The problem is not the economic weather such as speculation. If government cared that one or two businesses would squander financial instruments, then it would disband the two major political parties.

The problem is that people do not trust the free market to deliver goods and services. They expect government to guarantee~ the flow of goods and services.

Translation:  ever play an MMOG where the kids buy up all the items and resell them at a higher cost? This is called speculation. People do it for one reason:  money. The only difference between speculation and retail sales is that a retailer does not corner the market and cause prices to quickly escalate.

Since people are dependent on money and the market for their survival, they are concerned about the stability of that market. And what do people do when they're concerned about something? They look to government. This is the root of the problem. People aren't financially independent of society:  they're economic conscripts.

Leave it to Daddy to know what the kids have gotten themselves into.

Socialists love the way things are. They have illegalized any possibility of independence through zoning and central planning; you couldn't grow a tomato or chop a tree without a government permit much less raise enough food and electricity to live on. As long as you're dependent on the market, socialists know you are dependent on government, and them, to guarantee your existence.

People accept their peon-ship as "a move forward, away from farming and remedial labor." Play SimCity a few times. Central planners design your civilized vassal life: the building you will live in, the road you will drive on to work, the education level of your family, and the forms of entertainment you will have access to.

Yeah, you're free. Free like a couple of fish in the oven.

Having solar generators would remind you that "No, Mr. Power Company, I really don't have to pay you this month. I can turn you off." Of course, you're still going to want cable TV, internet and cellphone service, and the electricity to power other luxuries, but the point isn't to own everything. The point is to own enough to survive with.

You don't even need to grow every spice, vegetable, fruit, and form of meat that there is; you can trade. You don't even have to work the garden; you can hire mexicans or kids. If one solar generator doesn't produce enough electricity, buy another one or a better one. If dogs, cats, squirrels, and hurricanes are a threat to your property, take security measures.

Now you take that solar generator, and you get a Rinnai water heater system to reduce power consumption. You can do this if you own a house. You can't if you're in a trailer park, a condo, or an apartment complex. You need a home and land.

Central planners need to create a new zoning that enables residents to have a greenhouse, power generators, and water boiler air conditioning systems (the one Bush has). Just imagine the value added to public roads if people, instead of just driving out to pick up groceries, can haul groceries to a farmer's market for trade.

On a side note, FDA enforcement officials would have a nightmare keeping tabs on a neighborhood's home-grown garden variety produce. I think growers would want to get FDA seals of approval though, so local agencies would expand. Growers could compete with grocery stores by virtue of financial independence.

Wonder how the government would tax these people, who don't have to have a job, who can live scot-free off the means of their own labor? I've never heard of a government that can't figure out how to tax something. Have you? Government should refrain from property and income taxes though.

The planners also need to set various levels of tolerance for environmental pollution. Chickens, cows and other things stink, and they should be on the outskirts not downtown. They have these classifications, but no one appears to use them for anything other than building more anthills. Hey, there's also fire hazards, architectural requirements, and other things to consider. I'm not saying throw away central planning.

I'm saying central planning should support independence rather than obstruct it.

I just explained capitalism to you. You weren't afraid of anyone squandering pig butts or cornering the pig butt market. That doesn't scare you. You're worried about stocks, bonds, and industries being seized by greedy people because you're 100% dependent on the status quo for your existence. No one should live that way.

So if I give you more options, you will eventually think about them. How about the choice not to work for somebody else?

------------------------------------------

Food ain't hard. You can slap pizza dough together in about 30 minutes. You probably don't know how, which is why you haven't tried. If you're like me, your standards are so high that you need a good year to figure out how to meet them. Yeah, I got your attention now. We can live forever on pizza, can't we? Cmon nobody likes flipping burgers. Everyone loves slapping pizza.

Flour's only $1 a bag. Yeast, water, olive oil, eggs, sugar, and salt aren't that high. Jump right in. Reading the Encyclopizza (google it) as I practiced has helped. My dough is near rocking, and it'd be better if I had my own homegrown stuff.

See, nobody gets excited over the food channel...but everyone gets excited about pizza. Pizza is capitalism.