Baraka_Guru

The interesting thing would be to compare the federal monies that go out to such industries as the oil and corn/meat/dairy industries vs. the federal monies that go towards supporting public transit and organic/vegetable/fruit farms.

I get the idea that many Americans view things like gas, meat, dairy, etc., as being far cheaper than they really are, while they view things like public transportation, fruit, vegetables, etc., as more expensive than they're worth. In the end, it's about hidden vs. visible cost/pricing.

This is a sad state of affairs when you consider the proportion to which each of these items are or should be consumed.

People will go on about the horrendous "nanny state" and "social engineering" of government policy, but the underlying truth is that much of this is set up as a result of the heavy influence of industry (or lack thereof). The lines between government and business are blurred, and you wonder why people are shocked when the systems fail: they aren't quite sure what's going on in the first place.

So it seems.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot