Comments on: Buy Local, Save Your Government!

By: babybell

babybell — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:55:31 +0000

It’s funny that my largest expense is to “buy” government “services” that I do not want. And a major portion of that is for non-local government!! If only there was a way to “buy” just the local stuff, I’d be so much happier…

By: babybell

babybell — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:48:19 +0000

“buy remote” is just as insane as “buy local”

By: Peter Surda

Peter Surda — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:24:37 +0000

but I was kind of hoping that Robert might try to answer the question

Based on his posts so far, he does not seem to be interested in answering questions. He rather seems to be interested in complaining and an undisturbed life in his la-la-land.

By: RTB

RTB — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 03:31:10 +0000

Just illustrates on sooooo many levels how utterly ignorant the “buy local” argument is.

By: Dale P

Dale P — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:17:46 +0000

notice there is the class of goods and services that are NIMBY (not in my back yard) or locally.
Like a petrol refinery and other such things.
some folks in oregon are fighting a LPG terminal cause the locals cannot consume it all and some might go to Califormia. oh dear

By: Michael A. Clem

Michael A. Clem — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 20:35:01 +0000

thanks, guys, but I was kind of hoping that Robert might try to answer the question. Technically speaking, involuntary taxation is not necessarily violent, but it is still an initiation or threat of force against citizens.

By: noah

noah — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:26:20 +0000

“Sure, if you believe police, libraries, and schools can only be provided through violent extraction from the local populace, then Ms. Vetter’s ‘buy local’ argument makes a good deal of sense. Governments are parasitic organisms by design. A dollar spent outside its jurisdiction is a ‘loss’ to the parasite.”

The fact remains that those services ARE provided through violent extraction from the local populace. How those services COULD be provided is not so relevant when you are dialing 911.

Wherever you spend your dollar, some parasite is going to get its cut. The point is, you want to feed your own friendly neighborhood parasite before you feed some far away parasite. Your own friendly neighborhood parasite just might offer a small return on its violent extraction.

By: jon

jon — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:32:32 +0000

note that the “buy local” movement still thinks your money belongs in FDIC-insured savings accounts, earning less than 1%. “banking” should be “free.” of course.

and i imagine you’re supposed to “swipe your charge card locally but then pay it off upwards of 12% nationally,” too. gosh, how do those rich just keep getting richer? they must be screwing us somehow!

By: Anony-mouse

Anony-mouse — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:31:25 +0000

“Buy Local, Save Your Government!”

Save the government?

Why the hell would anyone want to do that?

By: Stephen Adkins

Stephen Adkins — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:05:19 +0000

organize, huh? sounds ominous…

By: Ohhh Henry

Ohhh Henry — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:58:01 +0000

Whenever my local radio stations start running ads featuring a local media personality who urges the public to “shop locally” (presumably instead of buying from online retailers who have prices between 10 and 70 percent cheaper) it tells me just one thing – they couldn’t sell enough actual advertising so they’re filling the dead air with public service spots aimed at brown-nosing local stores so they will buy more ads. Ultimately I suppose that it’s a sign that they are too stubborn to lower advertising prices, lay off staff or cut salaries – another example of so-called sticky wages. It is a government town after all and they are utterly dependent on government hacks to get their broadcasting license renewed. Acting like sensible entrepreneurs and cutting prices and costs will not usually be their first response to financial distress.

But aside from the economic fallacy at work these little “shop local” ads are harmless fun … and it’s a lot better than what some radio stations do, which is endlessly play government-sponsored public service messages which are nothing but propaganda for the fascist police state. The “click it or ticket” ads are the most obnoxious of these but very typical. Another inadvertently humorous ad is read by a union organizer who sounds like Al Capone, urging local tradesmen to “organize their contractor”.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 02:18:07 +0000

I don’t know… this is exactly the kind of thing that can start people thinking. The more obvious the better.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 02:15:46 +0000

RG,

Customer discrimination will not be driven out over time because there is no such thing as an inefficient consumer. Consumers buy according to their preferences, and thus by definition take whatever course of action is most closely aligned with their interests as they see them at the time of the purchase.

An inefficient producer will go out of business as you indicated above, but if it is my preference to pay more for local apples then that will certainly not put me “out of business” as a consumer.

By: RTB

RTB — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 02:11:43 +0000

Funny.

How do you define local? Depending on how one defines it, at best I might be able to live on corn, beans and duck. Probably live in a wooden house with an outhouse and a fireplace for heat. No electricity. Bye bye all modern conveniences including things as simple as toothbrushes and silverware.

Don’t people who aren’t “local” matter?

Where does she buy all her supplies from? Refer to “I, Pencil”. Does she have all the necessary components situated right next door?

It’s really too ignorant to really delve into on this site. It’s a common misconception, but probably more something to expound upon in more uninformed circles.

By: Gil

Gil — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:49:01 +0000

Everthing should be grown and made in China then?

By: Capt Mike

Capt Mike — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:09:18 +0000

I buy local when it suits me i.e. yummy ripe tomatoes in July.

Otherwise, eh, maybe. If the deal is better (or at least not worse).

By: Capt Mike

Capt Mike — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:06:24 +0000

Thank You Michael Palin! (The GOOD Palin!)

By: augusto

augusto — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:08:50 +0000

Or where the coffee beans come from…

By: Matthew Swaringen

Matthew Swaringen — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:59:05 +0000

Good point.

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:57:20 +0000

No, in other words to greedily protect the view from my abode by financially supporting landowners who specifically use their land in a manner that I prefer & benefit from.

I suppose purchasing membership from a country club is encouraging malinvestment by preventing the land from being used in more productive manners such as serving as the foundation of an electrical plant? And purchasing the stocks of a company that manufactures steel kitchen utensils is supporting malinvestment because that steel would yield more wealth as a component of a factory machine? And Rothbard created malinvestment by purchasing jazz concert tickets for his personal enjoyment instead of spending that money to harvest natural resources?