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Marylanders pledge to pay more for food
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I suppose it's only appropriate during a government-induced depression that politicians would push programs increasing our costs of living. In particular, the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission is "challenging" consumers to pass up the standard human practice of seeking out the best values in exchange for the opportunity to pay higher prices. Per a Baynet.com report:
What if you could make one simple change every day for a week that would have a positive impact on your health, your local economy and the health of the planet? Join the thousands across Maryland who will take the Buy Local Challenge by pledging to eat at least one item from a local farm every day during Buy Local Week from July 18 to 24. You’ll enjoy food that’s fresh and nutritious while you support local farmers.
The Buy Local Challenge will celebrate its third anniversary in 2009. It was designed to highlight the environmental, health and economic benefits farms provide. Participants are encouraged to shop at farms, farm stands, farmers’ markets and grocers that offer locally grown food and wine, and dine at restaurants that include local farm food and wine in their menus.
For now we'll set aside the fact that this is an opinion piece masquerading as news, what with the mindless, undocumented implication that buying corn from a roadside stand instead of a chain grocery store could in any way account for a meaningful increase in "the health of the planet." (To hell, apparently, with all us lowly people who would suffer needlessly with the elimination of those evil superstores that provide better selections at lower prices.)
I certainly sympathize with local farmers who find it harder and harder to compete with state- and federally-subsidized plantations owned by politically-connected millionaires. And I'm not implying there's no value to shopping on the side of the road -- I do it all the time. I'm simply pointing out that shopping locally for the sake of shopping locally -- as an end in itself, and at the behest of politicians, of all people, who are the ones running local farms out of business in the first place -- is not the answer. Eliminating farm subsidies so all producers are allowed to compete on a level playing field is.
But, of course, that wouldn't be the American way. These days it seems most of us prefer programs lavishing tax monies upon the favored minority-of-the-month or good ol' boy to actually working for anything.
I probably need to have my head examined for even thinking about opening a restaurant nowadays, not only in this economy but also amid so much local and state heavy-handedness forcing business owners to spend at least as much time complying with regulations as they do generating wealth. But that's actually where I'm at these days, as I'm working on a business plan to peddle chili, hot dogs, and cheesesteaks.
However, I wouldn't expect people to come to my place simply out of concern for some politically-manufactured end; I'd hope they'd show up because that's where they'd find the best meals at the cheapest prices. And if they couldn't, I certainly wouldn't be able to blame them for putting their scarce resources to alternate uses.
