by exploited » Mon May 20, 2013 11:46 am
Oil/gas and automobile subsidies are to blame for alot. Railroad companies laid down their own tracks; car companies got the government to do their work for them. The only reason why international and national food supply chains are inexpensive is because the taxpayer foots the bill for most of the infrastructure needed to make it possible.
North America would look drastically different today were it not for that. Most towns would be centered around railroads, as they are infinitely more efficient than transport trucks; urban sprawl would be a non-issue because it wouldn't make economic sense (a world without suburbs sounds amazing); pollution would be way down, as urban centers would be primarily geared towards pedestrians/mass transit and not clogged with cars; local food would be cheaper because it has to travel less, and producers would be subject to the full cost of transportation...
Combined with the short term perspective of the stock market, I would agree that our food supply system is seriously screwed up... as is most of our infrastructure, which rests upon faulty premises and requires constant government intervention to sustain.