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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Cell phones and things related

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  • From: Matt Cheselka <cheselka AT freestateproject.org>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Cell phones and things related
  • Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 09:57:45 -0500 (CDT)

On Mon, 26 Apr 2004, Pat Meadows wrote:

> It isn't always that easy. We live in a rural area. There
> is no public transport here. We do have a car.
>
[snip]
>
> Now just how do you suggest we get to the 'next town over
> with a Mom & Pop store'? That town is 35 miles away from
> our home.

I understand your situation. We, too, live in a rural area. Fortunately
for us closest town that has the "basics" is just about 10 miles away. If
we want other stuff or cheaper stuff, we're about 40 miles away from the
closest outlet. Luckily both of us have our health and for the most part
our vehicles are running.

Speaking for myself, the #1 priority is to do everything we can to take
care of ourselves. We don't want help, we don't want handouts, we don't
want cooperation. This certainly doesn't mean we're hostile to those
things, but if we can avoid them, we will. I *hate* being overly
dependant on other people. Having said that, I'm also not going to shoot
myself in the foot and *not* take advantage of collective or cooperative
opportunities in order to get things I need.

I've always like the addage: "the solution to pollution is dilution". It
can actually be applied in this case. The "pollution" in this case is
being "forced" to shop at Walmart becuase it's the only player in town.
If *you* want to shop somewhere else, I'd bet a million bucks that other
people would to. So, you "dilute" the problem by spreading out the pain.
If it were me, I'd put an ad in the local paper: "I won't shop at Walmart.
Looking for like-minded people to travel to [fill in the town or store
name] to do my shopping. I'll pay my share of the gas. Contact me at
[fill in the phone number]." I'd call it a "Shopping Club" or something.
This would even work for people who don't want to travel. In the town I'm
nearby, I'd think that at least 10 people (out of about 2500) would get
ahold of me within 2 or three weeks. Of those 10, I'd guess that at least
half of them have cars and could drive.

This certainly isn't what I'd call ideal, but it does solve the problem.

Matt Cheselka
Cosmic Lettuce





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