[p2p-research] Abundance Destroys Profit [was: Tick, tock, tick, tock… BING]

[J. Andrew Rogers]

On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 10:20 AM, Andy Robinson <ldxar1 at gmail.com> wrote:
> It sounds like Nevada is an even stranger case though - almost a little USSR
> inside America?  How does the economy function - mainly federal jobs?


Not at all -- the exact opposite. In fact, there is a massive
*outflow* of Federal taxes, more so than any other state in the US
except for one. There are very few Federal jobs in Nevada. Nevada was
originally created under some odd terms during the US Civil War,
basically an incorporated money tree that could be bled to fund the
North's war effort. That legacy of use and abuse has persisted, but
whereas Nevada was sparsely populated for most of its history it
became a rapidly growing urban state in the latter half of the 20th
century. Federal policy toward Nevada hasn't changed at all -- it is
their State to use as they see fit for the benefit of other states --
which causes friction.

Nevada's economy is based on three things.  First, Nevada is one of
the richest mining regions in the world for heavy elements.  Second,
the arid volcanic soil is excellent for certain kinds of agriculture,
mostly onions, potatoes, and grass-fed beef.  Third is tourism, both
Las Vegas and alpine (Lake Tahoe/Reno); the latter is where people in
the San Francisco metro go for winter skiing and many summer outdoor
activities.

Notice that two of the three things on that list essentially exist at
the pleasure and whims of the Federal government. Nevada has a
self-sufficient economy, but the state is constantly doing battle with
the Federal government to keep it that way. To make matters worse,
every time administrations change in Washington DC, they arbitrarily
rewrite all the policies for Federal land to please special interests
that don't live anywhere near Nevada. I think Nevada is one of the
very few US states where the main function of the State government and
politics revolves around limiting or impeding adverse Federal policy.
Nevada does not have many laws, so most substantive policy issues
within the State involve the Federal government in some fashion.


It underscores how complicated the USian political context is. There
are several different cultural and political regions with very
different histories, and most USians are oblivious to any context but
their own.


-- 
J. Andrew Rogers
realityminer.blogspot.com