June 01, 2006
The Poppy
symbol of the veteran
the poppy is a crop
that grows the kind of pollen
with which to blow your top
From upstate to Afghanistan
they're so ubiquitous
what's a little opium
no need for
such a fuss
When they're ripe for harvest
what do you do next
put a little in your pipe
and write a sacred text
Oh Please.
If you can earn over $10,000 per year on your property in New York State, it is classified as a farm --thus making you eligible for lower property taxes. As a result, I have been mulling over some possibilities for this place, upon which a die is almost cast.
Raising alpaca and making goat cheese have both floated through my fantasies-- raising something soft and snuggly, or soft and delilcious is most appealing. And then there's energy farming -- selling electricity produced by windmills, solar or geothermal energy on the property.
It was in this contemplative state that I noticed that the poppy seems to thrive in upstate New York, as you can see from the glorious example above. Here's my idea. Let's move the poppy market from Afghanistan to the USofA -- reverse globalization. We can subsidize the Afghani farmers to grow organic vegetables, farm our own poppies, legalize drugs, and collect taxes on them, which will help with the deficit. If drugs were legalized, we could stop "the war" on them too, and save a pretty penny.
More importantly, a large percentage of our prison population here in the USofA is incarcerated for some involvement with illegal drugs. Those convicts who are serving time on drug charges, but have not committed violent crimes could be released, also saving the federal and state government big bucks.
This, of course, would severely handicap the fastest growing industry in the US -- private prisons, to the disappointment of some. Maybe the punishment entrepreurs could redirect their energies into early childhood education, or alternative energy.
Or, I could just market poppy tea without having to change a thing.
Photo note: See how inspiring a flower picture can be?
Posted by Dakota at June 1, 2006 08:04 AM