AZspot AZspot

blue bits. red rocks.
Thursday 9 July 2009

Reding explores the effects of a number of these policies that have contributed to the decimation of the small town of Oelwein, Iowa. His counter-intuitive discovery: the use of these drugs are not because of the dull life in small towns, but because of agricultural and industrial policies of the past fifty years. The use of Meth is an effort to compensate for the effects of punishing policies that encourage economic consolidation and “efficiency” – resulting in cheap food that turns out to be very expensive indeed for the people of Oelwien and similar small towns. In describing efforts of police to crack down on the manufacture of the drugs (a bit more aggressive than “just say no”), one is struck by the fact that they are trying to play whack-a-mole against a problem that arises from bad political policies and a bad economy. But, in seeking the to tamp down on Meth manufacturing and use, officials are altogether missing the more profound underlying reasons for its explosion in small towns across America. When some celebrate America’s economic might by pointing to our agricultural productivity and cheap products, they need to begin adding in the costs of the devastation of Oelwein, including the ruined lives that cheap meat has fostered. We need to start adding in a great many costs that we’ve all too conveniently separated – say, starting with the cost of running and imperial military including three recent wars in the Middle East and Near East that aren’t being fought because we believe in “democracy,” but because we believe in cheap oil. Until we start an honest accounting of the true costs of our “cheap” food and convenient shopping options, we’ll continue to be complicit in the devastation of places like Oelwein, and a bad culture of addiction that replaced a good culture of good work. Front Porch Republic

A GNT creation ©2007–2012