WAUKEGAN, IL

By A.B. Dada
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Slashdot had an article today titled FDA Set to Approve Products from Cloned Cows, to which I replied with the post I’m Excited:

I’m excited.

More producing products (cows, in this case) mean more supply of the products I use (cream, cheese and other high fat-low carb dairy products). More supply means lower prices. Lower prices means more business opportunities, which means a stronger economic outlook for those who can’t afford the high barrier to entry created by the high cost to breed cattle.

I’m sure there are some health concerns (my wife prefers organic, I prefer mass produced for my daily consumption), but I’m not sure that the concerns are valid. I travel the globe and specifically like to visit previously poor countries (Ethiopia, Uganda, India, etc) and what I see is people who have better lives because of the ability to purchase their needs cheaper. If the health concern is a higher rate of disease that might knock 5 years off your life expectancy, but being able to eat or clothe yourself or keep your body mass consistant will add 20 years, this sounds like a net benefit. Beyond the health concerns, though, we also can see that cheaper dairy might mean more business opportunities in the previously poor areas — and this also increases the standard of living and life expectancy of the person willing to get involved in the new marketplace.

I absolutely, positively do NOT want government requirements for labeling. If I am concerned with labeling, I will call the manufacturer of the product and ASK. I already do it because I don’t consume trans fats (except for naturally occuring ones in beef). The government was “supposed” to regulate trans fat labels, but they haven’t. Many items say 0 trans fats but contain a significant amount below 1 gram, and your government allows it to be labeled 0 grams. Nice. That’s government at its finest. When I see 0 grams of trans fats, I will call the manufacturer and ask them to confirm the fact that there are zero, and most of the time they’ll say “there’s a negligible amount” which is the equivalent of saying “yeah, they’re in there.” No thanks.

Forcing companies to label properly does NOT work. “Organic” means nothing, “0 trans fats” means nothing, “low sugar” means nothing, “whole grains” means nothing. If you’re worried, contact the company directly and figure it out on your own.

Cloned animals seems good to me — if I can get marbled beef at a discount, I’ll be happy. If beef jerky comes down even 20% in price, I’ll be happy. If creams and cheeses can be made at the same quality for a lower price, I’ll be happy. All of these items keep me healthy, slim and energized, and the cost savings means I can eat more — making myself even healthier.

Discuss this article at the slashdot site, or at the anarcho-capitalism forum.

PORTLAND, OR

by Mike Bryson
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I don’t live in Chicago, but because of A.B. Dada’s previous article¹ I was interested in watching the hilarity of a powerful City Council and a powerful Mayor battling against each other while huge corporations sit by the sidelines chuckling. The City Council of the City of Chicago passed a Big Box Ordinance a few weeks ago with a 14-1 vote. The Big Box Ordinance would force Big Box stores to pay a minimum of US$13 per hour in wages and benefits to even the most entry level employees. Immediately Target canceled 2 stores they were planning in the City, with many suburbs more than happy to let them open without the wage minimums. Mayor Daley came out immediately to fight against the ordinance, but his veto (the first in 17 years if he did so) would need 3 or 4 councilmen on his side to prevent an override.

Now we see Wal-Mart and Lowe’s, a home improvement store, also cancel new stores in the City of Chicago.² I am shocked that the councilmen would want to push these huge income (and tax!) generators out of the city, so I considered the reasons why they would try to pass such a ridiculous law. While I was on the phone with A.B. Dada yesterday, it hit me; it isn’t about power over the citizens, it is likely about business power.

Mayor Daley is a huge and powerful Mayor, with many sources of campaign income. He may receive huge contributions from the Big Box companies (possibly, I have no actual data on this) versus contributions from individuals. He likely does not make any major profits from companies within the city as it would be seen as a conflict of interest, and why should he worry about running small businesses when he can raise millions by calling the ones he already is supported by?

That is NOT true of the City Councilmen, though. Many of them have been alledgely involved in local businesses that reap big profits for them. They each cover a district in Chicago, so they have 93% less voters than Daley does, and significantly less power. For these Councilmen, Big Box competitors could drive their huge profits in the toilet. I’ve visited Chicago only 3 times, but my most recent visit a few weeks back I had gone with A.B. to the South Side to see the mess that is made down there. Prices in the tiny stores are outrageous, but competition is diminished because zoning is very hard to get. The North Side is a completely different story; stores are everywhere and prices are competitive.

Almost all the Big Box stores opening in Chicago are doing so on the South Side where they can do very well. With a poorer class of people, it is likely that the Big Box stores will be a huge opportunity for consumers, workers and even smaller stores as the local consumers won’t have to drive to the burbs (or take a 1 hour bus ride each way) to get what they want; visiting local stores along the way. Yet those who actually own (openly or secretly) the small “convenience stores” would be put out of business quick considering their racket of jacking up prices because no one can open a competing store nearby.

While I have no facts to back this up, and I am not from Chicago, it makes more sense to me than what the papers are saying. The Mayor wants the campaign income from the Big Box stores so he is against the ordinance; the councilmen want the income from the possible shill stores that they possibly own.

Discuss this article at the anarcho-capitalism forum.

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Mike Bryson is the news editor of the Global Unanimocracy Network. He lives in the Portland, OR region where he works as an IT business developer and point of sale consultant. E-mail Mike with news links or comments on this report.