Drought

It is so uncool to swim against the tide.  This age seems to be summed up with go with the flow and don’t cause waves.  We are fed what to believe and believe it.  I take no joy in swimming against the tide for its own sake. Sometimes though, I hear of alternative views, which are worth exploring, if only to sometimes debunk them.
There is no doubt, some of our farmers are doing it tough, and it is great to see a willingness to help. 
This drought is effecting lots of folk.  We recently mowed, and we have never had so much dust mown.  I have a wry smile to myself when the weather channel says Brisbane had 25ml or something.  I look at our gauge, and it may have registered us having 1 ml if we are lucky.  It seems as long as it rains on the gauge “Brisbane” is seen to have had 25ml.   We are waiting.  It would be great not to need to water.  I see now our plant in a pot is wilting again and needs a water.  It is our gauge of when we need to water.
I have a feeling though, that if this drought did not affect our food supply, we may not be seeing this campaign to help our farmers.  The way I see it, this campaign is less about a need (which is genuine and there), and more about marketing and an opportunity to be seen to be doing something.  Trouble is, guess who has to pay?  Milk prices have been raised.  We pay.  Donations are asked for at big events.  We pay.  If several companies were willing to forgo their advertising budget for a day, probably as much could be raised.
Landline did a great story on the drought.  It gave an alternative view as to what is happening.  Probably the truth is somewhere in between what we are being told.  According to big business, it seems all farmers are in dire straits.  According to Landline only those farmers ill prepared are in need.  There seems to be need out there, but we are being led to believe something.
Someone I know raised what I thought was a valid point.  They were talking about the number of lay-offs.  Let’s say Holden closes in Australia (which it has).  Huge numbers of people are laid off, and other businesses are adversely affected.  Sometimes whole towns lose their reason for being.  Some of those people do it really tough, but there is no campaign to help them.  In the name of efficiency (which to me is understandable) companies sometimes lay-off thousands.  Some of those people do it tough. There is no campaign to help them.
Some of our farmers are doing it tough.  To me, it is right and proper to help them, as long as I remember there are others who do it tough to.  Someone said there are always poor that can be helped any time.
No doubt it will rain again.  I feel it was rightly said, this is a land of droughts and flooding rains.  Climate change will compound this. This campaign will be wound up, and will be a thing of the past. 
I love that there are people who, whether the need is the flavour of the month or not, go out year in, and year out, providing assistance to the famers.  They are the ones I support on an ongoing basis.