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<title>Proud American Trading Post: Blog Posts</title>
<link>http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com</link>
<pubDate>2012-05-18</pubDate>
<description>List of Latest Blog Posts at Proud American Trading Post</description>
<language>en-us</language>
<isc:store_name><![CDATA[Proud American Trading Post]]></isc:store_name>
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<title><![CDATA[The Flag]]></title>
<link>http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/The-Flag_b_8.html</link>
<pubDate>2012-05-18</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Every Friday we will feature one of Proud American Trading Post's favorite video's... ]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/The-Flag_b_8.html</guid>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Every Friday we will feature one of Proud American Trading Post's favorite video's...]]></content:encoded>
<isc:description><![CDATA[       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whmVGRSgAe8 Ragged Old Flag by Johnny Cash. We are proud to fly our American flag here at PATP, how about you? Proud-S.]]></isc:description>
<isc:productid><![CDATA[8]]></isc:productid>
<isc:author><![CDATA[S.]]></isc:author>
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<title><![CDATA[Save Money :: Avoid the Grocery Stores]]></title>
<link>http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/Save-Money-Avoid-the-Grocery-Stores_b_112.html</link>
<pubDate>2012-05-17</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  Guest post from Laura of Green Legacy Farm ( from: moneysavingmom.com)One of the easiest ways to save money on groceries is to avoid the grocery store! Historically, grocery stores didn’t exist until the 1940s. Families raised much of their own food, bought it locally, or even traded with friends and neighbors.Although I appreciate the convenience the grocery store offers, I’ve discovered the financial and health benefits of stocking my pantry from either my yard or local farmers. ]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/Save-Money-Avoid-the-Grocery-Stores_b_112.html</guid>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Guest post from Laura of Green Legacy Farm ( from: moneysavingmom.com)One of the easiest ways to save money on groceries is to avoid the grocery store! Historically, grocery stores didn’t exist until the 1940s. Families raised much of their own food, bought it locally, or even traded with friends and neighbors.Although I appreciate the convenience the grocery store offers, I’ve discovered the financial and health benefits of stocking my pantry from either my yard or local farmers.]]></content:encoded>
<isc:description><![CDATA[Knowing where our food comes from can help reduce sickness, as food that is heavily processed or travels long distances is often void of essential nutrients. In addition, buying locally what you can’t grow or raise at home stimulates local economies. For example, The Virginia Department of Agriculture states that if every household spent $10 per week on local food, 1.65 billion dollars would be generated annually into the local economy!I often hear many excuses as to why people can’t raise some of their own food, but there are solutions to almost all of those excuses!Not Enough Space:Container gardening, square foot gardening, and community gardening are all possibilities for those with limited space.Not Enough Sun:Is your lot wooded, or partially wooded? Consider planting edibles in your front yard, replacing ornamentals with fruit-bearing trees or bushes, or looking into shade-tolerant edibles. EdibleLandscaping.com is a great resource, or you can find many edible plants at your local nursery.I have one friend who plants her garden along her driveway because it’s the only place that gets sun. Again, Square Foot Gardening gives some great suggestions for working with small spaces.Not Enough Time:Start small! Were you turned off by the mealy tomato at the grocery store? Try growing tomatoes this year. Next year, add in something else. Gardens are great projects for kids, too; they will learn much and take some of the responsibility off your hands.Not Enough Money:Prices of local meats and eggs are often more than their conventionally-raised counterparts at the store, though still often less than organics. Personally, we live on a teacher’s salary, so this hits close to home for us. Consider getting egg-laying hens (female chickens). This was a common backyard animal up until the 1940s. Chickens are easy to care for and relatively quiet.In addition, buy in bulk. We got an extra freezer on Craigslist that can easily hold a quarter of a cow and several whole chickens.Not in the Country:Got an HOA, or a city that restrains how you can use your yard? Could you help change that? Our local city has a petition circulating right now to allow hens and honey bees within city limits!Not a Good Cook:Eating in season and simple recipes can make this task less daunting. Simply in Season is a wonderful cookbook to help you get started!Laura is a wife and homeschooling mom to two children. She enjoys writing, reading, art, photography, gardening, and farming and blogs about it at Green Legacy Farm. found on http://www.moneysavingmom.com ]]></isc:description>
<isc:productid><![CDATA[112]]></isc:productid>
<isc:author><![CDATA[S.]]></isc:author>
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<title><![CDATA[]]></title>
<link>http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/_b_111.html</link>
<pubDate>2012-05-16</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/Be-Eco-Friendly_p_2410.html  ]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/_b_111.html</guid>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/Be-Eco-Friendly_p_2410.html ]]></content:encoded>
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<isc:productid><![CDATA[111]]></isc:productid>
<isc:author><![CDATA[S.]]></isc:author>
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<title><![CDATA[We Don't Import Our Products]]></title>
<link>http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/We-Dont-Import-Our-Products_b_22.html</link>
<pubDate>2012-05-16</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ We don’t import our product - none of it - we make it here in North Carolina. We build it with wood from America--woods that you can pronounce the names like ash, hickory and poplar. As I often comment, “ There is something special about making something tangible and visitors to our facility leave with a deep appreciation to the painstaking effort put forth by our employees to produce quality products.” MADE IN USA is critical to our success. It makes us more flexible and more responsive...                ]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/We-Dont-Import-Our-Products_b_22.html</guid>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[We don’t import our product - none of it - we make it here in North Carolina. We build it with wood from America--woods that you can pronounce the names like ash, hickory and poplar. As I often comment, “ There is something special about making something tangible and visitors to our facility leave with a deep appreciation to the painstaking effort put forth by our employees to produce quality products.” MADE IN USA is critical to our success. It makes us more flexible and more responsive...               ]]></content:encoded>
<isc:description><![CDATA[Dixie's StoryIn 1994, my wife, Kelly and I purchased Dixie Seating Company from three families who had shared ownership from the beginning in the 1930’s. When I first visited the manu-facturing plant in Statesville, NC, I was struck first and foremost by the unique method on construction. Dixie Seating Company uses a “swelled joint” construction method using the moisture content variation in the chair posts and the stretchers to literally tighten the mortise and tenon joints over time. In addition, the construction includes an inter-locking wood to wood joint inside each leg that causes the stretchers to lock inside each leg like the corners of an old lincoln log set. So simple, but so precise and strong that the quality was immediately apparent to us. The founding families for generations had shipped millions of chairs, rockers and barstools throughout the eastern United States.That was 16 years ago, lots of things have changed. In 2005, we opened up a new manufacturing plant that provided State of the Art finishing capabilities, improved production capacity and the ability to introduce additional modern manufacturing tech-niques. We have introduced many new styles and made numerous quality improvements like jitter bug sanding every piece prior to finishing, purchasing Kiln dried FAS lumber to include in our product and upgrading finishes. We expanded our offering and entered new markets: schools, restaurants, craft stores and international sales.We have also been recognized as an exclusive member of SHARP a Federal OHSA pro-gram that recognizes our extra commitment to employee safety.   But there are some things that we have not changed. We don’t import our product - none of it - we make it here in North Carolina. We build it with wood from America--woods that you can pronounce the names like ash, hickory and poplar. As I often comment, “ There is something special about making something tangible and visitors to our facility leave with a deep appreciation to the painstaking effort put forth by our employees to produce quality products.” MADE IN USA is critical to our success. It makes us more flexible and more responsive. We also have never gone away from the “swelled joint”, interlocking wood to wood joinery. We would like to think that we have taken a company that started out with a simple purpose: to build a quality product and have continued to use the best of American ingenuity to produce the best round posted chairs, rockers and barstools made in North Carolina. (Owner of DSC) So Happy Rocking!S. ]]></isc:description>
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<isc:author><![CDATA[S.]]></isc:author>
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<title><![CDATA[50 Statistics About The U.S. Economy That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe ]]></title>
<link>http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/50-Statistics-About-The-US-Economy-That-Are-Almost-Too-Crazy-To-Believe-_b_110.html</link>
<pubDate>2012-05-14</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ I was just looking for something a bit edgy to get us all thinking and well here it is...50 Statistics About The U.S. Economy That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe!Please tell me what you think!?!  ]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/50-Statistics-About-The-US-Economy-That-Are-Almost-Too-Crazy-To-Believe-_b_110.html</guid>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[I was just looking for something a bit edgy to get us all thinking and well here it is...50 Statistics About The U.S. Economy That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe!Please tell me what you think!?! ]]></content:encoded>
<isc:description><![CDATA[#50) In 2010 the U.S. government is projected to issue almost as much new debt as the rest of the governments of the world combined.#49) It is being projected that the U.S. government will have a budget deficit of approximately 1.6 trillion dollars in 2010.#48) If you went out and spent one dollar every single second, it would take you more than 31,000 years to spend a trillion dollars.#47) In fact, if you spent one million dollars every single day since the birth of Christ, you still would not have spent one trillion dollars by now.#46) Total U.S. government debt is now up to 90 percent of gross domestic product.#45) Total credit market debt in the United States, including government, corporate and personal debt, has reached 360 percent of GDP.#44) U.S. corporate income tax receipts were down 55% (to $138 billion) for the year ending September 30th, 2009.#43) There are now 8 counties in the state of California that have unemployment rates of over 20 percent.#42) In the area around Sacramento, California there is one closed business for every six that are still open.#41) In February, there were 5.5 unemployed Americans for every job opening.#40) According to a Pew Research Center study, approximately 37% of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have either been unemployed or underemployed at some point during the recession.#39) More than 40% of those employed in the United States are now working in low-wage service jobs.#38) According to one new survey, 24% of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year.#37) Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008. Not only that, more Americans filed for bankruptcy in March 2010 than during any month since U.S. bankruptcy law was tightened in October 2005.#36) Mortgage purchase applications in the United States are down nearly 40 percent from a month ago to their lowest level since April of 1997.#35) RealtyTrac has announced that foreclosure filings in the U.S. established an all time record for the second consecutive year in 2009.#34) According to RealtyTrac, foreclosure filings were reported on 367,056 properties in March 2010, an increase of nearly 19 percent from February, an increase of nearly 8 percent from March 2009 and the highest monthly total since RealtyTrac began issuing its report in January 2005.#33) In Pinellas and Pasco counties, which include St. Petersburg, Florida and the suburbs to the north, there are 34,000 open foreclosure cases. Ten years ago, there were only about 4,000.#32) In California's Central Valley, 1 out of every 16 homes is in some phase of foreclosure.#31) The Mortgage Bankers Association recently announced that more than 10 percent of all U.S. homeowners with a mortgage had missed at least one payment during the January to March time period. That was a record high and up from 9.1 percent a year ago.#30) U.S. banks repossessed nearly 258,000 homes nationwide in the first quarter of 2010, a 35 percent jump from the first quarter of 2009.#29) For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together.#28) More than 24% of all homes with mortgages in the United States were underwater as of the end of 2009.#27) U.S. commercial property values are down approximately 40 percent since 2007 and currently 18 percent of all office space in the United States is sitting vacant.#26) Defaults on apartment building mortgages held by U.S. banks climbed to a record 4.6 percent in the first quarter of 2010. That was almost twice the level of a year earlier.#25) In 2009, U.S. banks posted their sharpest decline in private lending since 1942.#24) New York state has delayed paying bills totalling $2.5 billion as a short-term way of staying solvent but officials are warning that its cash crunch could soon get even worse.#23) To make up for a projected 2010 budget shortfall of $280 million, Detroit issued $250 million of 20-year municipal notes in March. The bond issuance followed on the heels of a warning from Detroit officials that if its financial state didn't improve, it could be forced to declare bankruptcy.#22) The National League of Cities says that municipal governments will probably come up between $56 billion and $83 billion short between now and 2012.#21) Half a dozen cash-poor U.S. states have announced that they are delaying their tax refund checks.#20) Two university professors recently calculated that the combined unfunded pension liability for all 50 U.S. states is 3.2 trillion dollars. #19) According to EconomicPolicyJournal.com, 32 U.S. states have already run out of funds to make unemployment benefit payments and so the federal government has been supplying these states with funds so that they can make their payments to the unemployed.#18) This most recession has erased 8 million private sector jobs in the United States.#17) Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of 2010.#16) U.S. government-provided benefits (including Social Security, unemployment insurance, food stamps and other programs) rose to a record high during the first three months of 2010.#15) 39.68 million Americans are now on food stamps, which represents a new all-time record. But things look like they are going to get even worse. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is forecasting that enrollment in the food stamp program will exceed 43 million Americans in 2011.#14) Phoenix, Arizona features an astounding annual car theft rate of 57,000 vehicles and has become the new Car Theft Capital of the World.#13) U.S. law enforcement authorities claim that there are now over 1 million members of criminal gangs inside the country. These 1 million gang members are responsible for up to 80% of the crimes committed in the United States each year.#12) The U.S. health care system was already facing a shortage of approximately 150,000 doctors in the next decade or so, but thanks to the health care reform bill passed by Congress, that number could swell by several hundred thousand more.#11) According to an analysis by the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation the health care reform bill will generate $409.2 billion in additional taxes on the American people by 2019.#10) The Dow Jones Industrial Average just experienced the worst May it has seen since 1940.#9) In 1950, the ratio of the average executive's paycheck to the average worker's paycheck was about 30 to 1. Since the year 2000, that ratio has exploded to between 300 to 500 to one.#8) Approximately 40% of all retail spending currently comes from the 20% of American households that have the highest incomes.#7) According to economists Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez, two-thirds of income increases in the U.S. between 2002 and 2007 went to the wealthiest 1% of all Americans.#6) The bottom 40 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth.#5) If you only make the minimum payment each and every time, a $6,000 credit card bill can end up costing you over $30,000 (depending on the interest rate).#4) According to a new report based on U.S. Census Bureau data, only 26 percent of American teens between the ages of 16 and 19 had jobs in late 2009 which represents a record low since statistics began to be kept back in 1948.#3) According to a National Foundation for Credit Counseling survey, only 58% of those in Generation Y pay their monthly bills on time.#2) During the first quarter of 2010, the total number of loans that are at least three months past due in the United States increased for the 16th consecutive quarter.#1) According to the Tax Foundation’s Microsimulation Model, to erase the 2010 U.S. budget deficit, the U.S. Congress would have to multiply each tax rate by 2.4. Thus, the 10 percent rate would be 24 percent, the 15 percent rate would be 36 percent, and the 35 percent rate would have to be 85 percent. ]]></isc:description>
<isc:productid><![CDATA[110]]></isc:productid>
<isc:author><![CDATA[S.]]></isc:author>
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<title><![CDATA[Thought Provoking Music to “Shake You Up”]]></title>
<link>http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/Thought-Provoking-Music-to-Shake-You-Up_b_109.html</link>
<pubDate>2012-05-04</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Thought Provoking Music to “Shake You Up” Wake Up America...a snappy tune you can sing along too...  ]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/Thought-Provoking-Music-to-Shake-You-Up_b_109.html</guid>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Thought Provoking Music to “Shake You Up” Wake Up America...a snappy tune you can sing along too... ]]></content:encoded>
<isc:description><![CDATA[What do you think? ]]></isc:description>
<isc:productid><![CDATA[109]]></isc:productid>
<isc:author><![CDATA[S.]]></isc:author>
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<title><![CDATA[Only The Finest Ingredients for Mom]]></title>
<link>http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/Only-The-Finest-Ingredients-for-Mom_b_108.html</link>
<pubDate>2012-05-02</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Ciao Bella’s carefully designed natural bath, body and skincare products are created with only the finest ingredients. We combine natural botanicals, vitamins, minerals and essential oils for products that pamper your body and nourish your skin. We produce in small batches to guarantee absolute freshness. All of our products are free of parabens and artificial color. Ciao Bella's collection of natural bath and body products includes, body wash, body lotion, sugar scrub, sea salt scrub, bamboo &amp; sugar face scrub, hand &amp; body cream, bubble bath, massage oil, soy shampoo, soy conditioner, hand made vegetable soap, bath bombs, lip balm and hand poured natural soy wax candles. ]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/Only-The-Finest-Ingredients-for-Mom_b_108.html</guid>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Ciao Bella’s carefully designed natural bath, body and skincare products are created with only the finest ingredients. We combine natural botanicals, vitamins, minerals and essential oils for products that pamper your body and nourish your skin. We produce in small batches to guarantee absolute freshness. All of our products are free of parabens and artificial color. Ciao Bella's collection of natural bath and body products includes, body wash, body lotion, sugar scrub, sea salt scrub, bamboo &amp; sugar face scrub, hand &amp; body cream, bubble bath, massage oil, soy shampoo, soy conditioner, hand made vegetable soap, bath bombs, lip balm and hand poured natural soy wax candles.]]></content:encoded>
<isc:description><![CDATA[Ciao Bella's natural bath &amp; body products for babies and children combine all natural botanicals and pure essential oils which will gently cleanse, nourish and protect babies delicate skin. This collection is enriched with Aloe Vera, Vitamin E and Chamomile to enhance a calming and relaxing bath &amp; bedtime routine. We carefully select each ingredient for the ability to hydrate, soothe, nourish and protect babies delicate new skin. Many of our ingredients are organic and none of our baby products contain skin-drying sulfates, petroleum based parabens, mineral oil or FD&amp;C colors, so they are safe and gentle for babies and adults with sensitive skin. Our specially designed soothing scent is a combination of Lavender, Mandarin, Tangerine and Chamomile, which will calm &amp; relax baby before bed. ]]></isc:description>
<isc:productid><![CDATA[108]]></isc:productid>
<isc:author><![CDATA[S.]]></isc:author>
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<title><![CDATA[The Family Farm Is Being Systematically Wiped Out Of Existence In America*]]></title>
<link>http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/The-Family-Farm-Is-Being-Systematically-Wiped-Out-Of-Existence-In-America_b_107.html</link>
<pubDate>2012-04-30</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ An entire way of life is rapidly dying right in front of our eyes. The family farm is being systematically wiped out of existence in America, and big agribusiness and the federal government both have blood all over their hands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of farms in the United States has fallen from about 6.8 million in 1935 to only about 2 million today. That doesn't mean that there is less farming going on. U.S. farms are producing more than ever. But what it does mean is that farming is increasingly becoming dominated by the big boys. The rules of the game have been tilted in favor of big agribusiness so dramatically that most small farmers find that they simply cannot compete anymore. Back in 1900, about 39 percent of the U.S. population worked on farms. At this point, only about 2 percent of all Americans now live on farms. Big agribusiness, the food processing conglomerates, and big seed companies such as Monsanto completely dominate the industry. Unless something dramatic is done, the family farm is going to continue to be wiped out of existence. Unfortunately, it does not look like things are going to turn around any time soon. *(this article is by: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com)  ]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/The-Family-Farm-Is-Being-Systematically-Wiped-Out-Of-Existence-In-America_b_107.html</guid>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[An entire way of life is rapidly dying right in front of our eyes. The family farm is being systematically wiped out of existence in America, and big agribusiness and the federal government both have blood all over their hands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of farms in the United States has fallen from about 6.8 million in 1935 to only about 2 million today. That doesn't mean that there is less farming going on. U.S. farms are producing more than ever. But what it does mean is that farming is increasingly becoming dominated by the big boys. The rules of the game have been tilted in favor of big agribusiness so dramatically that most small farmers find that they simply cannot compete anymore. Back in 1900, about 39 percent of the U.S. population worked on farms. At this point, only about 2 percent of all Americans now live on farms. Big agribusiness, the food processing conglomerates, and big seed companies such as Monsanto completely dominate the industry. Unless something dramatic is done, the family farm is going to continue to be wiped out of existence. Unfortunately, it does not look like things are going to turn around any time soon. *(this article is by: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com) ]]></content:encoded>
<isc:description><![CDATA[The way that the farming industry is structured today, it is simply not economically feasible to operate a small family farm. According to Farm Aid, every week approximately 330 farmers leave their land for good.Many old timers are trying to hang on for as long as they can. A very large percentage of family farmers are in their fifties, sixties or seventies at this point. Today, only about 6 percent of all farmers are under the age of 35.Most young people these days are not too eager to choose farming as a career. A lot of young adults that grew up on family farms have decided that investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a business that requires you to work 12 hours or more per day most of the year for very meager wages is simply not worth it.In recent years, many family farmers have been forced to find second jobs in order to support their families. Many farm families are constantly on the verge of financial ruin. It is a really tough life for many of them.Sadly, less than 25 percent of all farms in America bring in gross revenues in excess of $50,000. The following comes from the EPA website....It has been estimated that living expenses for the average farm family exceed $47,000 per year. Clearly, many farms that meet the U.S. Census' definition would not produce sufficient income to meet farm family living expenses. In fact, fewer than 1 in 4 of the farms in this country produce gross revenues in excess of $50,000.On top of everything else, the federal government and many state governments just keep endlessly piling more rules and regulations on to the backs of farmers.Big agribusiness has the resources to deal with all of these regulations fairly well, but most family farms do not.With each passing year, the farming industry becomes even more centralized. If current trends continue, big agribusiness will eventually control nearly all of it. The following is from the EPA website....By 1997, a mere 46,000 of the two million farms in this country accounted for 50% of sales of agricultural products (USDA, 1997 Census of Agriculture data). That number was down from almost 62,000 in 1992.In certain industries the amount of consolidation has been absolutely stunning. For example, between 1970 and today the United States has lost 88 percent of its dairy farms.Another factor that is shaping the farming business is the incredible power that the giant food processing conglomerates have accumulated.Today, there are 10 corporations that control most of the things that Americans eat and drink on a daily basis. If you doubt this, just check out this chart.The giant food processing conglomerates have a massive amount of influence over how food is grown in the United States today. Small farmers that try to go against the tide often have a very rough go of it.That is also true when it comes to seeds.For example, approximately 80 percent of all corn grown in the United States is grown using seeds that have been genetically modified by Monsanto.If you want to try to defy companies such as Monsanto, you are playing a very dangerous game. The predatory business practices of Monsanto have been well documented. Monsanto has taken countless numbers of farmers to court, and they are absolutely ruthless.Plus, it certainly does not help that there is a constant revolving door between Monsanto and federal government agencies. If you doubt this, just check out the chart about Monsanto on this page.Amazingly, in spite of all this there are still some small farmers that are able to overcome all of these obstacles and run successful businesses.But that is where the federal government comes in.In recent years, the federal government has become absolutely obsessed with going after small farmers.For example, a recent Food Freedom News article detailed what the feds have been doing to Randy and Karen Sowers. They were keeping their cash deposits under $10,000 so that they would not have to fill out a bunch of paperwork, and the federal government came down on them like a hurricane....“Structuring,” explains Overlawyered.com, “is the federal criminal offense of splitting up bank deposits so as to keep them under a threshold such as $10,000 above which banks have to report transactions to the government.”While being questioned, the Sowers were finally presented with a seizure order and advised that the feds had already emptied their bank account of $70,000. The Dept. of Justice has since sued to keep $63,000 of the Sowers’ money, though they committed no crime other than maintaining their privacy.Without funds, they will be unable to make purchases for the spring planting.When a similar action was taken against Taylor’s Produce Stand last year, the feds seized $90,000, dropped the charges, and kept $45,000 of Taylor’s money.Knowing that most farms operate on a very thin margin, such abuse of power wipes out a family’s income, and for a bonus, the feds enhance the monopoly power of Monsanto, Big Dairy and their supply chain.At many other small farms across America, the feds have conducted military-style raids at the crack of dawn over the smallest infractions. The sad truth is that the federal government has been using your tax money to go after small farmers in absolutely vicious ways.For example, the feds raided one Amish farm at 5 AM one morning.So what was the big crime that the feds were so concerned about?Well, the Amish farm was selling raw milk.Oh the horror!The feds seem content to leave big agribusiness pretty much alone, but they are constantly going after small farms in hundreds of different ways.Did you know that the Department of Labor is instituting new regulations that will ban children from doing many kinds of farm chores?Just another way to kill off the family farm in America.America is changing, and not for the better.Just like the middle class, the family farm is heading for extinction.Eventually, the big corporations and the federal government will have near total control over food production in America.So what do you think about all of this? Please feel free to post a comment with your thoughts below.... ]]></isc:description>
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<title><![CDATA[Running the Boston Marathon to Honor]]></title>
<link>http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/Running-the-Boston-Marathon-to-Honor_b_106.html</link>
<pubDate>2012-04-18</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ The Boston Marathon was held on Monday. When I watched the participants line-up and start I was moved by the feeling of unity they exhibited.Then I heard about Major Dan Rooney and I could help but feel inspired and proud to be an American. He is an 11-year military veteran who runs for more than himself!Major Dan Rooney to honor America in Boston Marathon:  ]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/Running-the-Boston-Marathon-to-Honor_b_106.html</guid>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[The Boston Marathon was held on Monday. When I watched the participants line-up and start I was moved by the feeling of unity they exhibited.Then I heard about Major Dan Rooney and I could help but feel inspired and proud to be an American. He is an 11-year military veteran who runs for more than himself!Major Dan Rooney to honor America in Boston Marathon: ]]></content:encoded>
<isc:description><![CDATA[Keep on Running!S.http://youtu.be/yjAGcbqficE]]></isc:description>
<isc:productid><![CDATA[106]]></isc:productid>
<isc:author><![CDATA[S.]]></isc:author>
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<pubDate>2012-04-18</pubDate>
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<isc:productid><![CDATA[103]]></isc:productid>
<isc:author><![CDATA[Sarah Worcester]]></isc:author>
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