Good Read - 5 Unforgivable Traits the Bundy Militia Has in Common With Wall Street Bankers

[RKP5637]

All Grifters!

http://usuncut.com/class-war/5-unforgivable-traits-bundy-gang-have-in-common-with-wall-street-bankers/

The Bundy militia has a lot more in common with plutocratic bankers than one might assume.

As the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge stretches into its second week, a nonstop trickle of little-known facts about the group has continued to emerge in the news. When analyzing some of these facts, one can’t help but notice multiple similarities between Ammon Bundy’s gang and Wall Street:

1. They’re one percenters
Cattle ranching is an incredibly lucrative business these days. Cattle are being raised heavier and heavier, resulting in more revenue for cattlemen when selling beef cattle to slaughterhouses. The below chart from Bloomberg Business shows just how much heavier beef cattle have become over recent years, which means huge profits for the ranchers who raise them. Even though beef futures are down, analysts expect American beef consumption to increase in 2016, increasing demand and further padding the pockets of cattlemen.

2. The government refuses to prosecute them
The current standoff in Harney County, Oregon is similar to the standoff at Cliven Bundy’s ranch in Bunkerville, Nevada in 2014, in that the government is taking essentially no action whatsoever despite having ample opportunity to do so. Adding to the huge fine Bundy owes for unpaid grazing fees, the armed standoff at the Bundy Ranch resulted in numerous instances of militiamen pointing loaded weapons at federal agents, which is a felony.

3. They’re dependent on massive government subsidies
Aside from the ridiculously low grazing fees that renegade millionaire ranchers like the Bundy clan refuse to pay, the cattle industry, like Wall Street, enjoys a large number of subsidies and handouts that other taxpayers don’t.

4. They portray themselves as victims
The Bundy militia will complain to anyone who listens about the “tyranny” they endure from the federal government, despite all of the numerous tax breaks and subsidies the government gives them for simply being ranchers. The same is true for Wall Street bankers, who still find ways to complain about how hard they have it while raking in millions in salaries/bonuses/options each year.

5. America hates them
After all their bluster and media coverage, the American public has largely been disapproving of the Oregon militia standoff. Even the extremist Republicans seeking their party’s nomination for the presidency are reading the signs and distancing themselves from Bundy’s gang. GOP frontrunner Donald Trump said the militiamen should go home, calling for “law and order.” Florida senator Marco Rubio called the group “lawless,” and Texas senator Ted Cruz said he hoped the militia would “stand down peaceably.” Locals in Oregon have made it known for awhile now that the group’s presence is unwanted.

[uppityperson]

1. k&r

[BlueJazz]

2. "pointing loaded weapons at federal agents, which is a felony"

That's MY big piss-off about the group. They get away with things that most DUer's would have to call the bail-bondsman for...

[2naSalit]

3. or the coroner.

K&R!

[2naSalit]

4. K&R

[bhikkhu]

5. Ranchers aren't the one percent

or rather, I know a lot of ranchers, and I don't know of any that really make much money. Some make a good living on a good year, but the bad years can be pretty bad. There's maybe one large operation I know of aways from here that has a solid presence, but all the others are smaller and have to hustle to stay afloat. The trend is for smaller operators to get squeezed out, as modern methods require more expensive equipment.

In any case, average income is $70k or so, but that's a bit skewed by the few on the top end. http://work.chron.com/average-income-cattle-rancher-16400.html

You're #1 point is mostly a lie.

[JDPriestly]

6. Depends on the ranch and the rancher, I suppose.

600,000 acres is a lot of land.

I am not a farmer, but I grew up around farmers. I do not understand how these ranchers with all their cattle can afford to take a vacation and go sit at Malheur for as long as they seem to want to stay there. The farmers I grew up around did not get vacations. They had chores to do all year round. What's with these ranchers? Do they hire other people to take care of their livestock and their fields?

Or are they really big, corporate landowners who hire other people to do the real work for them?

Somehow, people who own a lot of land, don't seem to have to work that hard for long periods of time and can afford to take vacations for unlimited periods of time at Malheur are not going to get much sympathy from folks who work in offices long hours with bosses breathing down their necks or people who work in fast food or the retail sector and can barely afford a tiny half an apartment on their pay.

These ranchers are way out of touch with the real world of the American people.

They don't seem to appreciate how good they have it. Whiners.

And I think most Americans see them as whiners.

[RKP5637]

7. Yep, I thought point #1 was stretching it, but is was just part of the article. n/t

[central scrutinizer]

8. On paper maybe based on the value of the land

I had a student who didn't qualify for financial aid because his family appeared to be millionaires. They had a large ranch in eastern Oregon but the income from the ranch would have put them well below the poverty line.

[niyad]

9. k and r. hmm, and how much does either group pay in taxes?