Union of Concerned Scientists supports farm buying clubs: Consumer Supported Agriculture

jubal,

That's a "service" which dates back to a time when the construction of someone's barn was a community effort, and a kind of feast. An excuse to work very hard for someone else, create reciprocal obligations, and later, get crazy with partying.

But alas!

Those poor ancient deluded proto-Socialist ancestors of ours! How did they ever survive without derivatives, without flashy cars, DVD burners, trips to Vegas and Reno!

Those people living on kibbutzes too!

If only they understood the importance of mindless competition in zero sum games!

OK. True. They'd be in the same hole we are...But face it, they'd also be Perfectly Ideologically Correct!

That's something, for some reason, we just can't take to the bank any more.

Should banks get you know conservative again and go back to being money kibbutzes? Places where money is protected, not bet on the global casino in the hope of making the top guys rich?

Just a thought.

We have a service here in my community that you buy from Organic growers and they deliver a box of veggies and fruits to your home weekly, semi weekly, or monthly depending on your home's needs. I think it is a great way to support local farmers and keep prices down.

First response - Great idea.

Distribution monopolies have stood between the consumer and producer for far too long. Nor is any government of late likely to challenge monopolies with trust-busting legislation to protect consumers from price gouging. The Fed gives away money but compare that with credit card fees.

Second idea. - Look out for the propaganda campaign.

As old as America is people always were smart enough to form community based co-ops to leverage prices back into the consumer's favor.

But expect hysterical cries of "More Demon-Inspired Socialism!" and\or "Stop Consumer Communism!" These idiocies are bound to usher from fanatical wingnuts (and ad agencies) "protecting" America's ideological virginity.

We've become a dangerously lob-sided and weird country. At huge public expense [witness Katrina] we don't protect each other, but instead the most dysfunctional elements of organized criminal behavior -- the trailer scam which followed.

Efforts to help keep jobs here are "Protectionism!" That's terrible. Down with jobs. Yup. We know what matters.

Anything that does an end-run around middle men to cut prices for American products through bulk purchase [unless it's done by WalMart!] runs up against far right doctrines that demand unfettered meaning too-often and monopolized commerce. But open use of co-op methods? That's TOO unfettered, I guess. Un-American.

Does that mean WalMart's "socialism\communism" is too successful to challenge? Hm...

It's no surprise that scientists, if not the economists, are rethinking how we do business. I think we need to reassess a lot of what passes for economic 'normalcy' in our failed business paradise.

An affordable and abundant food supply, a clean fresh water supply, nationwide, these are issues of National Security. Because without them what do you have left but a failed state?

Pls advise...