From: hal@finney.org
Date: Mon Apr 16 2001 - 12:30:59 MDT
> There are growing numbers of us that take these issues to heart. I
> have long thought about starting a retail store where everything
> available was "Made In America". I think these would prove far more
> popular than many people think.
It's a good idea, but why stop there? How about a "Made in Nebraska"
store for Nebraskans, and similarly for other states?
Or better still, "Made in Dubuque", "Made in Palm Springs", "Made in
Talahassee" stores, etc.
In fact, this whole business about trade is a bunch of nonsense, really.
Why give your money to someone else when you can keep it right here at
home. Build and make everything yourself: shop at your own "Made at My
House" store and you won't ship any of your money off your own property.
If it's good to keep your money within your country, surely it's even
better to keep it within your state, better still within your city,
and best of all within your house.
Hopefully the fallacy here is clear: the advantage of trade is that
it allows people in different areas to specialize in different things.
This is more efficient and less wasteful than trying to do everything
locally. The wider the range of talents and resources available, the
greater are the opportunities for finding the best possible match of
people and production. Trade on a worldwide basis maximizes available
resources for everyone.
The most efficient system is one where you buy the goods that are
cheapest, regardless of where they are produced. Anything else is just
throwing money away. You're hurting yourself and those around you by
boycotting trade opportunities.
Hal
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