I realize that the Valley Courier doesn’t write the press releases from the government, but the one with the headline, “USDA assists farmers impacted by unjustified retaliation” should have been on the opinion page, not the news page. When you start a war and shoot at someone, do you really feel that you can consider it unjustified when they shoot back?

While “unjustified” may be in the eyes of the beholder, to have not anticipated retaliation just shows a lack of advanced planning or limited knowledge of how countries do trade deals.

Since trade negotiations are done in secret, they seldom advance the needs of workers or the public. Instead they are the results of corporations attempting to get government assistance to provide them some advantage over other trade players.

Funny isn’t it how we accept $12 billion going to farmers and farming corporations, and never call it governmental socialism. But give the money to the needy, and it becomes socialism. I guess socialism is only bad when it is done to help the poor.

Sincerely

Don Thompson

Alamosa