As the election draws closer, to be held in November, because this is a different election it is good to look at different perspectives of the country. One perspective is from David Reynolds and his book Slow Road to Brownsville published by Greystone Books, Vancouver, 2014. Mr. Reynolds started his journey in Swan River Manitoba and drove south to end up in Brownsville, Texas. His travels were on a route  83 which is one of the few non interstate highways that have existed for hundreds of years. Going across the country by vehicle there are two ways to go – the interstate which will get you there faster, but there fewer things to see. Or you can go the old highways where the towns and cities built up which means there was a reason why they are where they are. Mr. Reynolds chose to go the second method which involves lots of stopping to see and talking to people along the way. Similar to most countries in the world, people begin their lives along the river and lakes and then explore the rest of the country. In the US most people came to the coasts, started on the east coast, and then explored the rest of the country. This tends to mean the established routes were east-west and than is why route 83 going north-south is an exception.

What did Mr. Reynolds learn?  First no matter where you go, people are interesting and the myths we tend to hold as youngster are not always based on fact.

One of the myths of being a youngster in England was playing Cowboys and Indians and watching the TV shows about Cowboys and Indians. The reality is many Indian tribes were farmers, not many were hunter-gatherers. It is tragically ironic that many Indian tribes that were displaced by the Indian Removal Act were replaced by settlers who came to farm on their 160 acre grants.

If you think about cowboys, most cowboys did not fight the Indians, the US military did. After the civil war, over 25% of the cowboys in Texas were black; another healthy number were Hispanics for they taught the Americans how to ride horses and herd cattle. Prior to the Spanish bringing horses to Mexico, there was none. The classic dress of the cowboy is Mexican cowboy.

South of Pierre, South Dakota one of the biggest contributor to the economy is beef. The cattle which graze on the land, the animals which go to the feedlots in South Kansas and the cattle drives which built cities such as Abilene, Texas and Dodge City, Kansas.

In Texas and the Dakotas – oil is a important element of the economy.

40% of the goods imported into the US through Mexico and points south go through Laredo, Texas. In addition a large proportion of imports from China come via the Mexican port of Lazaro Cardenas. How it can be economical means political wish thinking and reality are different. Texans of Mexican descent or Tejanos make up 4 million people in Texas. Texas was part of the Mexico until 1836, in 1845 the independent country joined the US as the 28th state. Some Tejanos died at the Alamo fighting for Texas.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, while it is easy to read, getting out on the old highways which tell stories about the founding of the country and the economy of the area. Many areas were settled for one reason – some own land and was trying to sell lots; there were natural resources located; the transportation sectors intersected; the government gave free land; there was a reason. How the area sustains itself after all these years is a different story. Understanding the reasons of how sustainability continues is what makes a dividend stock different from other stocks. How does the company continue to generate a cash flow? what are the margins it keeps? In the drive through Highway 83, one can see how the economy and the people changed – some for the better, some not so good; but changes happened. How does sustainability continue?

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.