As the 111th Congress came to an end, the Senate held a vote on the DREAM Act, an immigration reform proposal focused on children of illegal immigrants. Commentators and some Republicans described the way the bill was brought to the Senate floor as a “kabuki dance.” One of the many facets that make up the rich Japanese culture is kabuki. This performance genre of singing and dancing (its characters mean “sing,” “dance” and “skill”) is highly stylized with extravagant costumes, scenery and high plot predictability. Kabuki portrays a believable story in a symbolic and structured way, unlike the way it would happen in reality.

Do you tend to view the word “competition” as something negative? Maybe you truly dislike someone you see as your competition because of something that was said or done in the past. But in most cases, I think it’s safe to say that we simply feel threatened by our competition and we allow this to bring out insecurities and defensiveness. Instead of seeing your competition as someone who threatens your success, why not turn that threat around and see it as an opportunity? Let’s face it, if it weren’t for competition, what would motivate you to strive to be better? In fact, the main reason monopolies are bad for society is because the consumer is the ultimate loser.

In these tough economic times when consumers and businesses are spending less, farmers should think carefully about how much money they want to borrow and how they would use it in their businesses, a Purdue University agricultural economist says. When pursuing business opportunities, debt can be an important tool for business growth, Brent Gloy said. “Opportunities may come up, and you may need to borrow money to go after them,” he said. “Borrowing in moderation and using the funds for the right things is very important.”

Tax law changes have been numerous in 2010, so it seems appropriate that the year closed out with one more. On December 17, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 that includes the highly anticipated extension of the Bush-era tax cuts. There was much debate on whether the favorable individual income tax rates should be extended for everyone, or for everyone except the “rich.” Ultimately the rates in effect in recent years (10 percent, 15 percent, 25 percent, 28 percent, 33 percent, and 35 percent) will stay in effect for two years for all individual taxpayers.

This past year has certainly been one many dairy producers would just as easily like to forget. After a brutal year in 2009, profit margins remained negative through most of last year with depressed milk prices and high feed costs crippling operations. Increased debt loads and lost equity have been the themes as many dairymen are simply trying to weather the storm and survive this current cycle. After the past couple of years, one has to wonder if things can get much worse than they have been, as well as when or if the cycle may finally be turning for the better.