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Government powers/laws control your life, restricting all your many freedoms. The American Constitution was designed to limit federal powers, specifically to keep your freedom. The Constitution encourages local control, instead of federal control. Local control provides power to 50 states, thousands of cities, resulting in unlimited choices/freedom; offering you limitless choices/better lives. Remember, local people, all live nearby; they can see, feel, understand your problems, opinions; are easy to contact. If they don’t listen, you have other places to go. Federal bureaucrats are 1,200 miles away; enact one law. They don’t know/care about you, only see you as small population “Minnesota mosquitoes” to swat away/shut up, leaving you no freedoms, options and no life. You are under their control with no choices.

One writer that always expresses her “party line” is unbelievable. A great-grandmother drove a team of horses 16 miles to town. Her neighbors hauled wheat/pork 30 miles. She raised six children, doing farm chores, and her husband was in the Civil War. She was a small, strong, well-educated woman, an accomplished reader/conversationalist, definitely not subservient to her husband, who wrote: “She was an enemy of intemperance, tobacco using and vice of all kinds. Born 1892, second great-aunt, not desiring marriage graduated from University of California, became a writer, living and working on her own.

Another aunt taught school — music — and brought flower seeds and shrubs to Canada. The yellow rose in the area may well be attributed to her.

Born 1884, great-grandmother played accordion, married at 22, continued playing at barn dances, weddings, taverns and social events, leaving great-grandfather home to tend the farm and 13 children.

My other great-grandmother raised a family of five alone after her husband passed away at age 57. She made due, using her talents as a seamstress and gave music lessons, doing laundry, canning vegetables/preserves and taught in country school.

My grandmother worked in fields, side by side with grandpa. Each decision they made together — a strong Christian family. They raised nine children.
I asked Grandmother if she ever regretted having nine children

She smiled, said no, “They’re all unique and I love them all. They’re the treasure of my heart.”

Grandma had to find outside work when Grandpa became ill and was hospitalized. Grandma left younger children in care of older ones; found work in town.

My father’s mother worked alongside Grandpa in the fields. When he died, she stayed single, found a job and worked late into her 70s.

All these women and more were strong independent, self-sufficient women.

Many are listed in an old church recipe book under their own personal names, not their husbands’.

When those ladies cooked, it was heaven. They had hard times but were resourceful and independent. They had freedom to do so.

Remember that you always want local control. Big federal government is always a controlling bureaucracy that takes away your freedom. It’s not worth what little they provide.

Catherine Sippel
Albert Lea