Posted by quietmike on Wed, Nov 4, 2020, at 4:21 AM

  • You made my day quietmike. For the past 6 months I have been under public attack for being a conservative. Even had a couple of articles in trade publications decrying me for it.

    My crime was not letting Black Lives Matter use my business as a platform to promote their cause. Proof that I am a racist? Well, i am an old, white, southern male... with a beard! What more proof could you need?

    Truth is, I don't mix politics with business, and I make up my own dam mind on issues. Even if I decided to mix politics with business, I would not be promoting Black Lives Matter.

    -- Posted by lazarus on Wed, Nov 4, 2020, at 6:27 PM

  • Are they approaching everyone with a successful website or do you have a few members who thought you might help?

    Also kind of curious why they are interested in your field. Curiouser and curiouser.

    Those who criticized either had no business sense or are used to getting their way with bullying. Maybe both.

    Good for you standing your line.

    -- Posted by stevemills on Wed, Nov 4, 2020, at 6:52 PM

  • Gotta love Karma.

    -- Posted by quietmike on Wed, Nov 4, 2020, at 6:58 PM

  • It is the websites that draw the unwanted attention, Steve. One of them had a million and a half hits in a week (that was the peak, not a normal week. But there is a high volume of traffic always) Websites are not the product, but they are a necessary evil to do business today. And it takes someone full time to remove the ads, charities, gofundmes, and politics. They don't care what the field is. Just the volume of activity.

    -- Posted by lazarus on Wed, Nov 4, 2020, at 11:56 PM

  • Shows another side to this wonderful group.

    -- Posted by stevemills on Thu, Nov 5, 2020, at 6:38 AM
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