| *a problem with non production of even such a simple thing as a commodity appears. what is a commodity? It could be orange juice, steel, or rayon. steel is not simple, nor is orange juice. steel is every single fabric made of steel and all its alloys, and grades. specialty steels and metal products feed whole industries that make them, use them, and develop them. orange juice, is an economy of sectors of florida, and all its community. it is the distribution network, and the means of distribution, from stainless trucks to refrigerators. Lettuce in california led to efficient mobile refrigeration technology, and the need for good rail access to major centers. It all co-exists. You cannot say, "we won't do this part of the scheme". the scheme of industry all interlocks and interrelates. If you look at it non synergistically, it can be compartmentalized and you would think parts can be safely removed. but industry is an organic, self feeding complementary beast. you cannot do major surgery on it "idealistically", without killing the whole beast. we see political thinking about changing economies to suit ideals. economies and what make them tick are wholistic byzantine affairs. if we say we will change them, we must know down the road what the total effect is. what i observe is that the richest economies try to do as much manufacturing as they can possible do. And in addition they make maximum use out of what resources they have. In Germany they mined low grade sulfide ore for steel at rammelsberg. Anywhere else it would have made no sense. but they made telescopes, mercedez benzes, solingen knives and many other things with that low grade ore. I think they did alright. It isn't just the making of a thing that is important, it is the making of the things to make the thing that grows the industry. Canada did mining, but they also made all their mining equipment, and all their reagants, and made many things with the metals they mined. People were busy, and I did not notice we were living in a cesspool. Cities, blacktops roads and farms do far more harm to nature than mines do. |
