The so-called season of giving is officially behind us. Even in these sluggish economic times, Americans still managed to spend more than $50 billion in gift-giving. Now that all the gifts have been opened, all that is left is for us to enjoy them.

Yet I can't help but wonder whether our pleasure would be dimmed were we to truly understand what is involved in bringing these gifts - at the bargain prices Americans love - to our homes.

There are those who say that the housing market is just one segment of our overall economy and bad loans are just a fraction of the housing market, so there is nothing to worry about. This viewpoint is wrong, because the housing market is not sealed off from the rest of the economy. On the contrary, clever Wall Street financiers have managed to convert a serious housing bust into a potentially cataclysmic financial crisis.

The U.S. housing market is hurting, as you undoubtedly know. Home foreclosures are the highest since record-keeping began 35 years ago, as 1.69 percent of all outstanding mortgage loans have entered the foreclosure process. As of October, the median price of an American house fell more than $20,000 in 2007.

I asked a cow once what she thought of Ron Paul. She told me to moo-ve. I was surprised by the rude response. Looking down, however, I quickly realized that I was probably standing on her lunch. So, I moved off the patch of green grass. Then, I again asked Betsy what she thought of presidential candidate Ron Paul. Looking at me with those big brown eyes, her tail twitching, Betsy answered: "Ask the people in the house. I don't vote." 

Okay, that was a fair answer.  

People like those in the house do have an opinion about Ron Paul. Besides being generational family farmers, they are nearly fanatical about supporting Ron Paul for president. When asked why, speaking in unison, they say Paul has been attempting to protect the small farmers' rights in Congress. But protecting them from whom?