What it does is change the money flow in the country, and I think the money speaks for itself. It's a shame. We're out of business with a 53 percent cut.

What that $30 gives them is membership in the largest state association in the country. That money goes toward advertising and promoting cattle and beef in general.

The Augusteum warns me not to get attached to any obsolete ideas about who I am, what I represent, whom I belong to, or what function I may once have intended to serve. .. Even in the Eternal City (Rome), says the silent Augusteum, one must always be prepared for riotous and endless waves of transformation.

We were on our heels early on. A lot of guys were nervous, first time representing their country. It took a little while for them to get into the game. But they started feeling comfortable and once we got things going I thought we had some real good scoring opportunities and did a pretty good job defensively.

Although we must change the ways we protect our country, we must also guard against policies that appear attractive but offer little real protection and may even impede our ability to protect ourselves.

This is a total mindset change for the country that is going to enrich the political system.