And thanks to Dwatney, who reminded me to go look for some Boudreaux.

Gotta love the current generation of "hippies" that are not informed enough to even know where there lifestyle (phones, shoes, cars, etc.) came from or under what conditions.

I've worked 2 family owned businesses and the 'mom and pop' size was not large enough to spread the profit around in the form of wages/benefits. Just was not enough dough unless they gave up their own lifestyle.

Gotta love those that rail against Wal-Mart and such as those businesses come much closer providing a wage and/or environment that is more respectful or mindful of an employee's needs. (Try asking a small business owner for something.)

Reminds me of a line from "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" where two people new to New York life say it's so weird how everyone thinks they should eat local. Kimmy says, "Yeah! Why would I want to eat a bird I might know?!"

Depends on what you mean by "better"

Better for the environment? Sure it is, assuming places like SoCal and AZ are willing to kill of at least half to three quarters of their residents as the grow local buy local model could never raise enough food.

I must admit I do use the buy local argument to fuck with pious vegan/vegetarians though.

Let the localvores go totally local; and I mean totally.

That would include ALL foodstuffs which means no fresh fruits or veggies in the northern US during winter; all clothes would only be made from local materials which means no cotton in the northern areas; all forms of energy must be locally produced - no getting that electricity from the power grid which comes from upstate; and keep their own damn garbage - no fair shipping it out of state to let fly-over-country to deal with.

Buy local?

Does this mean California will give up using out-of-state water?

Of course not.

Like most Lefty movements, the localvore movement is an amazingly self-righteous one. And, like most quasi-religious movements, it ignores its own hypocrisies.

Buying "local" is little more than a way of looking down your nose at folks who buy their product at the grocery store, of raising yourself up to a "better" social stratum.

Like hybrid car drivers who ignore the fact that the manufacture and disposal of their cars does more damage to the environment than the entire life cycle of an internal combustion engined car. It's a badge they wear, not an actual effort to help anything.

It's called "conspicuous conservation."

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/02/the-prius-as-an-oddly-shaped-status-symbol/385263/