Ode to the little guy

Re “They’re well-versed in hard times,” Column One, March 12

Cattle folks face life with good humor and resilience, as reflected in their poetry. They don’t receive the kinds of government subsidies that many farmers do. Nor will they get anything from the new bailout money for Wall Street.

The cattlemen and women of our nation have always been fiercely independent. It is terribly unfair that the politically connected can receive taxpayer bailouts but small family ranchers (and small-business people) get nothing but the privilege of paying for the mistakes of bankers.

Michael Falotico

Claremont