Get Off My Land, Peasant

 

There has been rampant speculation as to why some of the world’s richest guys are suddenly buying huge tracts of farmland.  Bill Gates is now acquiring a big chunk of North Dakota in addition to other holdings. Jeff Bezos already has hundreds of thousands of acres of land.

Is there some insidious conspiracy to control the world’s food supplies? An investment in agribusinesses likely to boom when the Davos braintrust creates global food shortages that will make Sri Lanka and Holland look like practice runs? Or do they have so much cash there is nothing left to buy other than the planet’s surface?

Will this lead to the final revenge of Margaret Sanger and Paul Ehrlich to rid the plant of its parasitic human masses?

One consolation is that despite the wealth, these guys are not the sharpest knives in the drawer outside of their core income-generating activities.  Bill Gates has achieved a C+ undergraduate grasp of a number of issues (and that’s in an era where nobody gets less than a B unless they’re openly conservative) and Jeff Bezos has managed to turn the august Washington Post into one of America’s top two or three student newspapers. At least Lex Luthor and the string of villains that 007 took down were actually good at their craft.

When the evil (or just dumb) master plan is unveiled, all we know for sure is that the worse it is, the more likely that Bill Kristol and Jen Rubin will applaud it faster than Kent Brockman welcomed our new insect overlords.

My personal fear is that this land grab might be linked with Jeff Zuckerberg’s Create the Vote efforts. We need some oversight as to what the supervillains are growing. Just sayin’.

Future Voters?

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  1. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Old Bathos: We need some oversight as to what the supervillains are growing.

    Weed, man.

    • #1
  2. Old Bathos Member
    Old Bathos
    @OldBathos

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Old Bathos: We need some oversight as to what the supervillains are growing.

    Weed, man.

    Would that it were. More likely some patented GMO crop followed by global treaties to mandate its use as a staple.

    • #2
  3. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    Yeah, this is a really disturbing trend… 

    • #3
  4. Hank Rhody's Grandson Member
    Hank Rhody's Grandson
    @OldDanRhody

    It may be that, anticipating greater instabilities in the world’s currencies, they hope to protect their wealth by investing in agricultural lands.
    And specifically control food production, I shouldn’t doubt.

    • #4
  5. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Old Bathos: Is there some insidious conspiracy to control the world’s food supplies?

    Control the food supply, control the people . . .

    • #5
  6. Kevin Schulte Member
    Kevin Schulte
    @KevinSchulte

    When populations starve.  The rulers get pitch forks . 

    The only silver lining to this evil. 

    • #6
  7. Ekosj Member
    Ekosj
    @Ekosj

    It’s part of the Climate agenda.   The newest enemy of Gaia is agriculture.   I’ve pointed this out elsewhere …

    Not only animal husbandry but ALL agriculture is destroying the planet.

    George Monbiot: “Agriculture is arguably the most destructive industry on Earth”

    Even vegans are t safe…

    https://brandnewtube.com/watch/plant-agriculture-is-destroying-the-planet-must-watch_vG8qFqRqLTRJLSg.html

    So when the Davos crowd and the WEF decrees that, like in the Netherlands, American agriculture must take land out of production and/or eliminate fertilizer use, there will be willing participants.   And unlike private farmers who might not comply, these large holders can afford not to produce.

    • #7
  8. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Old Bathos:

    There has been rampant speculation as to why some of the world’s richest guys are suddenly buying huge tracts of farmland.  Bill Gates is now acquiring a big chunk of North Dakota in addition to other holdings. Jeff Bezos already has hundreds of thousands of acres of land.

    Is there some insidious conspiracy to control the world’s food supplies? An investment in agribusinesses likely to boom when the Davos braintrust creates global food shortages that will make Sri Lanka and Holland look like practice runs? Or do they have so much cash there is nothing left to buy other than the planet’s surface?

    In an inflationary economy farmland is a good investment.  It will hold its value.  It’s how inflation makes the rich richer and the poor and middle class poorer.

    It works because nowadays a lot of farms are managed by farm managers hired by the owners, and not by owner-operators.  Government crop subsidies make it safe to scale up, meaning the best-capitalized win all.   Without government subsidies, it would be necessary for farmers to diversify, and that type of diversified farm doesn’t scale up quite as well.

    • #8
  9. Jim McConnell Member
    Jim McConnell
    @JimMcConnell

    Jeff Bezos has managed to turn the august Washington Post into one of America’s top two or three student newspapers.”

    Right on!

    • #9
  10. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    If a guy is on record saying he believes the world is over populated and the number of people on the planet needs to decrease, there are two places I would not trust him in the least (well, many… but at least gun manufacturing and weapons systems would make sense):

    Health and food.

    He isn’t involved in these to save lives and to prosper human life. He’s in them to diminish humans.

    • #10
  11. Columbo Inactive
    Columbo
    @Columbo

     

     

    Soylent Green comes to life.

    • #11
  12. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    Old Bathos: Jeff Bezos has managed to turn the august Washington Post into one of America’s top two or three student newspapers.

    When you’ve got it, you’ve got it.

    And you, OB, have got it.

    • #12
  13. I Walton Member
    I Walton
    @IWalton

    Is their obvious evil and stupidity self generated, facilitated by the Chinese, or wholly Chinese managed?    The other principle question is why do we assume we can take power away from them through elections they don’t believe in but control?   

    • #13
  14. Hang On Member
    Hang On
    @HangOn

    There’s a couple of local billionaires who are buying up land in my area. But then it’s growing fast. Just announced a new Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer and lots of ancillary plants as well. 

    • #14
  15. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patriot) Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patriot)
    @ArizonaPatriot

    What is the mechanism of the alleged plan of these billionaires?

    Are they buying up farmland in order to stop farming?  Or to continue farming, but to do so less efficiently?  Because that’s going to be a money-losing proposition for them, isn’t it?

    Now, if they’re really clever, they might do something like this.  Assume that there will be serious restrictions placed on farming, such as limiting fertilizer use.  We’re seeing that in Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, and Canada.  If such restrictions are put in place in America, then the best farmland to own would be the land that can produce the most without such fertilizers.  Yields will probably be lower in any event, but maybe some land is naturally better.  This could create a money-making proposition for the billionaires, as the hypothetical future fertilizer regulations will make other farmland uncompetitive, driving up the price of food.  Even with lower yields, the best farmland could end up being more profitable.  Not necessarily, as this would depend on the extent of the decline in yield and the extent of the increase in food prices.

    • #15
  16. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    I worry about this, about as much as I worried about panic in the 70s/early 80s that Japan was going to buy everything… and what, evict all the “tenants” from the US?  Take Rockefeller Center back to Japan?

    That is, not much worry at all.

    Bottom line, if things get bad enough, all of that land can be taken away by eminent domain, if necessary.

    And as I recall, Japan wound up selling Rockefeller Center for a fraction of what they bought it for, not much earlier.

    • #16
  17. Randy Weivoda Moderator
    Randy Weivoda
    @RandyWeivoda

    Haven’t rich people owned agricultural land since biblical times?  I don’t think it is unusual for people with a lot of money to put some of it into real estate and agriculture. 

    Going back to the days of Microsoft vs. Lotus, I have never been a fan of Bill Gates.  I think he is daft when he talks about tax policy.  But I have never read any statement by him that leads me to believe that he wants to starve people. 

    • #17
  18. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):

    Haven’t rich people owned agricultural land since biblical times? I don’t think it is unusual for people with a lot of money to put some of it into real estate and agriculture.

    Going back to the days of Microsoft vs. Lotus, I have never been a fan of Bill Gates. I think he is daft when he talks about tax policy. But I have never read any statement by him that leads me to believe that he wants to starve people.

    What biblical times? And in the US, as expansion moved west, the manner in which land was divvied up allowed people with lesser means to acquire it. See Almanzo Wilder and his brother for examples.

    In England, the land was divvied up to nobles, but the farming land was considered “common land” at least up until the early 19th century. All peasants in the Lord’s holding could farm the common land. Some portion would be taxed, but the peasants owned what they farmed (the product).

    In biblical times (as in Israel’s own laws), the land was divvied up by familial groups and was commanded to remain with them. The Bible is very blood and soil in the laws for Israel. If an Israelite sold his land to another, at the jubilee, the land was to return to the original family.

    So no, it’s not readily apparent that the current iteration of only wealthy people being able to farm the land goes back to ancient times.

    • #18
  19. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    And I don’t expect bill gates to ever say outright “ I want to kill people.” What he HAS said is that the world is over populated, that we need population control, and that vaccines can help with that.

    I can put two and two together.

    • #19
  20. Randy Weivoda Moderator
    Randy Weivoda
    @RandyWeivoda

    Stina (View Comment):
    So no, it’s not readily apparent that the current iteration of only wealthy people being able to farm the land goes back to ancient times.

    I never said only wealthy people owned farmland in ancient times.  And it is certainly not true that only wealthy people own farmland in present time.  That is pure nonsense.

    Stina (View Comment):

    And I don’t expect bill gates to ever say outright “ I want to kill people.” What he HAS said is that the world is over populated, that we need population control, and that vaccines can help with that.

    I can put two and two together.

    You evidently know more about Bill Gates than I do.  Can you give me a link to where he said that the purpose of vaccines is to reduce the human population?  I have been under the impression that he has been working on eradicating malaria as one example, which ought to lead to more human life, not less.

    • #20
  21. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Stina (View Comment):

    And I don’t expect bill gates to ever say outright “ I want to kill people.” What he HAS said is that the world is over populated, that we need population control, and that vaccines can help with that.

    I can put two and two together.

    Yes, he did actually say that.  Maybe it was a Biden moment like when he boasted about having the greatest voter fraud organization.

    • #21
  22. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):
    Can you give me a link to where he said that the purpose of vaccines is to reduce the human population?

    It doesn’t really matter to see it.  He said it.  Anyone who disagrees that he meant what he said, will say that he meant something else, or that the context means that he intended to say something else.  But — like Joe Biden boasting about voter fraud — Gates said it.

    • #22
  23. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):
    Can you give me a link to where he said that the purpose of vaccines is to reduce the human population?

    It doesn’t really matter to see it. He said it. Anyone who disagrees that he meant what he said, will say that he meant something else, or that the context means that he intended to say something else. But — like Joe Biden boasting about voter fraud — Gates said it.

    How do you know that he said it? 

    • #23
  24. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):
    Can you give me a link to where he said that the purpose of vaccines is to reduce the human population?

    It doesn’t really matter to see it. He said it. Anyone who disagrees that he meant what he said, will say that he meant something else, or that the context means that he intended to say something else. But — like Joe Biden boasting about voter fraud — Gates said it.

    How do you know that he said it?

    Video.

    • #24
  25. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):

    Stina (View Comment):
    So no, it’s not readily apparent that the current iteration of only wealthy people being able to farm the land goes back to ancient times.

    I never said only wealthy people owned farmland in ancient times. And it is certainly not true that only wealthy people own farmland in present time. That is pure nonsense.

    Stina (View Comment):

    And I don’t expect bill gates to ever say outright “ I want to kill people.” What he HAS said is that the world is over populated, that we need population control, and that vaccines can help with that.

    I can put two and two together.

    You evidently know more about Bill Gates than I do. Can you give me a link to where he said that the purpose of vaccines is to reduce the human population? I have been under the impression that he has been working on eradicating malaria as one example, which ought to lead to more human life, not less.

    He never said the purpose of vaccines is population control. He said they can help with the over-population. In a TED talk. It’s not hard to find on Google.

    • #25
  26. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    And the problem isn’t rich people buying land – it’s that China and bill gates are now the BIGGEST owners of farm land. There is a concentration here that is unprecedented in the USA. This is the kind of thing that had people leaving Europe to come to the US for opportunity. This goes against every D’Toqueville wrote about in Democracy in America.

    • #26
  27. Randy Weivoda Moderator
    Randy Weivoda
    @RandyWeivoda

    Stina (View Comment):

    And the problem isn’t rich people buying land – it’s that China and bill gates are now the BIGGEST owners of farm land. There is a concentration here that is unprecedented in the USA. This is the kind of thing that had people leaving Europe to come to the US for opportunity. This goes against every D’Toqueville wrote about in Democracy in America.

    From this article dated May 2, 2022:

    The billionaire tech mogul and philanthropist has quietly amassed nearly 270,000 acres of farmland across the country, but that’s still a relatively small slice of the nation’s nearly 900 million total farm acres.

    270,000 is a lot, but is that really a great concentration out of 900,000,000 acres?  The King Ranch in Texas is 825,000 acres.

    • #27
  28. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):

    Stina (View Comment):

    And the problem isn’t rich people buying land – it’s that China and bill gates are now the BIGGEST owners of farm land. There is a concentration here that is unprecedented in the USA. This is the kind of thing that had people leaving Europe to come to the US for opportunity. This goes against every D’Toqueville wrote about in Democracy in America.

    From this article dated May 2, 2022:

    The billionaire tech mogul and philanthropist has quietly amassed nearly 270,000 acres of farmland across the country, but that’s still a relatively small slice of the nation’s nearly 900 million total farm acres.

    270,000 is a lot, but is that really a great concentration out of 900,000,000 acres? The King Ranch in Texas is 825,000 acres.

    And split between 60 owners (direct descendants of Richard King). That’s 13,750 acres per owner.

    • #28
  29. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Stina (View Comment):

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):

    Stina (View Comment):
    So no, it’s not readily apparent that the current iteration of only wealthy people being able to farm the land goes back to ancient times.

    I never said only wealthy people owned farmland in ancient times. And it is certainly not true that only wealthy people own farmland in present time. That is pure nonsense.

    Stina (View Comment):

    And I don’t expect bill gates to ever say outright “ I want to kill people.” What he HAS said is that the world is over populated, that we need population control, and that vaccines can help with that.

    I can put two and two together.

    You evidently know more about Bill Gates than I do. Can you give me a link to where he said that the purpose of vaccines is to reduce the human population? I have been under the impression that he has been working on eradicating malaria as one example, which ought to lead to more human life, not less.

    He never said the purpose of vaccines is population control. He said they can help with the over-population. In a TED talk. It’s not hard to find on Google.

    And if I recall, contextually he was talking about population growth as if it were a bad thing and controlling population growth through reproductive health and vaccinations which help with this.

    • #29
  30. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Flicker (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):
    Can you give me a link to where he said that the purpose of vaccines is to reduce the human population?

    It doesn’t really matter to see it. He said it. Anyone who disagrees that he meant what he said, will say that he meant something else, or that the context means that he intended to say something else. But — like Joe Biden boasting about voter fraud — Gates said it.

    How do you know that he said it?

    Video.

    Is it possible that you’re ashamed of your sources?  

    • #30
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