I write these words with a heavy heart, as a lifelong conservative American who loves this country and is concerned about where it’s headed.

Ranching and farming endure their fair share of challenges from Mother Nature, as well as high operating costs related to fuel, fertilizer, seed, land and water. Regardless of the size of the operation, it’s a labor of love; it’s not just a job but a way of life with little financial reward. 

I rise before dawn to check the watering holes, then work all day mending fences and checking on the cattle. After a long day, I have supper and often head into town, staying past midnight to attend FFA meetings at the local school or a water conservation meeting. During hay season, the pace is relentless — it’s sunup to sundown, irrigating, cutting, baling and stacking hay, often working late into the night to get everything done.

Did we not learn from what happened during Trump’s first term? Have we forgotten how his trade policies negatively impacted our grain and cattle markets back in 2017 to 2018? And as if that wasn’t enough, we were further hit by COVID-19. All was a contributing factor to inflation we have been seeing for the past few years.

While we may not be facing a pandemic this time, threats such as bird flu, tuberculosis and measles could still pose serious health risks. Furthermore, taking a chainsaw to agencies that provide essential health services could potentially lead to another pandemic.

How easily we forget the struggles we endured. During that time, corn and soybean elevators were at full capacity, and farmers were forced to dump grain in huge piles on the ground, with nowhere for it to go. And ranchers taking their calves to the sale barn is not only a monetary venture but also a social one. The grandstands surrounding the sale ring area are typically filled like a Friday night football game with buyers and sellers. Amid the auctioneer’s rapid-fire call to secure the highest bids for sellers, the air buzzes with chatter as old friends reconnect, sharing stories about the last time they met, bragging about their children and grandchildren, celebrating wins at county fairs, and catching up on the latest gossip.

However, shortly after the tariffs were enacted, the grandstands were no longer full; it became a scene dominated only by buyers. The sale ring, once bustling with calves, now featured cows and bulls — the seed stock painstakingly developed over generations, being sold off due to farm and ranch foreclosures. Sellers could no longer bear to watch their livestock being auctioned at prices not seen since the 1990s; instead, they would drop them off and drive home with tear-filled eyes.

Right now, as I’m writing this, cattlemen like myself are enjoying a strong bull cattle market. We can’t ignore the reasons behind this uptick. In 2024, we experienced the lowest calf crop since 1965, and even with massive U.S. Department of Agriculture bail outs reaching over $20 billion during the first Trump go around farmers and ranchers bankruptcies still rose to 20%, reducing inventories creating today’s high prices.

I’m concerned that the high prices we’ve been enjoying the past couple of years will quickly decline even with historically low inventories as we move forward. 

While we might hope that a smaller government would be beneficial, we need to be realistic about the way Elon Musk is approaching this and his true intentions, blindly depleting our government workforce from agencies that provide essential resources and services, then frantically trying to reinstate them causing chaos and uncertainty.

Consider why many Republicans seem to follow Musk’s lead. They are undoubtedly aware that what’s happening is illegal and contrary to our Constitution. Yet, they remain silent, knowing that dissent could lead to being ostracized or silenced. Trump has proven he will use any means at his disposal to attack those who oppose him, even threatening federal judges with impeachment for upholding the law. Don’t be blind to why Trump pardoned Jan. 6 criminals, this is a clear message to anyone that opposes him or his policies, you will pay a hefty price.

This raises pressing questions: Why is an individual earning millions of dollars a day from government contracts allowed unrestricted access to every government agency’s computer system? Did voters truly intend for a South African billionaire to influence policies that result in job cuts and diminished services while enriching the already affluent?

Is it justice if Musk donates millions of dollars to congressman and senators campaigns that will vote for impeachment against judges that uphold the Constitution and the rule?

We have to ask ourselves: why are Republicans pushing so hard to provide more tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations, which have already enjoyed record profits, none of which benefit the working class?

We must keep in mind that massive tax breaks to the wealthy and tariffs increase our deficit and contribute to rising inflation, which we are already experiencing. Inflation does not impact the wealthiest Americans in the same way it affects the middle and lower classes. For someone wealthy, an additional $3 for a gallon of milk is inconsequential.

We pay taxes and receive services in return. However, those services are being cut so the wealthiest people in America can pay less taxes leaving the working class to bear the tax burden. And even though cutting essential services for the people of this country, there still isn’t enough money to cover the initial new tax cuts for the richest 1% that will increase our national debt. In doing so, Republicans are trying to raise the debt ceiling in order to keep their new tax cut, cut that will increase the deficit by trillions of dollars more than the last tax cuts to the wealthy.

Government is now working for the most wealthy, leaving the middle and lower class behind.

Taking into account the global economy, the United States has been at the forefront. Even with higher prices resulting from the trade policies put in place Trumps first go around between China and the United States, we cannot overlook the significant role China has played in our past economic success. Whether we like it or not, we have benefitted from lower prices on everyday goods at retailers like Walmart and Target. Additionally, we shouldn’t forget about Mexico, which supplies our off-season produce, as well as the beer and tequila that many of us enjoy, auto parts and appliances. And then there’s Canada, our closest ally and trade partner.

Canada plays several important roles for the United States across various domains, including economic, political, environmental and cultural aspects.

Trump often discusses the trade deficit with countries that consume significantly fewer products than the United States — sometimes 100 times less and, in some cases, even 1,000 times less. It’s no surprise that a deficit exists. Take Canada, for instance; Trump seems to be punishing Canada for not importing as many goods as they export to the U.S. This situation is akin to suggesting that a family of three should buy as many groceries as a family of five.

It’s absurd to punish countries based on their population sizes or the strength of their economies. Naturally, the U.S. will consume more products than any other country; after all, we are the largest economy in the world.

Moreover, a market crash similar to that of 2008 is on the horizon. Insiders know that it’s time to protect their assets, leaving the average investor behind. Warren Buffett serves as a prime example; it’s no coincidence that he has been pulling money out of the stock market ever since Trump took office. He’s currently sitting on billions of dollars in cash.

It won’t be the billionaires who suffer from the market’s sell-off — after all, they are the ones selling. The ones who will be hurt are those with 401(k)s, who are at risk of being crushed by the downturn. Once the panic subsides, the billionaires will have cash on hand to buy assets at discounted prices.

Americans voted for a man who claimed to be the only one capable of reducing food prices influenced by his own tariffs, stopping wars, ending inflation, and reducing the deficit. Meanwhile, he is spending millions of taxpayer dollars on his own indulgences.